After years of borrowing equipment from my parents we finally made the commitment to purchase our own camping essentials. Tent, stove, lantern ,etc. Madi does not remember camping, she was about 2 last time we took her. Bubba went at the age of 6 months. We decided not to buy sleeping bags for the adults since walmart carries pretty basic, cheap ones. We would rather hit up Gi Joes or something for a good quality sleeping bag that will last many years. However, we did buy the kids some cheap bags to have for sleepovers, etc. You think having a Chevy Tahoe is a huge car until you pack it up for a camping trip for a family of four. Good thing we are not planning on having any more kids!
The kids were so excited it was like a non-stop sugar rush the entire night. Mitchell and I got the tent up very easily(I guess we picked a good one!) and got the car unpacked while the kids ran around exploring. Oh forgot to mention the black bear warnings posted all over the campsite. But we were there so we were not going to turn around! The entire time Mitchell was a little on edge and kept his gun nearby. Note: we never saw any.
Since we did not purchase sleeping bags we packed bedding and the air mattress. Thinking the down comforter would keep us warm, along with several blankets. Too bad we left the down comforter on the couch at home. Needless to saw it was a VERY cold night. So cold that we decided to leave the next day. It was pretty much the most miserable night I have spent in probably 8 or 9 years.
The next morning while getting the fire going and thinking about breakfast three deer came into our site. They snuck up behind Mitchell which caused him to think it was a bear. One of the deer put her head down and took a few steps towards Bubba. This caused Mitchell to act quickly on scaring them out of the campsite.
Overall though, Jubilee Lake is fantastic with huge campsites and a beautiful lake with a path the whole way around it. The kids loved smores, exploring, the whole experiance. We can't wait to go again, but with good, warm sleeping bags!
