Chewacla 7-23-15

Off we go to DeSoto State Park!  Wait … I mean Monte Sano State Park!  No … to Lake Guntersville!  Hmmmm … Deer Lick Campground!  Or maybe … Chewacla State Park near Auburn??  Yep, that’s it!!!  The original plan for the past 3-4 months was to head to DeSoto State Park in Northeast Alabama so we could see the beautiful fall foliage color change, but since everyone else decided to head north this weekend we were left hunting for somewhere to stay!!  Fortunately we landed at Chewacla, so let me tell you how we got there…

A few weeks ago we were chatting with our good friends Mark and Katelyn Williams, and they were sharing with us how they want to take their kids (Avory and Aliza) camping.  It has always been on Kelly’s list to have some good friends go camping with us, so the planning began!  Mark and Katelyn said they were up for wherever so we told them all about how awesome we heard DeSoto was.  Weeks go by and, as is custom for Kelly and me, we decide not to book anything too far out because you never know what will happen.  The week of our trip arrived and we still did not have a place to camp, so we started looking around.  Mark and I decided to try Monte Sano in Huntsville because they have some nice dual pads where two families can camp together.  Unfortunately, Monte Sano does not take reservations so we were left hoping for the best … which didn’t happen.  Mark called early Friday morning before they left and said Monte Sano was out of spots so we started a mad hunt for somewhere else to stay.  We consistently looked northeast because we wanted to see the color change, but kept coming up short.  Alas, Mark found a spot at Chewacla outside of Auburn and we were off for our adventure!

I think it's safe to say we would invite them back;)  We had such a blast!

Mark, Katelyn, and the kids got to the campsite earlier in the day and were able to set up their tent just off the pad.  Kelly, Carter, and Caroline arrived somewhere around 5:00 and I followed up after work at about 7:30.  The site was great and had just enough privacy.  Mark did some work at the check-in station and was able to get us a spot that backed up to the woods.  There was actually a pretty awesome trail about 30 feet behind us that connected to different parts of the 700-acre park.  Once I surveyed the lot I went ahead and backed it in (best backup job I’ve ever done, says Kelly).  Carter, as is his routine now, helped me set everything up and get the camper running.  Meanwhile, Mark was busy cooking everyone’s dinner over the open fire!  We were definitely in for a treat in that not only did we have good friends for conversation, but we also had friends who like to cook!!

Everyone enjoyed Mark’s hamburgers and hot dogs, and we sat around for a bit while the kids became acclimated to the site.  Carter and Avory decided they wanted to go for a hike on the trail and look for some bears.  Mark, Avory, Carter, and me all grabbed our headlamps and headed out into the woods to see what we could find.  Other than a few trail markers and a bench or two, we really didn’t find anything other than a good time.  Carter and Avory had a blast looking around and Mark and I had a good time watching.  

Once we got back from our bear hunt, Katelyn and Kelly decided to see if they could get Aliza and Caroline to sleep.  Fortunately for everyone, they both went down fairly easily, and Avory and Carter followed not too long afterwards.  That gave the four adults a chance to sit around the campfire and just hang out.  It was definitely not lost on Kelly and me that this is one of the few times we’ve been able to hang out after the kids go down.  Normally we spend our evenings going to sleep at the same time as the kiddos, so this little hang-out was a lot of fun for us.  We ended up talking until well past 11:00pm when we all realized it’d be best for us to get to sleep since the kids would likely wake early and who knew what the night could entail.

Somewhere around 7:15 Saturday morning everyone emerged from their respective camping units (6:00 for the Williams, thanks for being so quiet!).  Mark once again got busy cooking and whipped up biscuits and chorizo!  We all enjoyed it along with Kelly’s wonderful muffins that she usually makes for camping trips! 

I also enjoyed Kelly’s effort to make my birthday great even if it was a little less traditional since it would take place in the woods.  She did a great job of decorating the campsite with birthday items, as well as making some really really incredible cupcakes.  

