Can you believe it, you guys?! Half of 2022 is over, donezo, finito. So far, it’s been full of discovery, both personally and worldly for me. I’m focused on small, meaningful and lasting growth spurts for the 2nd act of the year. I feel like that’s a good year any way you slice it. I’ve found that committing to slow and deliberate steps to just being better are far more effective for me than setting grand goals personally and in my business that too often set me up for feeling like that old “I’m not enough” feeling. I’m over that. SO over that.
How about you? Has 2022 been good for you so far? Have you made strides business-wise or personally? I’m not talking about making your first million or finding your perfect someone. I mean, are you better on July 1 than you were on January 1st? Kinder? More compassionate? Smarter? More loving?
Camping
On Monday my daughter and her 2 acorns and I set forth for my first camping adventure in many, many years. She and her little family of 4 camp yearly. In Greece, you guys, where you set your tent up in a continuously warm spot within strolling distance of the Mediterranean and a local taverna - with tables and tablecloths. And food and drink. Offering her kids a typical Oregon camping trip was high on her list for this visit.
So off we went to Crescent Lake in Klamath County, on the eastern side of the Cascades. It should have been a 3 hour drive. Leaving home around noon after a leisurely car packing and feeding of the acorns and oaks, seemed reasonable. You guys, for reasons that are unknown to anyone in the car, it took us 8 hours - 8 HOURS to trek over Mt. Hood, down the other side, through Madras, Redmond and Bend and finally find yurt #3 in the campground.
We quickly realized that we forgot to pack an essential Oregon camping ingredient: mosquito repellant. Within minutes everyone except my daughter (again, for unknown reasons) was swatting and itching. Also, it was over 90 degrees when we left home, the idea that I would need anything but shorts and short sleeved tee shirts seemed ridiculous, even though a quick look at the weather app told me it would be 47 at night (in reality, it was 42). I remember thinking how refreshing that would feel after the sweltering heat in town.
So there I was, standing over a camp stove borrowed from my son, cooking food I’d never eat anywhere else, in shorts and a sleeveless top being eaten alive, remembering why my mother hated camping.
Did it mention that my daughter was recovering from Covid? On her first full day here she tested positive (after a tortuous trip of 1 missed connection resulting in the 3 of them spending the night in San Francisco airport - it’s a miracle they didn’t all have Covid and monkeypox to boot). Her capacity was diminished and at almost 72, mine is definitely limited. Forgetting repellant and enough warm clothes and blankets is not out of the realm, right?
First Morning
While not having my morning coffee sitting around the campfire we had no wood for on Tuesday morning I realized that I was hearing delightful birdsong. For some reason I had connectivity so I downloaded the Merlin app and began exploring the different calls I heard and species I saw. There was a Pileated Woodpecker (the one that looks like Woody), a Canada Jay, Western Wood PeeWee, Northern Flicker, Stellar’s Jay, Yellow Rumped Warbler and Chipping Sparrow that I identified within just a short amount of time. It was super fun to listen and be able to identify the different species all around us. On the way home we randomly saw a spectacular adult Bald Eagle on a stroll beside the road through the little town of Chiloquin. I believe that’s my first sighting in the wild, I know I’ve never seen one that close in the wild and wish we could have stopped to take a picture and observe for a few minutes, but the moment was gone before we knew it.
After waking up on day 2 after a fitful, freezing night we made the hour drive to Crater Lake and it was magnificent. There was still a lot of snow on the rim, the sun was shining on the brilliant blue lake under a summer blue sky. For the first time in memory, we drove partially around the West Rim of the crater, seeing beautiful, new vistas in all directions. So worth it. If you haven’t seen this National Park treasure, you must.
It was decided that another evening of being on the mosquito buffet and waking up cold was not happening so after returning to camp we packed up and headed home. It was just over a 3 hour trip and I have no idea how that’s possible.
Enjoy my little album of the Great Dry Camping Adventure of 2022, plan your own adventure with repellant and have a wonderful 4th of July with those you love and cherish.
Until next time…
DeeDee
Tell me you love dry camping without telling me you live dry camping |
Acorn at the lake |
Yurt #3 |
Fine Dining with Mosquitoes |
Gorgeous Crater Lake |
Camp feet |