Camping

Oh how I love to camp! 

Last weekend  we went on our first official beach trip since coming back to California.  We were going to stay in a hotel, but since our last trip the prices have jumped through the roof for a decent hotel room so we decided to check out campsites we've stayed at in the past. The Oceano Campground is right near the entrance to the dunes but out of the wind and sand, and for $20 a night, what a deal! 

We arrived around 5:30 PM, just in time to set up our new awesome tent while 

it was still light outside. It can sleep 8 people and is 7 feet tall inside so normal sized people can stand up too, not just me. There were more poles than I'd ever seen for a tent, you would've thought someone was trying to create a giant poking device! We actually had to read the instructions and then set it up, something Lee's not used to doing.  It didn't take too long and pretty soon Chateau de Payne was open for business! We got a few strange looks from people around us setting it up, for all they knew it was just the two of us. We were expecting three more people that night.

Camp was set up right next to a pretty little river with baby duckies swimming in it. As pretty as it was, it brought mosquitoes. Everyone in Texas knows how much mosquitoes love me - at least they did in Texas. I got bit once (on my face!) but then they left me alone and went after our friend Kevin.

But camping in general is great. I love smelling all the stuff people are cooking around you, catching bits and pieces of funny conversation, being amused at the tent set-up virgins that arrive at 10PM to set up their tent with two tiny flashlights and hearing all the wildlife around you and trying to figure out what creature the glowing eyes hiding in the bush belong to.

Yeah the bugs are a little annoying and for some reason we never bring an air mattress that doesn't have a leak so we end up on the ground in the morning, but it's worth it for the fun times with friends and S'Mores around the campfire! Oh, and the gaggle of geese that came to visit in the morning were hilarious! Plus, having a 60 second walk to the ocean is always a plus!