camping trip.

By David

I  took our two oldest to Dreher Island State Park campground.

Campground is a wistful word.  I’d consider it more of an RV parking lot with trees.  We parked on concrete pad #38 in the shadows of massive, bedazzled travel trailers.  The scope of some of the setups was staggering.  Do people live here?

Lawn chairs, loveseats, lampposts, mini fridges, televisions, full sized gas grills jostled for flat space between pines.  Folding tables groaned under the bounty of red and yellow Sizemart condiment jugs.  A din of barking dogs, country music, and laboring AC units served as the soundtrack to the island.

If you consider tailgating roughing it, then Dreher might just be the ticket.

But I digress.  It’s close to Columbia, it’s cheap, and it’s outdoors.  If you’re waterfront – and like Lot’s family, if you don’t look back – it’s a pretty nice view.

It was our first time camping in a long while, so our goal was simple: make it twenty-four hours without asking for mom.

We accomplished that and more.  We set up our tent, met our neighbors, took a half a dozen dips in the lake, laughed around the campfire with marshmallow-glazed grins, and counted stars till we couldn’t keep our eyes open.

As we nestled into sleeping bags, Judah, our seven year old, said, “This reminds me of my childhood.”

There were a few hairy moments.  Amie fell backward into the fire pit (unlit, thankfully).  Judah went off to befriend the roving RV children and came back with his hands tied behind his back.  A third, unidentified member of our party, dropped the entire fishing worm stash into the lake.

But that’s the stuff of memories.  I can’t wait to rent a U-Haul, load up our living room furniture, and go back for round two.