It was, however, one of the birthday decorations that caused the most morning excitement.  As we sat around and enjoyed the morning, Carter and Avory were playing at the edge of the woods.  One of the decorations was a string of pennants tied between the tent and a tree … and happened to look a lot like the finish line of a race (so now you probably know where I’m going with this).  Carter was running his very own race and crossed the finish line with quite a bang.  Instead of the pennant banner breaking like they do on television, it actually “clothes-lined” Carter and took him down in a pretty nasty way.  He had several ugly marks on his neck and also probably had a knot on the back of his head from the fall.  I did not see it, but from the accounts of those who did, his body was in the air and parallel to the ground at the same time, which is never good.  

After a lot of consoling and a few more minutes of campsite playing, we set off to find a trail, and this Chewacla lake that we had heard about.  The kids were very excited to be heading out on an adventure, and I must say Kelly was also since she brought her new backpack on the journey.  Kelly has three weaknesses when it comes to purchases (koozies, dog beds, and tumblers), and after I saw the look in her eye when she whipped out the new backpack, I think we may now have a fourth weakness.  We did not have to go far before we found the day-use area.  It was the connection to a lot of really cool stuff at Chewacla.  From here, you could follow a trail to the waterfall, many different mountain bike trails, or just hang out at the 26-acre lake (and maybe play on some seemingly unsafe playground equipment).  We chose to hang out at the lake and play on the playground.  

Katelyn and I had a good laugh about the "man-spacing" 

Eventually, all four kids ended up on the shoreline with their feet in the water.  That turned into one shirt off, two shirts off … and then they were all playing in the water in just their underwear. It probably isn’t one of my prouder moments, nor is it something I hope there is a photo of, but the kids had a blast and that’s all that really matters.  Once we dried them off, we played on the playground a little longer, and also had the first of many conversations with other campers about how to find the waterfall area.  It seems that no one really knows how to get there, but everyone agrees it’s a long walk.  

This girl needs to be on a magazine!  SO cute!

It was approaching naptime for the girls so we headed out for the camper.  Once we got closer, Carter saw the “flamingo park” and wanted to stay and play.  Flamingo park is nothing more than an area full of sand with about 50 of those fake pink flamingos people put in their yard when someone has a milestone birthday.  Carter made up a bunch of different games in this area and he and I passed about an hour of time while everyone else slept at the camper and ate lunch.  Eventually we made it back and settled down as well. The next 2-3 hours was dedicated solely to napping, snacking, and watching the end of the overly heart-breaking four-overtime Auburn loss to Arkansas.  I was quite relaxed and enjoying my weekend, and really not paying much attention to the game.  Then I decided to watch the end … and that’s when all of the craziness happened.  I remember thinking at one point I would have been fine if we lost, or even won, in a normal fashion.  It was the four overtime emotional roller coaster that my relaxed-camping-self did not need!  Oh well … and War Eagle anyway!

Once everyone was awake, we set off for the elusive waterfall area.  I have a process in all state parks that requires asking at least three other campers where something is before settling upon the truth.  Each of the first two I asked gave me the same answer … “whew, it’s a long walk … but it’s over there past the lake.”  The third person I asked ignored me so I figured I had enough cross-references to move on.  We made it to the trail and Carter and Avory led the way.  They ran most of it (impressive) and managed to miss most of the roots and rocks that could have caused a problem. 

At last, we made it to the waterfalls!  It was really cool because there were lots of rocks/boulders at the base that people could climb through.  It was definitely a hot spot because there were probably 30-40 other people in the area.  These rocks are where Carter went into wild man mode.  He wanted to show me how courageous he is and how good of a rock climber he has become.  Despite my uneasiness in several sections of this adventure, he was right.  The kid is pretty good at climbing.  I moved in and out of being a helicopter parent but landed at “he can handle this.”  

The walk back was a little more difficult … the kids were tired, the adults were now sweating, everyone was hungry, the sun was going down, and we weren’t that close to the camper.  Moods seemed to dip at this point (or maybe it was just me), but we made it back and were able to turn on a movie.  Unfortunately, it was time for our friends to drive back home, so our trip got far less fun in about 15 minutes.  We are, however, so thankful that Mark, Katelyn, and the kids joined us! We all had a blast and the kids all played together so well (thankful for RescueBots this trip!). It was a lot of fun and we are so hopeful they can come again one day!

