Where I've been

I just got back from an awesome camping trip at Davidson campground in the Pisgah National Forest. Our last trip didn't go as we had hoped, but we fixed some of those errors from last time which made this go round a huge success. This is the campground that is just down the road from the three waterfalls that I love. We didn't visit any of them this time, but that's ok. We had a great time just relaxing by the river at our camp.

What did we do better this time?

• New Tent

Our old one was about 7 years old and was starting to leak a little bit. It also was getting too small for a family of four to fit in comfortably. We went with the Coleman Prairie Breeze cabin style tent. Being able to stand upright throughout the tent made a big difference in our comfort level. And despite it's large size, it was really quick and easy to erect (twss).

• Better meal planning

Last time we just threw some random shit into the cooler and called it a day. We got sick of

sandwiches and hot dogs, and on day two when it rained and our tent leaked it was a perfect combination for misery. This time, we just happened to already have a ton of left over brisket. Add some tortilla's, cheese, eggs, hot sauce, and you have breakfast, lunch AND dinner! Brisket breakfast burritos. Brisket quesadillas, and just to throw in something different I took some shrimp and mango to also make quesadillas.

• Tarp over EVERYTHING

Being from Texas we never camped much in the rain. The one time that I can remember doing

so (at the Guadalupe) we were so hammered, we were barely aware of the rain at all. We slept right through it. When we woke up (sobered up) our blankets were a little wet from our tiny tent leaking through the windows. We slept (passed out) on the ground back then with only a quilt for padding. Every time we have camped in the Carolina's it has rained. It passes through for maybe an hour and then it's gone. The sun comes back out and you get back to what you were doing. We started noticing that almost every camper covered their entire camp with tarps. Tent, table, even the fire pit! It's because they're from here and a lot smarter than we were. We jumped on that bandwagon this time and when the rains came it was no big deal. Brad and I even made our lunch and had some beers while the kids slept through the down pour.

• Brought the kid's bikes

Kids of all ages are always riding all over the campground. They never got bored and were worn

out by bed time. Perfect.

To say that we loved this campground is an understatement. It really was fantastic. A long trail went straight through the camp, along the river and out over a mile. I have no idea how long it was. I only walked about 1.5 miles of it.

The swimming hole was set up really well. It was just a portion of the river that was deep and wide causing the current to slow. They dumped some sand, made some steps and benches, and a cement platform for jumping in the deep area. Everyone at the camp was friendly and talkative, and there were lots of other kids to entertain my kids and keep them happy.

The kids still got unhappy once in a while. Here is Braden pouting about something and Slim checking out the scenery. The dogs are so much more difficult to camp with than the children. Lucy, our small dog, goes nuts and howls anytime we leave the camp without her. Slim pretty much hates the outdoors. He stays in the tent most of the time and freaks out when he hears thunder.

The water is very cold. I went on about a three mile run while I was there and jumped in the water immediately after. It felt amazing.

I later consumed just as many calories as I had burned when we cooked smores and drank beer. The kids didn't drink beer, just so you know. It will be at least another year or two before I let them do that. ;)

We stayed two nights and I could have easily stayed two more. It was a great time, I can't wait to go back.