First of all, I have to qualify our camping style -- we "car camp". I'm not hardcore enough to backpack/hike in someplace and set up camp miles from any sort of amenities like clean running water and you know...plumbing. I could do it, but I wouldn't like it, and the whole point of a family trip is to have fun, right? Right. And we really, really did.
Pfeiffer Big Sur was a perfect place to camp. Big campsites, lots of shade, a creek, bathrooms with hot water and showers, etc. We borrowed an enormous tent (thanks Carrie!) and a little camping chair for Sadie. I brought a handful of activities for her and her friend who joined us. (books, crayons, stickers, bubbles and water colors) She mostly wanted to run around and flop on the bedding in the tent. She really seemed to dig being in the forest. We played in the creek, poked around with sticks, listened to the birds and just hung out together. We didn't keep track of time, which was really nice. There's also something so great about being able to get (and stay) dirty without caring.
I will say that the hyper-vigilance required with a toddler around a campfire is a touch more exhausting than the average/daily kind, so I'm afraid I might have been a bit short with Andrew a couple of times (sorry, babe). Luckily Sadie was pretty content to either sit in her own chair or in my lap watching the fire dance and crackle.
Saturday night was 24 hours before a full moon, so everything had that indescribable luminescence. There's nothing quite like the light of a full moon. I've always loved full moons; I was born under one and I went into labor with Sadie (12 days "late") under one. It was a wonderful night to sit around a fire and talk. Things did get a bit interesting when a very brave skunk decided to come check out our garbage bag and then wouldn't bugger off for the next 20 minutes or so, but other than that, it was a perfect mini adventure weekend.
We're definitely doing this again!
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