I camped once before in 2002 with borrowed equipment, and it wasn’t the best experience. I waited until 2013 to try again, and I bought all of my own camping gear this time. This was my “practice trip” before heading out on a multi-day camping trip in Utah. I invited all of my friends, and I was lucky to have Karen, Mike, Julie, and a few other people join me for camping. A few even stopped by just for campfire chats and games.

It took me a long time to set everything up, even though I had practiced setting the tent up in my living room. It was definitely a huge collection of camping stuff, but when it was done I had the “Taj Mahal” of tents. I was going to be comfortable! I even had a refrigerator/cooler plugged in outside.

The tent spot where I camped was right next to the lake and my friends, and I would stay in that spot again. It was a KOA, so the amenities were nice. There was a path around the lake, and they rented paddle boats in fun shapes.

A friend rented a Kabin and we played cards in the evenings. It had a lot of mice in it, though, so I wouldn’t recommend staying in a Kabin.

It was a great first experience!