Archive for August, 2008»
Camping Steward-Style
The pictures above were taken over three years of camping at Nehalem Bay State Park with our church’s Family Camp. We would love to have the luxury of RV camping, but don’t have the budget for it. We didn’t start camping as a family until we purchased our minivan in 1994. It was at that time that we bought a tent and the Coleman fold-up camp kitchen at Costco. Each year we add a little (or large) something.
The prospect of camping at a bluegrass festival in Stevenson Washington in the blazing sun with no shade motivated me to build the canopy. That was back in the late 90s. Whether rain or shine, it has been a great addition. We bought the connectors at Andy and Bax (army surplus store in SE Portland). I also bought the tarp and the bungees there. Then I bought electrical conduit at Home Depot and cut it to length according to the size of the tarp.
Getting our inspiration from others, we began bringing electrical appliances such as fry pans and skillets. No sense paying for a site with electricty and not using it. Last year we added the mini-fridge to our repertoire. It is nice not to have to worry about the food going bad. So far we haven’t brought a microwave. Funny, we bring a mini-fridge, but somehow a microwave just seems wrong.
This year I finally mastered some basic knots which came in very handy when I was putting up some tarps in case there was rain. None this year. Thank you, Lord!