Fourth of July Camping Trip

The fun just doesn't stop around here!

Actually, we're just trying to fit in as much as we can before Hyrum leaves for deployment.  It gives us something to do besides feel sad for ourselves; plus, there are things we've been talking about doing forever that we can finally cross off the list.

For example, we have had some camping equipment sitting *unopened* in our storage area for over a year, begging to be used.  Last summer we didn't get to touch it because Hyrum left right after graduation for a training, and we spent the summer apart, until meeting up again in Germany.  The camping equipment practically didn't even make it here till the first snowfall.

The long 4th of July weekend was the perfect opportunity to camp.  And our equipment worked out perfectly.  German campgrounds don't allow open flames (so forget about roasting s'mores over an open campfire) and they don't provide picnic tables.  Good thing we have a new table-top propane grill, and a little fold-out picnic table!  German campgrounds are very open and have no privacy.  There aren't trees at any of the campsites to provide shade.  Good thing we had a new canopy!  Plus, we got to admire our not-so-new-but-still-great tent.

I had to laugh at the differences between American-style camping, and Germany-style camping.  A lot of the differences between our two cultures are very subtle, but occasionally I see things that really make me laugh.     Take our tent, for example.  It's huge.  I think we only used 50% of the floor space while we were camping. It could probably sleep up to 12 people.  Why did we get a big tent?  Why not.  It was on sale.  The bigger the better, right?  Looking around at all of our camping neighbors we learned that Germans only buy what they need.  Most couples were camping in two-person tents.  Do they even sell two-person tents in the States??  At times I felt a little self-conscious about our enormous tent, but enjoyed the extra space all the same.

Don't be fooled... most of that German tent is open space.  Only the back-half zips closed for sleeping. 

So what'd we do for two days?

Mostly, we ate.  Because that's what camping is REALLY about.

The "no open flame" rule didn't prevent us from indulging in s'mores.  It's only perfect that I have chocolate on my face, because they were MESSY but delicious.  

Any excuse to have hotdogs...

And of course eating well requires cooking.

We slept in. And enjoyed the river view from our air mattress.

We played soccer.  Only once did Hyrum kick the ball towards the river; luckily he was able to recover it with only minor injuries from the prickly bushes. 

We went for a drive, because the area was beautiful.  [We were about an hour and a half south of our house, still in Bavaria.]  We ended up on the top of a little mountain, with a great view.  There was a castle called Schloss Hirschberg.  The inside was closed, but we could walk around the outside.  Germany is definitely not lacking for castles all over the place.  

Hyrum is pointing in the direction of our campground.  

Schloss Hirschberg

 It wasn't all driving, we also did some walking.  Not much.  But some.

Hyrum watched the ducks.  And maybe chased them. 

And although I didn't take pictures, we also read for several hours, laid around on the grass, and played multiple games of Phase 10.  I lost every time. 

And then we packed up, let the bottom of the tent dry off, and drove home!

But one last story before ending.  It all starts with Hyrum's allergies.  Ever since I've known him, he gets terrible sinus congestion in the spring and summer.  Last week I finally bought him some medicine, and the stuff labeled "non-drowsy" was not specific to sinuses.  So I bought the sinus medicine thinking it would be the most helpful.  And its great at providing allergy relief.  The problem is that it is definitely drowsy!!  

When we ate dinner Thursday night, Hyrum took some medicine.  Pretty soon he was acting like an old man falling asleep in his chair in the middle of sentences.  Then he completely slouched over and fell dead asleep.  By 8 pm he was in the tent knocked out.  I had to entertain myself with a book for several hours until the sun actually went down.  Similar story the next day.  He looked kind of like a drunk person passed out on the grass.  I think its time to try some non-drowsy medicine.