Camp Tastic

'Twas a couple of weeks before the Big Day, and I decides it's a good time to head to StL with a fabulous friend, check out an art festival, and camp!

Neither one of us had really camped in the Loo area before, but we found a nice site online that was pretty close to where we wanted to be. Excitement ensues, plans shape, vehicles fill, driving happens, maps direct, arrival ... and we are greeted by a 'No Vacancy' sign. Huh? It's the END OF SEPTEMBER! No one should be camping now! Let's drive around the park anyway.

As we drive around, we could see the pitying faces of the old folks sitting by their ensconsed RVs, and every time we reach a turnaround, our spirits inch closer to diving off a cliff. We drove the whole park, and indeed, not a single site was available. The day is getting darker, literally and figuratively, so we both get on our cell phones, madly trying to avoid having to (egad, no!) stay at a hotel.

On our way to Plan B, still trying to be positive but having been seriously emotionally damaged by the DNR, we started discussing our Plan C options: pitching a tent in a church lot, squatting on land that was for sale, setting up camp in the entrance to the park ... but luckily Plan C wasn't necessary. We found a sweet spot, and the camping was ON!!

Over the course of the weekend, there were many highlights:
- Beth exercised her awesome punkin carving skills and created Cap'n Slappypants-McPie (or something?), and his 'X that marks the spot'.
- I earned my campfire-making badge, and my campfire burrito-making badge.
- We discovered the Strange Folk Festival. And decided it was a one-time event.
- We made friends with Shifty the Walking Stick. Well, as good a friends as we suspect you can be with such an aloof character.
- No matter how many times either one of us tried (oh, did we TRY) to yank the tree root out of the ground to chuck it onto the fire, it simply would not budge. Truly, the thing was right in the center of the campsite, just sticking out of the ground. I think the tree had a good laugh over that one.
- We had the absolute most perfect camping weather ever created.
- We both asked a number of 'dang, wish we had the Internet' kind of questions that neither one of us could answer, but would be awesome for a trivia night.
- I got the chance to reconnect with my camping equipment, which was lovely.
- Because of our camping detour, we ended up driving back through a part of Missouri neither one of us had ever been through before - Washington and Hermann - and it was GORGEOUS! If you've never been, I strongly suggest motoring down around there, and do your best to make it through in the fall. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. It'll be hard to keep your eyes on the road, though, so be sure to bring a co-pilot. Those drop offs would definitely leave a mark.

Thank you, Beth, for making the trip a reality. Thank you, Katie & Clint & Boo, for the firewood. Thank you, Adam & Indiana "Where is that, anyway?" Lady for your supporting roles in Plan B.