Camping 2014

This year we spent two beautiful nights camping at Oxbow. It's only like a thirty minute drive and it's gorgeous. After our successful camping trip last year we figured we could handle two nights this year.

We couldn't check into the campsite until the afternoon, but Ben had the entire day off from work. We made the most of the morning by biking to Mount Tabor, hiking up to the top, and playing at the playground up there. It was a great way to start our weekend out of doors.

When we arrived at Oxbow we were immediately greeted by deer who aren't skidish at all around people. They came right into our campground, sniffed around, pooped, and galloped off with their babies in tow. It was pretty cool to see them up so close.
In addition to the friendly deer, we also encountered some thieving squirrels and crows. Shortly after we arrived at our campsite we went into the woods to explore some deer trails, leaving some fully-packaged food on the table. When we returned we were shocked to find packages of ramen strewn across the ground, holes poked into our bread, and an entire Snicker's bar missing. We kept the rest of the food safely locked in the car for the rest of the trip.

Our favorite part of Oxbow is spending time at the river. The kids spent hours digging in the sand, throwing rocks into the river, and hauling water around in their buckets. They preferred playing at the river over everything else we did on this trip. Who can blame them? It's gorgeous and peaceful.

We finally convinced the kids to go on a hike or two in the woods. The vegetation was so dense and the woods were so quiet I actually got a little bit spooked. I could just see the headline the next morning: "Family of Four Gets Eaten by Mountain Lions." Luckily, we didn't get eaten this time.

And, of course, it was back to the river to skip rocks, catch tadpoles, and build sandcastles.
Our second-favorite part of camping at Oxbow is sitting by the fire. The kids love roasting marshmallows, eating hot dogs and ramen, and throwing sticks just to watch them burn.

We loved camping at Oxbow this year! We look forward to camping there for the not-back-to-school homeschool campout later this summer.