Lady E

weather man say something about snowflakes for tomorrow. 

I love the winter.  You might think I say that only when I sit in my warm ‘brick & stick’ home ( which I am)…but I love winter camping, as well.  I have fond memories with my girls growing up as we bundled up the whole family and head to the woods here in Texas.  Don’t think it gets cold here in Big Tex?….Think again!  The only difference here is…it doesn’t stay cold for long.

Most of the years while my girls were growing up, we camped in Pop-Up trailers.  We  found it more economical if we did it that way. One of my memories was ….. back in the early 2000′s that we journeyed over to Junction, TX  where we camped while visiting family and friends.  At 17 degrees,  the only thing that saved us was the electric blankets.  One dog, one cat, two kids and two adults….  I remember how thankful I was when we went to the bathhouse there on the campground premise and found the most wonderful warm heater blowing throught the room.

Just a couple of years ago, I was living full time in my 37′ Sierra 5th wheel with my teenaged daughter.  Living down on the coast at the time was great as far as the Texas coastal weather goes.  The folks that lived there said that the winters could be harsh…. not by my thinking, especially after living through it.  However, that very winter I had  the RV moved up to east Waco on the coldest night of the season.  We arrived after dark with the temperatures falling…it bottomed out that night at 19 degrees.  Oh, it was cold! For some reason I wasn’t prepared very well.  I couldn’t remember where that electric blanket had gone.  I do remember it wasn’t long before I headed off  to Wal-Mart for a new ‘trusty’ electric blanket.  

Do I love camping in the winter..?  oh, Yes I do.  Because the sun pours out her bowl of sparkling crystals each morning as the frost forms on the ground.  The birds sing their sweet song in the cold air as they perch upon the naked limbs of the trees.  What I notice most of all … is how quiet it is in the winter when camping.  I can  hear the deer, the squirrels and the raccoons as they play beneath the trees at the forest edge.  I can hear the breath of the horses as they graze  in the next open field.  It is hard to explain how quiet it is …..when I can hear so much. 

My thoughts are….. until you have camped in the winter…. you haven’t experience winter or camping to its fullest.   Happy camping to all who journey out in the winter where ever you might be.