Family Time
We met a group of friends at Tippy Damn, a State of Michigan Forestry Service area.  It was just memorable because we all got together and had such a great time...family time!  That's what camping is all about, making and sharing memories!!
Submitted By: Michael Tull

Tubing War
We recently returned from a camping trip at DeGray Lake south of Hot Springs Arkansas.  The group consisted of three bumper pull campers with 8 adults and my 10 month old grandson.  We enjoyed horseback riding, swimming, site seeing, go cart riding, fishing, and of course camping, but our favorite activity by far was the day we spend out on the lake.  We rented a party barge and a giant inner tube and literally spent the entire day in the water.  We took turns pulling everyone on the tube and when we started pulling two at a time, that’s when the craziness started.  Of course the younger men (16 & 17) were a little rough, the father and son pair ups were hilarious, but when the married couple started, a battle of the sexes began.  As you can see from the photo Derrill may have won this battle, but Peggy finally got her revenge. 
Submitted By: Tammy Lemaire

Camping with Friends
The summer of 2006, a bunch of friends and I went camping at Stony Brook, NY. We headed out on a Friday evening and got to the campsite just before dark. We were nervous that we wouldn't have everything set up in time as we heard the thunder rolling in. Sure enough, as soon as we pitched the tents and set up the canopy it started to rain. It continued to rain through the night, which provided soothing sounds as we slept, and miraculously stopped before the morning came. The next day was beautiful. We spent the day splashing around in the creek, hiking through the woods and taking naps. The next night we sat by the campfire making s'mores and enjoying nature. Ending our weekend we played into the wee hours of the night a very addicting game of Blokus.
Submitted By: Cathy Reitz Rochester, NY

Not So Brave
We planned a Camping trip for the whole family at Kendall Campground here in KY.  We also invited another couple and their children to come with us. We laughed and relaxed all weekend long.  It was nice to have all of us and our children together.  We watched the kids try to scare each other.  We had a skunk come up into our campsite.  I yelled out Skunk, and you should have seen them run.  I threw my coke into the air.  Nikki jumped clear over the picnic table.  Then we all laughed for hours about the whole ordeal.  The men always want to stay up later then the children and wives.  My husband stayed out a while relaxing in the lawn chair.  All was quite inside the camper and then here he comes.  "You will never believe what just happened.  I was sitting here in my chair, when around the camper comes the skunk.  It looks at me, I look at him."  And next thing, I know he is in the camper.  Oh, so much for the strong and brave.  I will never let him live that down.
We had a very nice weekend.
Submitted By: Rhonda Roberts Columbia, KY

Just the Girls
The best time I had camping was this past June 2007 at Carter Caves in Olive Hill, KY. It rained all the way to the campground and it took us about 3 hours to get there. But once we pulled up the rain stopped. We had an all girls campout with my best friend and youngest daughter. Everyone told us that there was no way we would be able to camp without the help of the men. Boy did we show them we had a blast putting up the tents, cooking over the fire that my daughter started and roasting marshmallows and hotdogs around the campfire at night. We never missed a beat and even told scary stories but the best part was we proved that we are women and that we are strong and had a great time. We bonded like the sisters that we are and the men felt left out when we came home telling what a success our camping trip was.
Submitted By: Carol Pollard, Florence, KY

We Locked Ourselves Out!
Well. My husband, mother-in-law and I set up camp at Jedediah Smith State Park amongst the beautiful redwood trees. We heard there was a campfire with a Ranger telling stories of Jedediah Smith. We were all set up and started walking to the campfire when I told my husband I wanted to put my purse in the car, he gave me his keys and back I went.  I put my purse in the car and came back. Then my mom-in-law wanted to put hers in. I looked at my husband felt my pockets and discovered I locked both sets of keys in the car. We told the Ranger. He said after the campfire he'd come and get them out. He came in his truck. The truck had been in an accident and when you shut the door the latch falls and locks the door. Guess what??  He left the truck running, slammed the door and ... you guessed it...he locked his keys in the truck with it running! His buddies (other Rangers) were coming up and he said "shhh please don’t tell my buddies" but... too late they figured it out... It was a good laugh amongst the stress!  We still laugh about this every time we go camping.
Kathy Fields, Washougal, WA

Why we love Camping!
I love going camping with my family! It’s great! We slept in a tent outside! We hiked up a big hill, walked through a river and went fishing! Austen caught his first fish. We saw a turtle! I helped Daddy cook meat outside. It was awesome! I can't wait to go again.
Submitted By: Jordyn, Austen and Debbi Dietz

Grand Lake with Dad
My Dad was playing with his Bagpipe band in a Grand Lake Colorado parade. We decided to make it a camping trip too. After the parade we set up camp on the bank of the lake and launched the canoe. We caught our limit and headed to shore. When Dad stood up the canoe tipped and we went in with all our gear I grabbed my father by the back of his belt and kicked off the bottom about 10 feet. We came up gasping for air, but Dad had a firm grip on the creel so we started a fire, stripped to dry our cloths, sat in our underwear and enjoyed a laugh and fresh caught trout dinner.
Submitted By: Patrick Sullivan

