It's been a whole bunch of years since we went camping. After the kids entered our lives, squalloring around in a tent was one of the last things on our minds. But now that they're 7 and 4 years old, it seemed like it might be time to give it a try. Camping was always pretty fun for me when I was a kid. Know why? Because the Moms & Dads absorbed most of the pain and suffering.
So we got together with Jennifer, Jessica, Atticus and Ophelia. Because as long as you're going to have 2 kids, you might as well have 4. Now, if you're going to go camping, you have to figure out where to go, right? So, lots of trees are one requirement. I've done desert backpacking and camping before, and I'm all for expanding our horizons, but for a first go with the kids, let's play that part a little closer to the comfort zone. Okay, why do I even bother explaining this? Because I always have imaginary arguments in my head with people who react to something I say or do... "You know Perez there are a kerbillion other outdoor environments you could nestle into. You might be surprised how much you'd enjoy camping in the scrub just West of Calexico. The sand dune sandwiches are real character builders, and digging shelters under the dead ocotillos during no-shadow hour is an impressive workout." So I'm just explaining, okay? Oh, and the other requirement (thanks Jessica) was for there to be a stream "for the kids to play in." Hey, sounds good to me. I like that sort of ambiance.
But if you live in Phoenix or Flagstaff, and you hear camping + big trees + stream, what do you think of? Oak Creek Canyon, right? Pfffeh! If I want to bog down with several hundred other obnoxious city escapees on a couple acres of scattered land next to a fecal coliform petri creek, I'll just cruise down to the Salt River bank in South Phoenix and set up tent on the outskirts of a likely transient camp where I don't have to pay any fees and maybe I'll pick up some good panhandling tips.
So I hop on El Interneto and start searching for something that's a little closer than the White Mountains, but a little more robust than the nearby mudswamp shores of Lake Mary. I came up with Workman Creek. It's up in the mountains Northeast of Roosevelt Lake. And you know what? It was beautiful. Getting there was another story. I can't bring myself to write about it now. But I'll do that later with some pictures.
Speaking of pictures...here's one that stunk it up over at DPChallenge for the Wheels challenge.
Traction Redline
(98th place out of 283)
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