After the Williams departed for Birmingham, we went into normal Clayton camping routine.  The best part of the evening was when Kelly, Carter, and I were sitting around the campfire while Caroline was inside the camper watching Frozen … then we heard her at the door trying to come outside.  I went to open the door for her and she said (in Caroline language, mind you), “Daddy! Hug me!”  I gladly hugged her and she said “I love you” (comes out of her mouth as “wuvu”).  She then muttered something that sounded like “happy birthday” and proceeded to ask for three more hugs.  I obviously melted on the spot, and also thought I was the only one seeing this, but when I turned around I saw Kelly and she said, “I’m about to cry.” ***More because this was the first of Caroline to initiate all three, and ALL at once!!! ;) -Kelly.  Carter and Caroline went on to bed, so Kelly and I hung out at the campfire again.  I fell asleep once, then woke up and talked about deep topics for a few, heard a coyote in the woods (seemed really close and freaked both of us out), finally saw Kelly fading into the evening, and said it’s time to go inside.  The fire was down to the final ashes so we moved inside. Once I got settled in for a nap, I heard Kelly gasp (or curse, but gasp sounds better!) and move very quickly (ninja-like).  I did not move, but then felt Kelly tapping me on the head (still silent by the way).  When I looked at her she just pointed at the wall and said, “Get it.”  That’s when I saw the BOS (Big Ole Spider).  She was gigantic … like so big the only way she could have gotten inside was if she came through the front door (maybe a slight exaggeration but she was big- and FAT)!  BOS and I stared at one another and sized up each other’s strengths and weaknesses.  Kelly remained silent, and hopeful that my quick-strike attack would work.  She knew if we lost the BOS there would be no sleeping this evening.  I knew a shoe would not work because the canvas wall was too flimsy… I needed something softer.  I finally found a roll of paper towels and prepared my swatting stance.  Kelly, at this point, still has not moved other than to stealthily breathe out of her nose.  Whap!!!!  Strike number one was actually unsuccessful, but BOS simply walked up the wall a few more steps (thank the Lord!), giving me another chance at the elusive arachnid. Whap!!!!  Strike number two, you ask? Quite successful.  BOS had been conquered.  There was no worry about sleeping this evening because the remains were left outside in a paper towel for any other spiders who might dare to enter Jack the Camper!!  The only thing missing in this exchange was me saying, “Go ahead … make my day.”

The crew slept great this evening.  It was about 58-60 degrees outside so that was perfect for the interior of the cabin.  We all woke up happily and moved outside for some breakfast.  Kelly and I used all of the firewood the evening before, but I scavenged for some good stuff in the woods and made one last fire happen (it was a VERY impressive fire, that only a true MAN could build! ***see last blog if this is not making sense -Kelly).  We cooked some eggs over the open fire, enjoyed some more muffins, and finished off the Lucky Charms.  Kelly put some popcorn kernels in foil and tried to pop some popcorn.  It kind of worked, but kind of didn’t also (that was sweet, it didn't work at all -Kelly).  We have this on our list of things to conquer in future trips.  

Before beginning the cleanup process, we all headed back down to Flamingo Park for some more fun with the pink birds.  Carter managed to turn the flamingos into pretend football players so he could work on his juke moves.  Kelly and I took turns doing our part in the take down and finally prepared to leave about 10:45am.

Such a random little spot that we initially laughed at, but the kids loved it!  Carter had a great game of tackle football with Mommy!

All in all, it was yet another great trip.  We are so thankful to have these opportunities together as a family.  It’s nice to be able to visit so many different places at an affordable price, and to have the time away with just our family.  It’s truly a gift.

Enjoyed some time in the Sonic and Walmart parking lots this trip:)  

Rating- we tied this place for first with a 9.2! Tied with Wind Creek which is also in Auburn. Clearly Auburn knows how to do camping! More details under rankings.

Oak Mountain State Park Round 2 10-3-15

Short trip, short blog post, right?  Probably not.  Even though we were really only camping about 36 hours we still manage to fill our time with lots of stuff to post.  So here we go! (Donald writing with Kelly's *inputs)

We were scheduled to head out Friday evening to set up and get our latest adventure going; however, a long week for everyone and some untimely sickness for Carter caused us to stay home Friday night and instead begin the journey Saturday morning.  This trip was a little different for us than normal because we are only camping 5 minutes from our house at Oak Mountain State Park, and because this is the first time we have repeated one of our camping locations. Why would we camp so close to home when we have a great backyard that feels like a state park already?  I’m glad you asked.  The easiest way to say it is that we are obsessed with camping during the Fall so we are trying our hardest to get into the camper as much as we can while the weather is so nice.  Since we are wanting to camp we had to go somewhere close by because Carter had a soccer game and I was scheduled to teach a Sunday school class at church; therefore, we had to stay local.

