Despite rain on Thursday and Friday, this was a great weekend for camping.  Chris and I went out to High Falls State Park on Thursday evening and set up.  It lightly rained on and off all evening, but thanks to a dining fly I borrowed from my Scout troop, we sat in a dry area, enjoying a tasty beverage or two, and watching our fire despite the precipitation.  We also enjoyed a magnificent grilled salmon dinner with sweet potatoes and steamed veggies.  Eating like kings really helps to alleviate any frustration with Mother Nature.

Unfortunately, we found out my new tent leaked, so we had large drops of water bombarding us throughout the night.  We still managed, and while a bit groggy in the morning, eggs with tortillas and salsa helped us wake up.  I tend to remember great trips based on the meals I eat, and I really enjoy cooking and eating while I'm out camping or vacationing.  Friday was a quiet day, as it continued to drizzle on and off.  We did a lot of sitting around and relaxing, and also took a short hike to the ranger station after the ranger came by and yelled at us for not having checked in yet.  We didn't have our pink "reserved" tag up, and apparently that upset the ranger.  Funny thing is, we had until 10:00 p.m. according to the instructions, and he yelled at us at 2:00 p.m.  Even stranger since he wasn't at his station the night before when we arrived at 5:00.

Jamie, Bryan and Marsha arrived about 6:30 p.m. that night.  We set to dinner early so we had some daylight left as we got things ready.  I had prepared a chili and then baked some cornbread to go with it, which made a wonderful warm dinner with the drizzle still going.  We topped it off with Russian Cherry Delight, which meant we all ate much more than we needed, but it tasted great!

Chris and I had set another tarp over the tent, which fixed the rain problem.  In addition, Marsha and Bryan just set up their mattress on a tarp underneath the dining fly and slept outside.  They got a little wet, but had a good time.  We could tell by their laughter and giggling.  To make up for them getting wet, we had pancakes and maple sausage in the morning.  I think nearly everyone fell back into a food coma, and most took short naps to allow breakfast a chance to prepare for lunch.  Jamie and Marsha each read a little bit, while Bryan and I threw some fishing lures in the water.  For the record, the water won, but we won't tell anyone that.  We would say we caught these magnificent fish, but at the very last second, the line broke, because they were much larger fish than our 4lb and 6lb line could handle.  Sure, that's the story.

The planned lunch was forgone as Bryan pulled out some MREs which gave us something to snack on, along with some reheated chili.  After lunch we opted to get out and finally do something.  The weather had let up, although it was still partly cloudy.  We left the campsite and went out to Dauset Trails Nature Center.  Chris had been mountain biking there before, and he and I stopped by on Friday as he was showing me where the trails were.  None of us had ever looked around though, so we walked the animal trail and found a real gem of a destination in middle Georgia.  I plan to take the Boy Scouts back there sometime to hike on some of the trails as we get ready to hopefully go to Double-H, a Boy Scout High Adventure Camp next summer.

We stayed at Dauset until they closed at 5:00.  They have a wonderful selection of wildlife including a bald eagle and a black bear which were great to see in a more natural setting than any zoo I have visited.  We left the center and headed back to camp.  While not everyone was hungry, the girls didn't want to wait until late to eat, so we started up a campfire and prepared dinner while playing a bit of Texas Hold 'Em at the same time.  Dinner consisted of steak, sweet potatoes (except for Bryan who had a baked potato), corn, Vidalia onions all cooked over the fire along with rolls warmed in a box oven.  It was delicious and again more than enough food.  I was accused multiple times of planning too much food, but I firmly believe that one thing you should not be while camping is hungry.  You may be cold and damp, but at least eat well!

Jamie led dessert making with banana boats and s'mores, while I drank my dessert.  We all turned in early, and were able to throw off the (ineffective - but I think I'm fixing that) rainfly and look up at the stars.  It was a beautiful night... until I head a dog and something else down in the river at 4:30 in the morning.  I don't know what it was, but it sure sounded strange.  It woke Jamie too, but no one else.  Never saw any signs of what it could have been in the end though.

Low cloud cover rolled back in sometime between 4:30 and 7:30, and it was a gray morning.  Chris went back to Dauset Trails for a few hours of biking while the rest of us at french toast, bacon and honeydew and then slowly took down camp.  We burned the last of the wood and sat around long enough to eat turkey quesadillas with Chris when he got back, before we all went home to clean up and recover.

Today has been more cleaning and recovery, since it is a federal holiday and I don't have to work.  It was a great weekend, despite the dampness, in my opinion, and the best part is Jamie and I are going camping again next weekend.  Next weekend we're joining my sister Erin and her fiancé Brody at a park up near Nashville.  I asked Jamie what she wanted to eat, and she said pancakes for breakfast and steak dinner, just like this weekend.  I guess that makes it easy, since I know what I have to buy and how to cook it all.  Hopefully next time we'll broaden our horizons some more with new variety.  I'll just keep planning until then!