Just the Boys!
I remember when I was much younger, Dad used to take us four boys, plus two of the neighbor's boys to the beach. It was just us guys. Mom stayed home. I remember one time, it rained all week and everything got soaked. We went home two days early. Mom swears when we got home I was still wearing the same clothes I left home with five days earlier. It was one of my favorite trips of all time.
Submitted By: Henry Donald

Like Father, Like Daughter
Although I grew up in a home surrounded by countryside and abundant wildlife in the backyard, I looked forward to every family camping trip I went on. My father has a deep appreciation for the outdoors and has shared a wealth of information with me that I have passed on to my own children. I can remember learning how to bait a hook and patiently wait for a fish to bite, the time at Limekiln Lake where my dad and I proudly rowed to shore to present a stringer full of perch to my mother who would later make her version of "poor-man's shrimp."

Camping brought an otherwise very busy family closer with evenings around a fire and family stories shared. Now, as a mother of 2 boys I can truly appreciate the time my father spent with me as a child teaching me the "way of the woods." I try to take every weekend in the summer and head out camping. I am forever grateful to my father for the lessons learned and my present ability to set up a camp, build a fire and take the boys out fishing. I think as a mother of boys this has enabled me to make a very close bond with my children and I hope that the experiences we have shared in the woods will carry through to their children in a world that seems increasingly dedicated to technology and rapidly moving away from "nature" and the idea of camping.

I feel as though in wonderful experiences I have shared with my father and the bond between us created by his teachings, that I have truly been a lucky girl. Thanks dad for taking the time and teaching your little girl that a daughter can be just as tough as a son! A lesson I will carry with me forever into the woods!
Submitted By: Lauri Dwyer

Enjoying the Sand
We stayed at the Defeated State Park’s beach near Carthage with the family. My youngest daughter had a blast playing with the sand and being near the water. It was a great sight to watch her fall in love with the great outdoors.
Submitted By: Tisha Sturm

The Motor Boat Stalled!
One of my fondest childhood memories is camping with my family. My dad loved fishing and would always put out trot-lines. He would get up early every morning and go out and check them. One morning he went out before anyone else was up. We awoke to dad trying to get back across the bay with nothing but a gallon bucket to propel the boat. The motor had stalled and he forgot to take a paddle. All he had in the boat was the bucket. So we stood on the bank laughing and watching his journey back to shore.
Submitted By: Gina Neal

Afraid of Lightning
We had just bought a new Jayco pop-up camper and we decided to camp at Stone Mountain, Georgia. We were just learning to put up the camper and Dad, like many great dads, wanted everything done just right! We had just put up the camper and he was attempting to put on the screen room that attaches to the canopy, when a bolt of lightening struck the lake next to us. You could almost feel the vibrations, and the sound seemed to reverberate around us. Suddenly, rain began pouring down! In seconds (it seemed like only an instant!), he was inside the camper with a frantic look on his face. With eyes bulging, rain soaking his head and clothes, and yet attempting to appear in control of the situation, he strove to reply calmly, (but with a note of fear in his voice), "That'll be good enough for now!" We all burst out laughing because the storm was the only thing that would have kept Mr. Perfectionist from finishing the job at hand. We still tease him when we are too tired to put up the screen house by saying, "Hey, we think we hear thunder in the distance. It's time to quit!" He laughingly jokes that we need a lightening rod, but we tell him we don't need one because we already have a human one - him.
Submitted By:
Becci Tatum

Dad Grilled a Bagel!
My best camping moment with dad was the year my dad figured out how to grill me a bagel with cream cheese on the campfire. It was morning and I was a very picky eater at the time. My dad, Robert, knew how to grill a bagel on a stick and manage to put cream cheese on it without burning his fingers - it was delicious!
Submitted By: Mabel & Jesse

Getting Lost
While camping with my girlfriends one summer on a site with no electricity and water, I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I usually know my bearings pretty well, so rather than wake my roommate to inquire where the flashlight was, I decided I could find the bath house without the flashlight. WAS I WRONG! I was lost for about 30 minutes wandering around our area of sites. I would be walking on pavement one minute and dirt and leaves up to my knees the next. I have never experienced pitch black darkness before, but this was definitely it! When I finally made it back to our site, my roommate says, "There you are! I was beginning to worry about you!" After being gone a total of about 45 minutes to go to the bath house, I replied "BEGINNING to worry?? How long do I need to be lost for you to actually worry???" From that trip on, I ALWAYS carry my flashlight. Even if our site is right next to the bath house!
Tracey Jarrett
Farmville, VA

My First Camping Trip
As I began to go on my first official week long camping trip, I packed for myself, husband, and two boys as if we were going to a 5star hotel. Once there everyone was laughing to my frustration of not being able to get wireless connections on my laptop. I have now learned - to camp is to be one with nature not corporate nature.
Sarah Maietta
Kennett Square, PA

