Much Needed.

Over the weekend J and I, along with our pup, Kira, went camping.

Yes, again, for the third camping trip between 2006 and 2007.

We went to Huntsville State Park. The location wasn't very far, about an hour and 15 minutes, but it took us over 2 hours to get there on Friday. Lovely traffic. It was the right distance to be out of H-town, and immersed in nature.

Our new tent has a screened porch. We think it's pretty cool.

The weather was high in the 80's and low in the 60's. Perfect. Nice and warm during the day, but cool enough to sleep well, without being sweaty.

Our site was at the edge of Lake Raven. It was nice getting to sit back and just relax.

Our primitive campsite.

J wasn't able to fish just from walking down and wading in the water. There wasn't a shore, just an edge and then water covered by lily pads and grasses. It wouldn't have been safe to wade in either, since there are alligators in the park and the lake.

View of Lake Raven from our campsite.

The second night we both woke up around 4 am, to owls hooting in the trees. We think there were one or two overhead, and then another one further off. They were just having a good time "talking" to each other. I think it bothered J more than me. It kept him awake longer. I found it somewhat soothing along with all the frogs croaking. Almost like white noise.

Later I heard a different noise, more like bellowing or croaking. I think it may have been the alligators. I asked J, and he agreed.

The whole time we were there, we only saw one or two alligators. They were swimming, and we could see the wake behind them. Honestly, I wasn't really scared. Maybe because we didn't run across any on a trail, and none made their way into our campsite. If I came face to face with one, I'd probably be worried and a little shaky.

J and Kira relaxing.

One nice thing about our trip, and camping spot, was that our "neighbors" on either side, and the Boy Scout group across the way were pretty quiet. Okay, so the Boy Scouts were a little noisy the last morning we were there, but it didn't really bother us since it was 8 am and we were up already. If it had been between 12 am and 6 am, that's a different story.

J, Kira and I. Our traditional camping picture.

I'm so thankful that my family went camping when I was growing up. It taught me a lot about nature, conservation, "leave no trace", teamwork, and myself. I have a deeply rooted love for the outdoors, which I can tell was passed down to me by both my parents. I am also glad that J's family also did the same. He shares this bond with me, and we can pass it on to our own children when that time comes.