The camping trip that wasn't

Last Saturday after we were done with dog club events at the fair, I grabbed the kids and the camping gear and took off for an overnight camp out along lake Michigan. We had stayed there a few years back, and really liked it.

I can't recommend this campground any more.

Being the obsessive sort, I did my research before we went. I studied maps to know where to go (my ex claimed the GPS of course). I made sure reservations were not required, and studied what I needed to do to get my campsite once we got there.

When we got there, no one was around the building, so I followed the procedures that I had found on their website, the three most applicable steps being:

• Camping is on a first come/first serve basis.
• Once a site is selected, please register within one hour.
• Others will know that you have selected the site by seeing your tent/camper/camping equipment.

So with no one at the kiosk and no obvious notes otherwise, I found two empty sites, we claimed one of them. I came back to pay but the kiosk was still empty, so I went back to help the kids set up the tent. Then I returned to pay. I was told we had to vacate the site... the ranger had just given the last site to someone. That they had changed their reservation method. That his boss had told him the website was changed, and I had to leave. There were no more sites.

All area campgrounds were also full, along with area chain hotels, so we ended up at a tacky motel. As we showered I kept reminding myself that the campground bathroom would have been no better, so it was ok. And I kept stifling the voice that rebutted, "But the campground cost only $15 per night and this was around $70."

We went to the beach for a few hours to unwind after the pissed-off stress. And the boys were beached out. My daughter can never get too much beach, but the boys have a limited tolerance for sand and lake water.

So I promised the pumpkin that we'd come back to the beach in two weeks for the day and she can bring along some of her friends. And then we decided to hit a water park on Sunday instead of the beach, and I took the boys to Wal-Mart for some new swimsuits.

As I googled the water park for directions, I once again encountered issues. Apparently the water park that we had gone to several times previously had been closed down due to insurance and safety issues, and had never reopened. The two younger kids had both been to the other area water park and weren't nearly as impressed with it, but decided they still wanted to go there instead of the beach.

So we did. And it was fun. And sunny. And I am red.

And still pissed off at the national park people.

It's that time again...

Yep. Chicago, here I come. If you can't tell, I'm just a little excited about my vacation.

It begins tomorrow, with our biennial (every other year) family reunion. My mom's remaining brothers and sisters, along with all of the cousins who can make it, converge in some predetermined location and get reacquainted. It's always a fun time, and this year it is even more convenient because it's located at my brother's farm, about a half hour's drive away from my home.

The kids and I will be squeezed together into one tent because I am too lazy to set up more than one. There will be popcorn over the campfire, a zipline over the pond (where you can also fish or swim), and random other farm-like activities. My brother has a miniature horse, along with numerous full-sized horses. There's a "rock" climbing wall in his barn loft. Chickens prolifically produce eggs, which will feed us all both Saturday and Sunday mornings. He's having a hog roast Saturday evening. You name it, he's probably got at least one.

And then on Sunday afternoon, once I pack up all the dirt and mess from camping, I drop off the kids at the ex's house, and rush home to clean up and head for Chicago. There I will meet numerous U2 fanatics (some friends, some I've never met) who are converging on the Windy City for the long awaited return of the band. We'll be spending untold hours in the GA line on Tuesday (probably even beginning sometime Monday), hoping for one of the coveted spots on the rail. (Wish me luck!)

Tuesday morning my daughter will be joining me, and will get to attend her first "real" concert (i.e. not some old-timer band at the annual county fair). I'll get her headed back home on Wednesday afternoon, before finishing my vacation alone with my friends.

She's pretty excited about it too. And especially I think it rocks that my 15 year old daughter is so psyched to hang out with her mom at a concert. :)

See you when I get back.