Making Memories, One Campsite at a Time

Relationships are built and strengthened by time together; I have to purposefully slow myself down, remove myself from all other work temptations, and actually be with my kids.  Camping is my solution.  I have this lofty goal of taking my daughters on a camping trip – just the three of us – each year. 

Last year, the girls and I headed out to Johnson’s Shut-Ins..  I got lost driving out there (no cell phone, no GPS, fending on my own), Lola puked in the car, and we arrived downtrodden.  Then we explored the Shut-ins together and realized that all the unpleasant steps that got us to that moment were worth it.  We clambered over rocks as the river water rushed past, we rock climbed the bluffs, we hiked a bit, we roasted marshmallows, and we enjoyed each other’s company.  When we got back to STL, we all laughed about the unfortunate start, told all sorts of positive stories, and acquired a puke bucket for the car. 

So, for year #2, I picked a different state park: one that I knew had lots of awesome nature to explore AND had easy-to-understand directions from STL: Meramec State Park!  We hiked a lot – logging over 11 miles on Thursday alone, so much that Lola complained about her legs hurting.  The girls successfully skipped rocks; I taught them in the same way my dad taught me and my kiddos soon matched me in number of skips.  They were gleeful at their new accomplishment!  We saw deer, hummingbirds, turtles, and herons and regularly did tick checks for the less desirable creatures.

A major highpoint was Fisher Cave, a wild cave that is actively growing deposits.  Fisher wasn’t commercialized like Meramec Caverns or industrialized like Bonne Terre or sprawling like Mammoth.  The up-close-and-personal experience resulted in awestruck wonder at each point in the tour and in lots of questions from the girls.  They became so impassioned about caves that we explored two more, Sheep Cave and Indian Cave, and did a hike solely so we could walk past two other cave entrances.  Nature’s air conditioning!

Folks were incredibly friendly and helpful – neighbors offered ample assistance when we struggled to start a fire each night and I was incredibly grateful for their offers.  We stayed up late, read books, gazed at the moon and stars, and slept hard.

Raina wanted to canoe part of the river, so we made that the conclusion of our trip.  We paddled peacefully between the bluffs and trees and rarely encountered another person.  Having the river to ourselves was an amazing experience until our canoe capsized and the river’s current started sweeping my daughters away from me.  Good gracious, that was a terrifying experience.  Resolving that problem – getting both girls to land, emptying the canoe, trying to calm everyone down, convincing them that we had to canoe more and it would be okay – had my adrenaline pumping, my mama bear tendencies come through, and my wishing that more people were around to help.  But the three of us successfully managed on our own.  We are strong, resilient, and full of stories to share!