Family Vacation 2010

I hate camping. I'm just going to say that up front. We always used to camp when I was a kid, and I hated it. Bugs EVERYWHERE, hamburgers that were burned on the outside and pink on the inside, sleeping in a too-small tent. There were good parts, of course. The road trips were fun. We were always up and on the road early. To this day I love driving on the expressway early in the morning, even if I'm not going far. We always got extra snacks and pop, and we got to eat out at least once or twice. We'd drive three or five or twelve hours, and Mom and Dad would set up the tent. I couldn't swim, but I loved playing in the water when there was a beach. And the sightseeing was incredible. I like that I've stood on top of Pike's Peak, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, and at the bottom of Mammoth Cave, all before I was 15.

But all that isn't enough to make me want to spend two days in a tiny RV with my dad. I was dreading this trip for weeks. And we weren't even going anywhere cool, just some dinky little park not two hours from home. I'd been there before. What's the point of going to the same place twice? Why couldn't we go somewhere new, or at least somewhere I enjoyed the first time. But I don't make the decisions. So I packed my bag and climbed in the crowded truck for an hour and a half. Once we got there and got the RV set up, I left. I walked more in those two days than I usually do in a month. The restrooms were a five-minute walk from our site, and the beach another five minutes farther. I spent some time on the beach, but it was kind of awkward because I'm the only one in my family who likes the beach, and I can't swim. I had a camera, but I didn't feel like taking a lot of pictures with so many people around. I went back in the evening, though, and found most everyone gone, so I was able to get a few good shots of the seagulls.


When I finally fell asleep that night, I had so many weird dreams, even more so than normal. I only remember one clearly though, and even that has some missing parts. I remember that there was something bad going to happen, and there was a woman who could stop this bad something. Only to convince her to do so, we had to do something, part of which included burning a stack of pictures. Included in those pictures were the only copies I had of some old photos of pets I've lost. I cried and cried as I lit the match, but the person in charge, a minister I know, told me I had to. Then suddenly it was before I'd lit the fire, when the minister was telling me I had to, so the other woman would help, and this time I didn't do it. I had just told her I wouldn't do it when I woke up. It was very odd.

The next morning we had pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Huge advantage of an RV over a tent: You can actually cook more than hot dogs and marshmallows. It was great. After breakfast I went and got some more pictures in the woods.

Later we packed a lunch and went for a short hike over to another beach, one that appeared less crowded. We were there about half an hour when several families showed up with their young children. When we couldn't stand the noise anymore, we left. The afternoon went more quickly than had the previous one, and we went to bed early. In the morning we packed up and were pulling out by nine a.m. Sometimes I like that my dad always gets up so early. I'd been missing Jaspar, and I wasn't looking forward to facing him after two days gone. Most of the time he's mad at me for leaving, and so he gives me the cold shoulder treatment for a few days. Today when I got home, though, he was more friendly than I expected, at least at first. I haven't seen him since he said hi.

I didn't expect to enjoy this trip so much. It was actually almost fun. I'll have to go back when I have a better camera.