Camp Connection

One of my favorite parts of travel is searching for the perfect spot and planning the trip.  For our mini fall break getaway, I had a wish list in finding our home away from home.  We wanted to camp but indoor plumbing was a must.  Since we had a small window of days, it needed to be realitively close so we didn't spend all our time driving.  Something near the water and promising views, since we enjoy being outdoors.  And my hope was to be tech free, though being more than a request to my guys was an added bonus.

In the end, we chose to rent a camper in Cumberland Falls, Kentucky.  It was a state park we haven't visited, even though I'd traveled near there for work a few years ago.  I knew from driving it before, the scenery would be amazing this time of year.

It did not disappoint.

We purposefully set the GPS to take us there via back roads and avoided the interstate as much as possible.  For me, in a road trip, getting there is half the fun.  I love spontaneous stops and finds along the way.  The photo above was actually called Haunted Cave Road, as peaceful as it seems.  Noah noticed it, and much to his surprise, I said, "Let's go down it!"

Through the curves and winding roads, we talked and laughed, while Noah took turns between being DJ and helping me drive.  Tim, ever the trooper, worked the night before we left so he napped in between raising up to view the scenery or see why we stopped.

Noah realized, as we entered Daniel Boone forest, the cell service became sketchy.  Luckily, his phone was pre-programmed with our route.  Truly, that and taking photos were the only thing we really used our phones for the entire trip.  I knew the camper didn't have a tv, which was fine by me, and my plan was to invoke our "no tech" rule we have on similar vacations.  Much to my delight, the area took care of that for me, as the only way you could get a signal was to turn your head just so and point your arm at an angle while walking uphill.  

Being disconnected from the world allowed us to connect more deeply with each other.  

In fact, apart from the scenery, my favorite memories of the trip are of the time we spent playing games, cooking over an open fire, and sitting around talking/laughing/telling stories.  When I replay this trip over in my mind, I smile over scenes of us at the table playing cards, singing along to classics on the camper radio, and enjoying amazing meals together with no outside distractions.  

We had so much fun in the camper, we plan to extend our next camping trip - wherever that may be.  Even my techy-phone always in his hand-teen enjoyed the time being unavailable and not receiving constant notifications.  All three of us decided we could easily handle a week of nothing but togetherness.  Not being instantly available is a peaceful freedom, circa 1996.

Of course, one of the special moments of our trip was our day spent visiting Cumberland Falls.  I've had this place in my "go to" folder for years, always trying to coordinate our breaks with the moonbow that happens there.  Even though we missed the moonbow by a matter of days, it did not diminish the astounding beauty of the place.

I could've stood for hours marveling at this landscape.

To get to this particular spot, took walking down several sections of steps, something I might have opted out of even a year ago.  With my knee injury, steps are not my friend, but I decided the memory worth any temporary pain that might come.  

Life is too short to sit on the sidelines.

Although I wasn't as adventurous as this duo, who had me randomly stopping at any rocky spot that seemed interesting throughout our trip.  Besides, somebody had to stay with the car and drive to a signal, provided a bear jump out - or an ankle twist!

However, they were pretty proud of how well ol' mom hung on the trip.  

I'm pretty proud too...

even if my hamstrings still feel those hills!

We packed a picnic for our visit to the falls but just happened upon our spot.  It was just up the road, nestled by the river that fed the waterfall.  With only one other family there, it made for a quiet and beautiful place to dine outdoors.  

As do all vacations, the end came before we were really ready.  But this area and the memories made will always hold a special place in my blessed and joyful heart.

Tech Free Trip

Oh, happy little blog...how I've missed you!  It's been nearly a week since my last post.  Being on vacation, there's certainly been several joys to share but we were on a Tech-Free Retreat.  I'm actually still on vacation but home from the lake so the technology ban has officially been lifted!  So of course one of the first things I wanted to do was write a new post.

Before leaving, we made the agreement to keep the laptops at the house, turn the phones off, and disconnect to reconnect with each other.  Since I have instant access to work email through my phone, I wanted to make the promise that I wouldn't talk, text, or check my messages.  Just one little peek can lead to several minutes, to an hour (or more) stolen from the family.  Tim can be just as distracted both with work calls and the fire department.  With the added workload of building the station, his position as Chief for a volunteer department has quickly become a full-time job, in addition to the one he gets a paycheck from!  And then there's Noah, a typical preteen, with a cell phone permanently attached as an extra appendage.  Would it be possible for this tech-heavy modern family to disconnect?...I'm proud to say it was! 

What I didn't expect was how easy it was to do, even if the area helped us out a bit.  I knew we were staying in a remote location, being that our GPS couldn't guide us there, but I was surprised at the lack of signal and internet strength.  In the beginning, it was a bit frustrating because my smart phone wasn't so smart when it couldn't keep a signal to search for area restaurants or other travel needs.  We had to rely on (gasp)...real, live people and our own exploration skills to discover things to do.

Our first day in the boat we realized that nobody brought a phone, which worried me a bit in the event we had any trouble.  I was pleasantly surprised we all forgot to bring one though!  Tim's phone went dead from not being used and neglecting to charge it.  Noah used his phone just a few times at our cabin, never bringing it with us anywhere we went.  I did have mine with me most of the trip but it was because I like the convenience of using it's camera.  It was easy for me to click a few pictures and tuck it back inside the waterproof box when on the boat. 

I'll also confess that I did occasionally break the rules and plug in but only when my family was sleeping.  When you're awake in the middle of the night and sharing a room with the family, the phone is the quieter alternative to the tv or a lamp and book.  And I did share a few pics and posts on Facebook, mostly for my mom who was house sitting and living vicariously through our trip.  Perhaps I'm just good at making excuses but I really did try and I did not let the phone steal any time away from the family or our vacation.  It was a good experience and a lesson to carry over back into real life. 

While it's fun, and becoming the norm, to stay so connected to the outside world, we must never forget that the most important people are the ones who live with us and who require no technology to connect with.