When our boys were growing up, we spent a lot of time camping in the N. GA and NC mountains. I think this photo was taken at a new state park in N. GA around 1963. You can tell we had just arrived because the boys are still clean! I don't remember the hat Jim is wearing in this photo!This was our first camping trip and we were a little nervous about sleeping in the woods. We put up a clothesline between 2 large trees, placed a tarpalium over the line and anchored each corned to stakes on the ground. We put our sleeping bags on the ground under the "tent". I was really nervous that there might be bears in the newly cleared area.
The boys woke up early the next morning and headed downhill to the outdoor toilets. Shortly I heard Bill calling, "Mom, come here" and I just knew something had happeded to James. When I got there he said he wanted me to see the "automatic" toilet; that you didn't have to flush it! You could hear snickers coming from all over the campground. They were definitely city boys from Atlanta, GA. We soon caught the camping bug and bought a large tent, a trailer to haul it and other supplies, including a food locker, lanterns, air mattresses for our sleeping bags, and much more over the years. Ultimately we bought a pop-up tent camper but this was after the boys were grown. We didn't use it too many times; too much work. Our idea now of camping is "Holiday Inn".
When we lived in Paris, TX, we would spend 2 weeks each summer camping in the west. We loved camping in the cool mountains in Colorado and the cold nights by the campfires. Once we saw bears eating blueberries at Glacier Park and I hid all the food in the car that night so bears wouldn't come looking for food. We did hear one sniffing around in the park that night. We camped all over Texas and loved Possum Kingdom. The water was so clear and blue.
One summer we decided to visit my sister and go to Assateague Island, MD on the Atlantic Ocean. That trip was marred by druggies camping next to us. They only stayed one night. When our boys were in high school and working at the Boy Scout Camp in OK, we didn't go camping as much anymore. Meal times were very creative but enjoyable.
Once at Nag's Head, NC, camping on the beach, we couldn't get the stove to work (too much wind) and the tent almost blew away the first night we were there and there were "droves" of mosquitos due to the wind blowing the wrong way. We woke up the next morning to hear a noise and Jim was outside packing to go home. We had already spent a week along the Blue Ridge Parkway and that part was enjoyable. We went back to Atlanta, spent the night and the next day went camping at Santa Rosa Island near Pensacola. That was a much better location for tent camping.
Too bad neither Ron or Bill have boys to take camping. The girls are not that excited about "roughin' it". No place to go to put on their make up, one of them complained.
Ron and Bill both became Eagle Scouts and we are so proud of them.
