Re: Families in Death Valley - too windy for a tent
Posted by Cecile on January 29, 2003 at 21:40:28:
In Reply to: Re: Families in Death Valley - too windy for a tent posted by Barney on January 29, 2003 at 20:26:34:
My husband didn't believe women and children could camp, but I had camped all of my life, I actually had more camping experiencing than he did. I borrowed my parent's old 10x10 cabin tent, had to sew new screens in the windows and we took it up in the local mountains for trial run. We weren't too far away so if it didn't work out - he figured he could get me home fast. It was fall, and it was the windiest day I had ever seen up there. The bees were out in full force as well. Every time we opened our mouths to eat the bees would try to fly in with the food. I braved it without a complaint and thought it quite an adventure. That was just a weekend trial camping trip which worked out so well we bought our own camping equipment and began camping everywhere with our then 5 year old son. We now primitive camp with less than we had all those years ago, and have braved extreme winds, rain, and all night hailstorms.
Granted not everyone wants to go out under those circumstances, but there are a few of us women and children that enjoy the bad weather as well as the good and have become hardy campers. Of course more often than not, I have found that I am the only woman around the campfire on many trips; my husband and his friends are happy to have me along because I've learn to become a good sport. We have a great arrangement, by the way, I set up the tent & sleeping bags, and my husband who is noted for his cooking, is camp cook.
I personally believe that Death Valley and other places in the great outdoors were meant to be hands on learning experiences for our children. My son, and the two children I helped to raise got great lessons in history and geology on both the day and overnight adventures we took them on when they were little. My friend's kids went on every dirt road we ever did with us, and thought the "whoopdeedoos" in the dirt roads were better than the roller coasters at the amusement parks. They still talk about those wonderful times & they never once complained that they wanted to go home or would rather be at Disneyland.