Not Your Average Ferris Wheel: Our camping weekend: Part 1

So instead of telling you every single detail of everything we did over the weekend, I'll tell you about it in topic form. I like to categorize things. It's how I roll. I'll include some of the pictures in this post and the rest in the next post (Part 2).

The Fear Factor: Black Bears

I didn't realize how serious the threat of black bears was until we got to the campground. There were signs everywhere explaining what to do if you encounter a bear, warnings not to leave food anywhere outside of your car, electric fencing around the garbage containers used by campers, a tent on display at the information center that had a huge tear in it made by a bear, and bear-proof food containers on sale at the camp store. I was ready to leave that first night, and I hadn't even slept there yet. I was that scared. Not only was I scared for my son, but also for us as a family. I am a lactating woman after all, and I knew I'd be breastfeeding Cole in the tent at night, so my biggest fear was that a bear (who have a very acute sense of smell) would smell my sweet milk and want some!

Fortunately, Keith asked the woman at the entrance gate if there had been any black bear sightings and she said no, along with a look that said there hadn't been in a loooong time. This made me feel somewhat better. Weirdly enough, I didn't feel completely better until I had to go potty around 1 a.m. the first night.
Following the directions, I jingled my keys while walking the short distance by myself to the bathrooms and did not encounter anything out there, not even a chipmunk or the large rabbit we had seen earlier in the day. Sometimes it just helps to see your surroundings (at night) to calm your fears.

Naps

Naps were difficult to be had. Cole was totally out of his element and also really excited by his environment. Most of his naps were had while moving: being worn by me, ridden in the stroller, or driven in the car. All in all, it wasn't too bad.

Sleepytime

All three nights Cole went to sleep for the night several hours after his usual bed time. That's because there was no way he was going to sleep in the play yard and there was no way he was going to stay asleep in the stroller while we were awake. He slept in between us. Keith and I barely slept the first night. We were uncomfortable and literally sleeping on egg shells around Cole. Plus I had to pee and Keith had a stomach ache. But the next two nights of sleep were much better. We even got Cole to sleep in until 8 a.m. on Sunday. What helped Cole sleep, of course, was breastfeeding. I nursed him whenever he woke up in the middle of the night and that gave him comfort enough to drift back off to sleep.

The BIG Hike: NOT!

We only went on one hike on Saturday morning. I know big surprise right? Keith has a pinched nerve, and my foot is still healing from the hard hit by the hard drive, so we went on a very light but beautiful hike around the lake at the campgrounds. It was about two miles with barely any inclines, just spectacular views and beautiful scenery in the forest. Keith took some gorgeous pictures of that hike. As you'll see from the shots, I wore Cole in the back carry with the Ergo. Damn did that thing come through for us this weekend.

Sightseeing: We were tourists

We did a little sightseeing by taking a Gondola ride up Whiteface Mountain to Little Whiteface. The smaller peak had an elevation of approximately 3,600 feet. Pretty awesome. Even though I'm afraid of heights I wasn't too scared. Plus I was wearing Cole in the Ergo, but in the front carry this time. So I couldn't be scared. On Sunday we did a little window shopping in downtown Lake Placid, trying to get Cole to nap. We stopped and bought him a swimsuit top from the Gap Outlet and then had a wine tasting at Goosewatch Winery while he slept soundly in the stroller.

Cole

I think the most rewarding part of the trip was watching Cole get so excited about the outside. He ran around the campsite for most of the time we were there, with me closely following him. I got some adorable pictures of our little hiker and can't wait for our next camping trip to capture more. Cole discovered sticks and re-familiarized himself with rocks. He showed his determination by running up and down a hill again and again after he fell down coming down the first time. He walked around in circles in the lake and laughed every time he threw a rock into the lake and caused a clunking sound. He woke up each morning so happy to be surrounded by Mama and Dada, that he'd break out in a huge smile and start jabbering immediately. After Keith left the tent to get breakfast started or before bed while Keith cleaned up the site, Cole would stand in the tent and look out the bottom window and call over and over again "Dada!"

Routines

We really tried our best to keep with our usual routines. We couldn't always get Cole to sleep at the usual time, but he was always asleep by the time we fell asleep, usually around 8 or 9. The campers around us were really quiet. The two male hikers next to us actually played guitar each night and that seemed to lull me to sleep. We gave Cole a bath each night too, which is part of our nightly routine. We brought with us the inflatable tub we used when transitioning him from the infant tub to our bathtub. The pictures we got from one of those baths are priceless.

Weather permitting

The last full day we were there was on Sunday and, according to the weather, a thunderstorm was going to be rolling in that night and rain was going to continue the next morning. It wasn't 100% likely but 40% (storm) and 60% (rain) was enough for us to pack up one day early and head for a fancy hotel in downtown Lake Placid. It was totally worth it because we had a fun time at the hotel eating lunch with a spectacular view and using the indoor pool twice with Cole. We ordered in from a local pizzeria that night and took some adorable pictures of Cole eating and post-eating. Sure enough, later that night a nasty thunderstorm with balls of lightning rolled through with rain on and off Monday morning.

On the way back

We decided on Monday as we drove down the Northway (and Cole slept in his car seat) to stop in Saratoga Springs so we could eat lunch, walk around, and then get Cole back into the car just in time for Nap #2. It worked out perfectly. Although it rained a little in Saratoga, we still had a nice time. We ate lunch at a yummy Irish restaurant and stopped at a toy store and a coffee shop. We bought Cole a wooden noisemaker, a long plastic shovel (something he could drag around the house without injuring himself) and a touch and feel book. (He seems to love these!)