Last weekend marked our annual family camping trip to what has become a roving location of campgrounds throughout the state.
My apathy toward camping has been pretty well documented. Some people thoroughly enjoy pitching a tent and curling up in a sleeping bag to commune with nature. I have never been one of those people.
The entire concept of stuffing a vehicle full of all the items from your home that are needed to provide comfort and sustenance for a couple of days has always been a head-scratcher for me. I mean, don’t we all work to get our homes exactly the way we want them for a reason? If so, why would you want to leave that home on a weekend when you don’t have to work? Shouldn’t you want to enjoy the time spent at your home?
My wife feels differently, and would easily spend a week (or more) roughing it in the woods or near a lake.
Each year I know that a family camping excursion is a required element of our summer activities. This year, my wife asked my thoughts on spending a week camping. I think she already knew the answer, but figured she would ask it just the same.
I suppose if we had a camper or camp to go to, I might feel otherwise. But, to keep family harmony, I have learned to tolerate the hassle of lugging a tent, four sleeping bags, inflatable mattress and what seems like countless bags of food to a destination.
Instead we compromised on a three-night trip, that turned into a two-night stay due to poor weather forecasts. This year, we may just have found the ideal compromise in the ongoing debate over camping as we selected a campground just outside of Bar Harbor. For my wife, that meant ample opportunities to explore Acadia National Park and its multitude of trails.
For me, it meant easy access to civilization as Bar Harbor provides a shuttle bus from the campground to the downtown (and actually all parts of the island). Downtown Bar Harbor, while clearly a tourist trap, has so many wonderful places to visit and things to see that we actually ran out of time this year.
While I wouldn’t exactly say that I am ready for a week-long excursion, I can admit that the trip was not the worst time I have ever spent. It almost made up for the fact that our inflatable air mattress failed to hold air once again, which meant the heaviest object on the mattress (me) woke to find himself on the cold, hard ground.
On the positive side, however, it does make your bed seem that much softer when you finally do get home.
Joseph Cyr is a staff writer for the Houlton Pioneer Times. He can be reached at 532-2281 or via email at jcyr@bangordailynews.com
