Jump to content

Camping with Kids


SeaDawg

Recommended Posts

  • Moderators

Paul's nephew is going camping with us next month in North Carolina. We're looking forward to it, but would love to have some ideas on how to make it really fun for a fourteen year old who hasn't been camping since he was a little guy. Ideas? Stories you'd like to share?

Sherry

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have plenty of CD's to play, movies to watch, and video games to play, and make sure your DVD player and monitor is in good working order.

 

Once a week or so, try to get em out of the trailer to see some pretty sights.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

I think we have the electronic entertainment covered... He's packed up a case of Dvds and loaded his iPod and mine for the ride up. I got my iPod as a gift... maybe we'll find time for our nephew to teach me how to use it!

 

Now, I'm looking for the tent... It has to be somewhere in the garage... but apparently it got moved out of sight in the last great re-arrangement.... Thought he'd like to have that option for personal space. Packed the hiking boots & poles, etc. Looked up some parks on the lakes nearby. Has anyone been to Lake Powhatan Campground in the Pisgah National Forest? It looks very interesting... fishing, trails, mountainbiking... Even though it's just outside Asheville, we've not stopped there before. Love to hear your comments if you've stayed there.

 

Anyway, wish us luck. We're all really looking forward to the trip.

Sherry

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • Moderators

Well, two weeks in the mountains have flown by. Paul's at the airport now, and our nephew is getting on the plane to go home to New York.....

 

It's been a great experience for all of us. Rather than join us in the Oliver, Dave opted for the privacy of his "one story mansion", sleeping in a little tent that he set up by himself the first day.NorthCarolina808004.jpg

The second day, Dave put a trailer together for the ATV to make it easier to clear the high roads and bring back piles of firewood for the nightly campfiresNorthCarolina808012.jpgThat night was spent in lessons in campfire ring building, campfire safety, and how to build a one-match fire.NorthCarolina808018.jpg Soon, he took over my campfire building duties altogether. Everybody loved those charred hot dogs cooked on a stick, over a glowing pile of hardwood embers hours after dinner....

 

Learning... about poison ivy and rose of sharon, to cover your drink to stave off the bees, how to shake out your shoes in the morning, what to do to avoid snakes and bees, how to conserve water, how to take a shower in less than two gallons of water (outdoors, in your swim trunks, and oh, yeah, where's my towel???), how to stay warm in the cool mountain nights in a nylon tent.... And, finally, how to drive the ATV... not as a toy, but as a tool, to go up the mountain and bring back the firewood for the night's fire.... I swear, the smile on his face wrapped all the way around the back of his head as he drove away on the ATV for the first time NorthCarolina808082.jpg

How to fill the Oliver's freshwater tank from the collapsible tank to keep those showers coming!

 

No, it wasn't all a bed of roses.... It rained some nights, and it was cold some nights, and precautions aside, there were bumps, bruises, scrapes, and one bee sting. But, oh, the mountains! Priceless.NorthCarolina808074.jpg

 

Sherry

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fantastic post!

I have 3 teenage boy’s with “extensive experience” in gathering wood, fire building, ( not just in the house but, out doors too!) and they are more than available for a little ole 2 week adventure like that. I’m a little short on cash right now but, I could come up with maybe $600.00 to cover their expenses for 2 weeks. Lol…

I’m thinking a strong young man like that nephew of yours is sort of like having grand kids. Spoil them a little and send them home till the next time they come out. That’s what a lovely woman I know does,she claims that she’s my “mother”! She has the boy’s over and let’s them do thing’s she would never have permitted under her roof when I was there.

Who is this woman?

Sorry, I digress.

Looks like he had the time of his life. I was raised in the city and granddad had a great farm outside McMinnville in Rock Island Ten. on the river. It was during stay’s on the farm (age 8 to 14) that I first experienced our beautiful state park “Fall Creek Falls”. Tom and Karen have been there and can attest to it’s beauty. Another park I just remembered is the “Blue Hole” state park in Rock Island. Great swimming hole!

Hope “TS Fay” misses you and if you decide to put any of those sites your developing on the market can I haves 1st “dib’s”?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

Robert,

I've met your boys and you can send any of them, anytime, no charge. They're wonderful young men. Wish one of them had been with Dave... he'd have enjoyed the younger company, I'm sure. I'm not sure Paul and I fall into the "spoilers" category yet... considering all the chores Dave got to do... but I'm pretty sure he had a good time again this year, anyway. With responsibility comes independence... or so the mantra goes....

 

Our daughter, too, was lucky enough to spend a lot of summers with her grandparents. What a terrific experience for her... and them.

 

Our property in NC is very empty, except for thousands of trees, great views, and springs, and a few bears.... no electricity, no hookups, no wifi. We really enjoy being there in the cool mountain air, in every season. We've looked at some cabin plans, but have decided it's pointless for now with the Oliver. We have everything we need, and then some. Bring an Oliver and the family, and visit us sometime!

 

Sherry

PS Tropical Storm Fay missed our Florida home. We were lucky, again. Thanks for asking

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, Dave and Pam Roach are from Rock Island, Tenn. We just moved over to the other side of Center Hill Lake several years ago. But we lived on Webbs Camp Rd - our son spent his teenage years swimming in the Blue Hole at the State Park...that was our backyard! Fall Creek Falls is definetely one of the most beautiful and versatile Parks in the nation. Have been lost on the trails there many times! Small world, huh?

Pam

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow again…it is a small world. Grand dad was known there as Captain Raleigh Miller, I called him “Captain Miller”. He was a hell of a fine “Gentleman” and I miss “Dove and Quail hunting with him and “Mimi Partee” (Grandma). He had a fine bird dog named “Chief” that the “Captain’ handled like a fine European sports car. I was raised in Lebanon (Wilson County) and there’s no fields left to hunt now. It’s been close to 30 years since I’ve been to Rock Island. What’s it like now?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...