Memorial Day signifies many things. First and foremost, it is a day to recognize those in the military who made the ultimate sacrifice to give us the freedoms we all enjoy.
Next, Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer and, with that, summer vacations. For my wife and me, the three-day weekend was a chance to connect with nature. We did something we have not done together in over twenty years: We went camping.
When I say camping, I need to clarify — the Wardens camp in a tent. Two weeks ago, I shared our plans with another person whose definition of camping differs entirely from mine.
For her, camping is in a self-contained home pulled behind a three-quarter-ton truck, complete with a bathroom, stocked kitchen, and two bedrooms.
I have nothing against those who camp on wheels. It’s not what we do.
The first thing I did to prepare for the weekend was take stock of our equipment. So, I pulled out several plastic tubs that had not seen the light of day in over a decade from under the basement stairs.
Found was the three-man tent Jacob, Ethan, and I used at Philmont and another two-man tent from other scouting adventures. Missing from the inventory was a suitable tent for Connie and me that could contain a queen-size air mattress. Tent camping does not mean sleeping on the ground.
Our weekend destination was Lieber State Recreation Area in Cloverdale, Indiana. Here, we rendezvoused with our son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, Ethan, Hillary, and Remy.
We pulled into the campground at 10 p.m. Friday, setting up our tent just before a big thunderstorm hit the area with around a half-inch of rain.
Our new four-person tent by Eureka kept Connie and me dry.
Saturday morning was devoted to setting up camp, complete with patriotic decorations for the holiday.
Camping has always been family time, and this campground was no exception. With almost 200 campsites, only a handful contained a single tent. The two sites to our south held a total five tents; one across the road had another big family gathering, and a 36-foot motor home was parked on the site to our north with an eight-man tent next to it.
Laughter and general noise died down on Saturday after midnight.
The Lieber State Recreation Area included flush toilets with hot showers, which is always welcome to tent campers. For us, it was a short three-minute walk, and for our neighbors to the south, it was a short drive.
Our vehicles left the campsite once for an afternoon excursion to Cataract Falls, where we enjoyed a three-mile hike to the beautiful falls and a 100-year-old covered bridge.
Another Warden camping expectation is good food and time spent reflecting around a campfire.
A new form of camping is growing in popularity around the country, called “glamping.”
According to Wikipedia, glamping is “a portmanteau of “glamorous” and “camping” and describes a style of camping with amenities and, in some cases, resort-style services not usually associated with “traditional” camping.”
Glamping can include modern amenities such as WiFi—which we did not have—and is held in a variety of accommodations, including luxury tents complete with soft sheets instead of the traditional sleeping bag.
VisitMo.com lists several locations in the Show Me State with glamping in tipis, yurts and luxury tents.
Lake of the Ozarks State Park has yurts with futons and futon bunk beds, a small refrigerator, a microwave, air conditioning, and heat.
I think I’ll check them out.
We repeatedly checked the weather forecast for the three-day weekend the previous week. The main threat of rain was for Sunday, and it never changed.
On Sunday, after an excellent night’s rest, we rose to the threat of storms from noon to three and another round in the evening—some of the same rain that would delay the start of the Indianapolis 500 for four hours.
Without an indoor recreation area to retreat to for our 3-year-old grandson, we decided to pull up stakes a day early and head to a hotel in Indianapolis.
I hope you pitch your tent under sunny skies and cool nights.
