Camping in the Green Mountains

Camping has become a way of life for us this summer. "It's awesome!" as Cole would say (quoting DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba) We realized this past weekend though, just how much more of a challenge it is without another family (and thereby another child for Cole to play with). We took on the challenge and had a fun time in Jamaica State Park, Jamaica VT -- the heart of the Green Mountains.

Camping also helped us realize something some people might not see as a real problem. Our child watches entirely too much television. His quoting of television shows was apropos and even funny. (same goes for his quoting of children's books). For instance, right before we went on a hike, he shouted, "Let's go on an adventure!" This phrase is from a television show, Keith tells me.  But in the end, it means he's watched these shows so much that he relates them to real life. Maybe he thinks he can't live life without them? Who knows? Cole also made direct appeals to watch television when he whined about how he wanted to go home because he wanted to watch: "movies" (television) and eat "ice pops." We discovered though that the yearning for ice pops was because he was teething something fierce - he had to bite everything including his shoe for us to figure this out. When I finally gave him acetaminophen the second night, he said "Thank you Mama" and fell asleep minutes later. We also gave in and let him watch one episode of Yo Gabba Gabba on my iPhone before bed the second night.

We discovered a few more things about Cole while camping this weekend. You can't force him to make friends. I tried to introduce him numerous times to a sweet little two year old girl whose campsite was behind ours. He was not having it. He was too shy. He had no problem, though, making friends with the five and seven-year-old brother and sister who were camping directly across from us. My guess is the fact that the five year old initiated playtime with Cole made Cole more willing to play. We also discovered something on the third night of our Vermont adventures: he really wants to skateboard. This could be from watching "cool tricks" with Tony Hawk and the "Ride" episode (over and over and over) of Yo Gabba Gabba, but more likely, it's genetic. Keith started skateboarding in the 7th grade and still has a skateboard in our garage. When we first started dating 10 years ago, he actually skateboarded to the convenience store down the street. Not to mention that Cole's comfortable on a balance board and a snowboard. Skateboarding was just a natural progression of things. I'll post more on what we did about this yearning later in the week.

Back to camping. I decided that even though Keith was planning on taking pictures with his professional grade camera, I would document the trip on my iPhone. We all know the iPhone takes awesome pictures anyway, and I also was thinking it'd be easier for me if I posted from my Blogger app. But here I am on the computer. Go figure!

Lowlights of the trip: 

We were supposed to go with Keith's friend, his wife and their daughter, but at the last minute they had to cancel due to their daughter's illness. We missed them so much while on the trip. We kept saying, Brian and Minyele would love it here! But we knew we could always go back there again and we plan on it. It's an amazing campground!

The second night camping a bunch of campers from New Jersey directly behind our site started getting really loud and acting as if they were drinking and hanging out in someone's living room. Never mind that at least a hundred campers were trying to sleep all around them. They woke us up at 1:45 a.m. and kept us up until about 3:30 a.m. It was Cole's first solid night of sleep, so Keith and I were pissed that we weren't sleeping too! There was no phone number we were supposed to complain to to let the ranger know that quiet hours were not being followed, and we didn't know exactly where the ranger station was (the park service tells you to complain but they never tell you exactly where to go), so we muttered to ourselves and plotted our revenge for the next morning. On our way out, I attempted to lodge a complaint with the ranger on duty, but she was super busy with the phone and other campers waiting on line outside the office. So I decided I'd call from the road. Wouldn't you know it that at the local coffee joint, we see none other than the assholes getting their morning iced coffee fix? I decided I'd be really pissed at myself if I didn't say something to them. I told them that they kept us up half the night, to which one fake blonde teenager with fluorescent pink highlights (very fashionable) replied, "I don't care." I was so livid that Keith had to help me put sugar in my decaf. While we were gathering our coffee and snack to leave, one of them said, "Someone has her period."There were many things I could have said to this, but instead, Keith and I muttered about them being idiots (because really, do you think I was going to further engage a bunch of teenage morons?) and left. My consolation was that as Keith backed out of the parking lot, he spotted one of the girls looking out the window. She was looking directly at him. Keith flipped her off and drove away. Score!

Black flies. I could say that it's what makes the camping experience this time of year a memorable one,  but I'd be lying. Yeah, it's funny to watch people smack themselves and their loved ones, but in the end, being harassed by bugs the size of small birds is a little bit stressful. The worst part was when one finally went down into the water (we were mostly harassed when we were on the beach or in the water) and it would not drown. So I mutilated it until I knew it could never fly again. This is not the way I want my son to treat living creatures, but a mother must protect her family.

Highlights of the trip:

Watching Cole run from the beach into the shallow part of the water. He loved doing this. Again and again and again. He loved playing with the muddy sand and he loved plopping down in the shallow water.

Cole really enjoyed riding his Strider balance bike around our campsite loop. He was, of course, inspired by another little boy named Cole who was riding his bike in circles in front of his campsite.

Roasting marshmallows around the fire.

Discovering the water fountain and spigot was right next to our site. This was a frequent stop of Cole's if he accompanied one of us to the bathroom (also next to our site).

Having the bathroom next to our site. Some people don't like this, but for someone who has to pee several times a night, it's heaven for me. It means I don't have to walk very far in the dark, which means I don't have to hold it in until I'm about to explode.

Going on a short hike and discovering that it's actually an awesome bike path. We realized we HAVE to bring our bikes next time we camp there. The only downfall of the hike was that I listened to Keith and left the Boba carrier at the campsite. Of course it followed that Cole started to get tired about halfway into our half a mile hike (we were dangerously close to a nap time we knew he was going to refuse to take) and wanted us to hold him.

Trying to convince Cole to nap by changing the name to a Siesta. I even laid in the tent with him. But it was a sauna inside there and there was no way he was taking a nap. He said something to that effect too. He ain't no fool!

Reading stories to Cole by the campfire.

Spending 24 hours in Bennington, Vermont where we had a number of adventures - we went to a fish hatchery, we went to the Battlefield Monument, drove through a number of historic covered bridges, played with 19th century toys at the Bennington Museum, and ate dinner at a local pub and brewery.

Choosing to stay at a no frills motel instead of the expensive Hampton Inn. The woman at the Knotty Pine Motel directed us to some of our most fun adventures. I doubt the woman at the Hampton Inn could give two shits about what we did with our afternoon.

Funniest part of the trip:

At the end of our dinner at the Madison Pub and Brewery in Bennington, Cole had already succeeded in throwing lots of his food and other items onto the floor. He had started to scream and shake his head. He was, however, smiling and laughing the whole time. In other words, he was having a blast. At one point he said to Keith, "I'm crazy." Keith just about died laughing. That's when I alerted the waiter that we needed the check pronto.

As he does often when we go away, Cole talked to Gramma and told her all about his adventures. He did this with a stainless steel spatula as he walked around the campsite. It was so adorable!

My iPhone pictures of the trip:

"I want more, Dada!"

"I wanna ride my bike, Mama."

Who is having the most fun in this picture?

Keith captures the cutest ice cream beard known to man.

Cole gets comfy while we pack up the campsite

Cole in the window of the Battlefield Monument,

This is what he was looking at.

A replica of Grandma Moses' schoolhouse

"I'm crazy!"

Who's crazy here?

Run for the playground!

Loving the big boy swing.