Anyway, Saturday morning began with Donald loading everything up and heading to the campsite.  Kelly, Carter, and Caroline got ready and drove to the soccer field, where Donald was scheduled to meet them for the game.  Donald got everything set up in a pretty nice spot and was driving toward the game when Kelly called and said it was cancelled due to rain.  That’s right … the ugly r-word.  Yuck.  Certainly it will pass by because we are camping!  Wrong-o!  

Last time we stayed here we were right next to everyone but this time we were more in the middle of everyone and had much more space.  SO much better!!!  Right next to the bathrooms (which could definitely use updating- yuck)  But many renovations will be happening in the next couple of years- yay!!!

Happy Anniversary to us;)  Bottom left picture we let Carter try and take one of us and Caroline decided to come over and pose as well.  

We all got to the camper about 10:30 Saturday morning and started settling in.  It was already misting pretty good but we heard things were going to let up later in the day.  Things began pretty much indoors with a movie and toys, but it didn’t take long for us to get restless. When Kelly drew an invisible line for the kids to not cross or touch each other we knew it was time to venture out and do some exploring.  There is a great trail near the entrance to the campground that has some really great scenery.  We have been down the trail before and since the rain was currently gone we set up down the path.  Everyone was having a nice walk when Caroline began saying, “potty! potty!”  Up until this point it did not occur to Kelly or me that camping is not the best place when your child is only eight days into potty training.  We didn’t really know what to do at this point, but at the same time we knew exactly what to do.  So, I helped her with the process and Caroline successfully had her first experience with “the world’s largest bathroom,” which is a common camping phrase. She is officially a camper! Really though it has been so much fun to really see her enjoy camping like we do!

Caroline's "I'm officially a camper" collage.  She loved it!  She has obviously been already but this was the first time she was more aware and soaking it all in.  Loved "playing" goldfish and thank goodness she embraced going potty in the woods!  

Shortly after this excitement, Caroline began to tire so Kelly took her back to the camper in hopes that she would fall asleep (*she was totally out until I laid her down, but I won on the ride home!).  Carter and I were determined to make it to the end of the trail.  Maybe halfway down the trail Carter used his new little trick … “Daddy, my legs hurt so you should probably carry me.”  Hmmmmmm.  He is actually very convincing.  You would think his legs are about to fall off the way he describes it, so of course he ends up on my shoulders.  We continued down the trail and had some really good conversation.  We talked about trees that had fallen on the ground, the difference between a creek and a river, how beautiful God’s nature is, the difference between dirt and mud, and how much he loves camping.  He also informed me that he wants to be a pilot when he grows up.  I actually thought he said “pirate” first, but after asking him if he wanted a plane or a ship with cannons, I was clear.  We finally made it to the end of the trail (and to the beginning of pain in my shoulders) so we began the journey back to the camper.  Right toward the beginning of the trail Kelly and Caroline showed up in the jogger (Caroline is not asleep … this is key for later) and gave us a lift back to the campsite.

Best buds

Upon our return Carter and I wanted to relax a little, and the Auburn game was about to come on, but Kelly was getting camper fever and needed to get out.  She asked if I could build a fire and since the game was just coming on I declined (probably in a rude way … oops … after all, it’s not like it was our anniversary … oh wait…).  Let’s just stop right here and be very clear about something.  Every time Kelly mentions anything about a fire, I only hear her questioning my manliness.  So, when she says “is the fire almost out,” that translates in my mind to “why can’t you build a fire that will last?”  Or in this case, “do you want to build a fire,” I hear “I bet you can’t build a fire you little city boy.”  The truth is this is my problem and totally not hers, so when I realized my rudeness I came back out to build one.  

*You can see by our lack of pictures from Saturday it was a real gem of a day! I think we can both be blamed for saying "Happy Anniversary by the way" to get under the other's skin! Ohhh the memories...

