There are lots of different kinds of camping from "Pack it in – pack it out" to "Plug it in and unplug it." DesertMichael and I fall some where in between the extremes. We have been camping for almost 25 years and no matter what happens we always want to keep on camping.
The very first camping trip we went on was from Santa Barbara to the most beautiful, below sea level spot in all of the USA. Death Valley!
We packed up our dogs and set off. Much to my dismay, when we came to Barstow, it was in the middle of a monsoon. Not to worry, DesertMichael said it never rains in Death Valley! On we drove the car windshield wipers barely maintaining visibility. On and on, we drove. The skies dark, the thunder loud, and the lightning crashing all around us.
We stopped at a gas station and the attendant said it was raining from Death Valley and beyond. After some groans and thinking we decided to head east towards Needles, California ‘cause it never rains in the desert! Off of old Route 66 near the settlement of Cadiz, is an old marble quarry where Trilobite fossils have been found. We headed there.
We located the old quarry and let the dogs out to run. The mountain was shrouded in mist but at least it wasn’t blazing hot or pouring down rain. We checked out the quarry to see what the marble looked like then we started looking for the Trilobites. Trilobites look much like a small crab from the ocean, which this area was long ago. The fossils were located in the shale deposit surrounding the old quarry. It took much splitting of the shale to locate a fossil but after a lot of work a few small specimens were found.
We headed back to camp with our prize specimens. We relaxed reading and "munching" on snacks, dinner and feeding the dogs and then it was time for bed. At the time, we were sleeping in a small tent and little did we know it was not waterproof. Well you guessed it, it rained during the night. We woke up because we felt water running over our feet. When we got out of the tent, we found the rain had formed a stream that went through our tent. Needless to say, we decided to pack up and move out.
We headed back to Barstow and located a motel that would accept our dogs and us. In the morning, we put out the Do Not Disturb sign and headed next door for a bite to eat. We were just finishing our breakfast when we looked outside and low and behold, there were our dogs searching for us. The maid had obviously ignored the Do Not Disturb sign and opened the door. Thank goodness the dogs were safe and had only "tracked" us to the restaurant.
Since that time, we have gone camping as often as we can. From overnighters to a 6 week camping spree. There are times when we can’t go due to the usual demands of modern life. It is these times when we play the game of who remembers the oddest camping experience such as the highest place we camped, the lowest place, the hottest place, the coldest place, and the most beautiful place. There were the driest and the wettest not to mention the greatest angle that we parked at to camp. By the way, the first Death Valley trip was not the wettest; another trip receives that honor. I think the wettest was in the southeast Turtle Mountains or was it…