Mitch and I went camping for the first time about a month ago. The main purpose was to try out all of our gear and make sure we had what we needed. So we decided to go to Mt Lemmon for a night. Mitch was in charge of packing. He only brought 1 sleeping bag and a blanket, figuring we could lay out the sleeping bag and sleep under the blanket. He severely underestimated how cold Mt Lemmon gets and how thin his blanket actually is. We shivered all night long. We also headed to REI shortly after and got another, very warm, sleeping bag.
I’ve never spent more than 1 night at a time camping. I worked at a camp for 3 summers, but we had cabins with beds and doors. I’ve camped a few times with friends- we load up nearly all of our earthly possessions, bring a lot of wine, enough food to feed a small nation for about a week, and drive an hour from home. This is my preferred camping method. The plan this go-round is to spend about 6 nights camping. In a row. I’m a little worried. Add to that my stupid sciatica pain that wakes me up after about 4 hours in complete agony, and this could prove to be quite an adventure.
We are camping in Southern Oregon, near Jacksonville, which is near Medford. Mitch will be spending the week paragliding with hundreds of other paraglider who are here for a huge event called the Rat Race. I plan to read, color, write, possibly babysit, take day trips to Medford, and go to wineries. This is also the center of Southern Oregon’s Wine Country. Didn’t know that existed? Yeah, neither did I, but who am I to pass up wineries? My mission is clear- drink the wine, rate the wine, be happy I have wine.
Our campsite is beautiful- I feel like I’m in a REI commercial. We’re right next to the Applegate River and just a few miles from Applegate Lake, surrounded by pines, oak tress, and lots of other green vegetation. The birds are chirping and a darling little yellow bellied finch just flew by. Plus there are real bathrooms nearby and the car is just a few feet away. I can handle this kind of wilderness.
The drive up here was beautiful as well- rolling hills, trees, and lots of animals. My reaction to seeing outdoor animals is akin to that of a preschooler. I point, say the name, and often squeal. I have no chill. We saw cows, horses, goats, sheep, alpaca (major squealing and asking if I can have one), and lots of wild deer. Plus the campsite has cats! Campsite kitties. They’re a bit skittish, but I think I can win one of them over. Mostly because I am not above bribery and will totally bring it little pieces of turkey. I’ll also keep you posted on my plot to somehow smuggle a farm animal along for the rest of the trip. I’m pretty sure I can get Mitch on board- he’s already pro-goat.
I nearly forgot one of the best parts of our drive. As we were looking for a campsite and trying to figure out the really vague and sketchy info given to us about where to go, I noticed the road we were on crossed back into California. I instructed Mitch to keep driving, because I’m the navigator and assured him I knew where we were going. Then I told him to pull over and get out of the car. It was lightly raining, so his look of confusion was justified. I informed him we were going o take pictures with one foot on the gravel side of the road and one on the paved side. This did not help the confusion, but he humored me. Once we were back in the car I informed him we had just been in two places at once! I got a smile, nod, and “thats pretty good”. I may have been inspired by “A Walk To Remember”… don’t judge me, Nicolas Sparks knows what he’s doing! And whats better than getting to cross that off the bucket list on a chilly, drizzly drive through the forest?
Gravel side: California. Paved side: Oregon
Thanks for the idea Mandy Moore!
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