Mom Made Camping Look so Easy
I grew up camping on Lake George in NY every summer. We camped on the islands for 10 days usually with 2-3 other families.  My mother always made it look so easy. She really made it feel like home on the island.  As an adult, I started camping with my husband, children and friends on the lake as well. And to this day, I can say, how in the world did my mom do it with 3 young children for 10 days.  Bless her heart.  A few years ago, I took my mom and my girlfriend with her mom back to Lake George to the islands for a girls camping trip.  It was nice to be up there again with my mom since she hadn't been in many years.  I'll always remember what a great time we had.
Christine Mathews
Flemington, NJ

A New Trailer
I bought a new camping trailer on Friday afternoon. We drove 200 miles to Fort Bragg. We set up in the dark ands were exhausted, so we went to bed.  The low temperature and high humidity made it unbearably cold. The next morning it was colder and misty. Read manual on new trailer and found out all we had to do was to set the thermostat to a comfortable 75 degrees!! Never listen to a wife that says don't touch anything until we read the manual!!
Alan Ameneyro
Rancho Cordova, CA

An Unexpected Friend
We were traveling from Pennsylvania to Texas going home from our two week long vacation.  We were entering into Kentucky when our cat sitter called with some bad news.  Our fifteen year old cat had passed away. We stopped for the night in Louisville, KY and rested.  The next day we decided to visit St. Louis as a side venture.  We got to the St. Louis site earlier than we normally did, so I decided to catch up on laundry.  While doing laundry, the weather changed from cool to dark and cold.  I was leaving the laundry area and I saw something move quickly toward me.  I could not see anything but little specks of white.  When I got into the light I saw this beautiful creature.  She was a tuxedo cat.  I inquired about her at the store. I was told that she had been left behind, but adapted to everyone who worked there and some that had visited.  The clerk asked if we wanted her.   I was a little hesitant because we did not have the items needed to care for a cat on the road. The next day my husband packed the car along with our new friend, Ms. Burbank.  We stopped and got the items we needed to travel with her.  She is a great traveler.  She now lives in Texas with us.
Lisa Cobb
Texas

Camping with Mom
My Mom and I enjoy spending time together. As a family we go on weekend camping trips with our horses. Our favorite destination is Lake Somerville, Texas at Nails Creek. They have a wonderful horse friendly camping area with great trails for both hikers and horses alike. When we are out camping and spending time together the rest of the world seems to float by. We forget about work and worries. I enjoy watching my mom enjoy herself and feeling the everyday stress of things just lifting away. We cook out, ride the horses around the lake and have a wonderful time telling stories of our family and friends. I love my Mom very much and treasure all the times we get to spend together camping and just being with one another. I hope we get to experience many more of those times to come.
Sheri Wise
Bastrop, TX

The Best Trip ever!
I was 7 years old and my dad and step-mother had plans for us to go to the coast. So we packed up for a 4 day weekend at the beach! I had never seen the ocean before. We drove for two hours and finally we were in Crescent City. All of a sudden there was the water to the right of me as far as the eye could see.  My parents kept driving and the water disappeared and I could not see anything but trees. We arrived at the Mill Creek camp group just south of Crescent City, CA. It was so awesome! Setting up camp was fun too. I had never done it before. We stayed in camp that night and made dinner on the camp fire and played games. There were three families all there together so I had kids to play with and we had the coolest tree stump in our campsite. All 5 of us kids could stand on top of the stump and there was plenty room for more kids. It became our fort for the weekend. The next morning, we had to wash up from breakfast, get our bathing suits and a change of clothes. My mom was busy getting sun block, towels and a football. We all got into the cars and away we went. We were headed to the beach! We parked the truck and I headed towards the water. My mom grabbed the camera and got pictures as I left a trail of clothes from the parking lot to the water. This was the most exciting thing ever in my whole life! I played in the water for hours! My parents had to drag me off the beach. I will never forget that trip. It changed my whole life. I fell in love with the outdoors that weekend, and I will spend the rest of my life exploring all that nature has to offer. 
Britni Wilson
Medford, OR

My Favorite Camping Story
My favorite camp story is about the time we shared our s'mores with the raccoons. We were at Wellesley Island State Park in New York State. It was campfire time and we were settling down to an evening around the campfire. Of course we had all the supplies for s'mores. There was a neat ledge behind the campfire pit that was just right for setting out all the s'more stuff. As we were chatting and enjoying the fire, all of a sudden the marshmallows disappeared!  Next thing we knew, away went the graham crackers and we saw two little bandit eyes take off with them. I wasn't about to let them have the chocolate bars too, so I grabbed them! I'm sure our little friends were waiting to catch us off guard again but we were saving the chocolate for another night of s'mores! We have laughed about those little bandits many times over the years.
Debby Allen