Carter was very interested in how to build a fire so we collected sticks, pine cones, firewood, etc. and began preparing the stage.  Kelly had already been quite kind to drive home and get some newspaper to help us get things going, especially since everything at the park was wet from the morning rain.  I must admit that this was one of the best fire setups I have ever put together.  It was stellar.  Right as I lit the paper and it began to get going, the rain began.  Too bad rain … nothing can stop these campers from enjoying a Fall afternoon fire!!!  So, Carter and I sat by the fire and roaster marshmallows in the rain.  And yes, this bad-boy fire kept going even though it was getting raining on.  Take that!!

Eventually the rain was too much and it was time to go inside.  Kelly brought the crock-pot this trip and made some absolutely incredible chili.  I mean this stuff was awesome, and since it was 57 degrees and raining it really hit the spot!!!!  The kids hung out inside and enjoyed another movie, and Kelly and I played a few games of Old Maid and Go Fish!  Pretty soon it was time for everyone to go to sleep, so Kelly and Caroline went to one bed and Carter and I went to the other.  

I can honestly say I have never enjoyed a bowl (well like 4 by the time the weekend was over) so much.  It was so nasty cold and rainy and it hit the spot!  ALSO I have been talking about getting a Keurig since we got this thing.  I HATED our coffee pot coffee- tasted funny.  I never got a Keurig bc they were too expensive but this one I found for $15 on clearance at Target.  You can see how excited I was!!! Ugh I should have bought two now that I think of it- gotta be some reason it was so cheap right?!

Caroline did well and was on the verge of sleeping without the pack-n-play (we decided not to bring it this time, for some reason *I cannot BELIEVE I did this?!?! Totally off my game), and then she popped up and decided it was play time.  To Kelly’s credit, she hung in there for a long time (*10:00 was my cut-off) and worked tirelessly to get her down (*had her asleep at one point, still not sure what happened).  Carter fell for my little trick, “hey buddy, we need to turn our light out so Caroline will go to sleep,” and we were asleep by 9:00.  Kelly and Caroline, on the other hand, “enjoyed” some Mommy-Daughter play time until somewhere about 10:00 (*ok so she did get pretty cute).  That’s when I was awoken to Kelly saying, “That’s it.  We’re going home.”  So, Kelly and Caroline loaded up and drove home for the evening while Carter and I stayed in the camper.  It was a wise play for Kelly and Caroline as they actually got some sleep at home (*maybe camping all day and sleeping at home is the new camping?!), whereas it was absolutely not happening in the camper.  Carter and I slept great and the girls came back to the camper around 8:15 Sunday morning … and a dry day was ahead of us!

Thinking she's so cute when she should have long been asleep.  One of my favorite mom moments though when I was acting like I was asleep, she kept sliding her hand under mine so should could hold my hand while I was sleeping.  Be still my heart!  

 I left at 9:00am to go teach Sunday school while Kelly and the kids went to the old playground, played on the hill and just enjoyed camping the way it should be done!  *But we missed daddy!

Mommy-kid time

I met them at the new Oak Mountain State Park playground.  That thing is awesome!!!!  It is so much fun and has so much for kids of any age to do.  Plus, it is right next to the lake so the scenery is perfect.  After many rounds of pretending to be Spider-Man, we all headed to the trail that has birds the fine people at OMSP are rehabilitating.  

YALL best playground ever.  So excited about all the Oak Mountain is doing!!!  So much to do here!  

Spiderman got a little crazy!

They somehow network with people all across the state and bring in birds that need help recovering from injury, and we get to walk through the woods and see them in their gigantic cages.  Carter and Caroline both loved it!!  From there, we walked a little deeper into the woods and let the kids throw rocks in the water (one of their favorite things to do).

Best Buds

So thankful for these memories!  Carter is 4 and LOVING these experiences.  He was so pumped when we knew we were going and he was going to be crushed if we canceled bc of the rain- so glad we didn't.  Caroline will be 2 this week, and it's so much fun to see her start to get into the outdoors! This trip was our 7 year anniversary.  

After a great day in the woods we returned to the camper and began the pack up process.  Kelly heated up some more chili, I made one more fire, and the kids got one more round with their camper toys.  All in all, it was another good trip … even if we were rained on quite a bit!!