Camping in the Great Outdoors....or Not

The plan was get out of town as early as possible on Memorial Day weekend and hightail it to Red River Gorge to claim a campsite in the family friendly Koomer Ridge Campground. Hightailing doesn't really happen too often, however, in a house with two kids, two cats, two fish, and two jobs. Needless to say, we arrived at 6pm, to find a big sign at the entrance Koomer Ridge reading, "Campground Full." Bummer with a capital "B" as Julia would say. But within 30 minutes, we'd found a sweet little cabin at a more than reduced rate because it had no AC (hello, have you been in my house?), and it turned out to be the next best thing to sleeping in the great outdoors.

So for three days and nights, we hiked, we went wading in the Red River, we caught "crawdaddy's", we explored caves, and we roasted marshmallows over an open fire. But we also returned after long, hot and exhausting hikes to soak our dirty selves in the jacuzzi bathtub and eat scrumptious meals on the screened-in porch. We built puzzles on the floor, and stayed up late playing cards, and snuggled up on the big pull out sofa to read books before bed. The kids even slept in the tent on the deck because they wanted the outdoor experience. John and I were spoiled with a big king size bed in the upstairs loft, and when the kids piled in the next morning, we had more than enough room. We made big breakfasts, and drank coffee, glorious coffee, not full of grinds or over perculated from the fire. It was heaven.

I know I would have been a good sport about camping in the tent, that is as long as it didn't rain, and I'm sure we would have heard a few more sounds of nature sleeping under the stars. But I have to say, there is something much more vacation-like about cabin camping. It's like having your cake and eating it too. There was none of the edgy crabbiness that sneaks in after a couple of days of peeing in the woods, and not getting a shower. We will return again with our tent and all our gear, but it was nice on this holiday weekend to do what weekends and holidays are meant for: have fun, relax, spend time with family and friends, and oh yeah, eat lots of s'mores.