Adventures in camping ...

I've recently returned from my very first camping adventure. I had never camped before, but I was invited to go, and since it was at the beach, I decided "Hey, why not?" Let me say that even though I did have some complaints, I did have a nice time. I wouldn't want to live life like that, but it was fun for a few days. I did once again learn that I need to check the whole story before I agree to things, however. My friend told me she had everything I needed except a sleeping bag. What she neglected to mention was that she didn't like air matresses and wouldn't use them. I got there and realized I'd be sleeping on the actual ground. Ouch. I think I got about two hours of sleep that night. I made sure the next day to go purchase a cheap air mattress, and whenever she'd tell me I wasn't really camping, I'd reiterate that I was sleeping in a tent, outside. That was indeed camping. (let the eye-rolling commence) Anyway, once I got the air mattress, sleeping in a tent wasn't half bad. It was nice to be able to hear the ocean while laying there snuggled up in the sleeping bag.

Let's progress on to the quirks of my tent-mate. She has a mosquito phobia, and that required that the tent be completely zipped at all times unless you were literally stepping right through the tent door. Even if you were merely ducking in to retrieve something and come right back out. Yeesh. Ok, fine. Constantly zipped tent. We all have our little quirks. Changing in the tent at night got very interesting, as she would insist on putting out all the lights. When I wondered why, she informed me that people could see your silhouette when you changed if you left a light on. "So ..." I thought to myself, but again, I wanted to be respectful of the desires of the person that invited me there. Have you ever tried changing clothes in a tent in the dark? It's no mean feat. Personally, if someone really wanted to bother to watch me undress or dress in the tent, I really didn't care. It's not like they would see anything. I guess I just have less of an issue with that than some.

My best day was actually the day I took off by myself to go to Pfieffer Beach. I invited the rest of the campers to come along, but one of the sisters was terrified of driving down Hwy. 1. Seriously. The most scenic drive in America. Thousands of people drive it every year. It's going to be a bright, sunny day, with no driving-related issues. Ok, your loss.

The sisters kept trying to convince me to stay and go to Capitola with them. Now I adore Capitola, but the scenery along Hwy. 1 is what's made it famous, and one of the most beautiful spots in California. I can't imagine missing it for something as ridiculous as that silly sister. I got up and had breakfast with everyone, wanting to still be social with the other campers. I ended up having a lovely drive down the coast, with the fog clearing right before I got to the beach. I'll have to devote an entire blog just to describing the beach and my return trip. It's one of my most favorite spots in California, and never fails to soothe any stress that I may have. I'm such a total beach person. I don't know if I can even explain what it is about the beach that I love so. It's like the wind blows right through to my soul, taking all the dark stuff with it for a little while. Obviously it doesn't last forever, but I find it necessary from time to time as a stress relief.

Ok, I've rambled enough for one post. I'll try to post the beach blog soon. It looks like someone might actually be reading this from time to time ...