Roam With Friends

Category: Holidays

Opting Outside In Branson MO

I find myself struggling for balance. I struggle to find balance between my professional self and my personal life. I love what I do and love helping others but I also love my own life and find that it provides me with a lot of rejuvenation that I need to be a better professional. I struggle to find balance between parenting and self care. From the minute I wake in the morning to the minute I go to sleep, I feel as if I am caring for others. And I honestly love that. But occasionally I know I need some me time. I find myself fighting for that uninterrupted half hour on the treadmill, or the luxury of reading a book that wasn’t written with a tween in mind, or more basically, the ability to drink a cup of coffee while it is still hot.

Another area that I struggle a lot to find balance is between needs and wants. I find myself turning around and feeling as if our lives and our home is packed full with so many extra things. At times I feel suffocated and the need to purge the extras from our lives is overwhelming. Cleaning out a closet is one thing but when that feeling sets in about our routines, schedules, our obligations, I find myself just wanting to get away; to take a break from the hustle and hit pause. That is what camping does for me. It gives me those moments to get away and add breathing space to my life.

I found myself entering the holiday season feeling a little like a claustrophobic Ebeneezer Scrooge. Maybe I just wasn’t ready to face the confinement of winter or maybe the materialistic aspect of the holidays grabbed me by the throat and gave a squeeze. Either way, I was ready to fight back and create some air in our lives. To find a way of filling our lives with moments vs things.

This year, we opted to leave behind the big family dinner, the televised football games, and the intense Black Friday shopping sprees. We opted to spend Thanksgiving outside in a campground in Branson, Missouri.

We selected Branson for our Thanksgiving retreat for a few reasons. Branson is relatively close to home – a 4 hour drive south. Another reason is that the temperature in our state does change in that four hours. It becomes warmer the further south we go. We were sort of hoping to chase fall.

Branson is a near year round entertainment area. During the months of November and December Branson becomes a winter wonderland. The shows on the strip become holiday celebrations. There are drive through holiday light displays and drive through meet and greets with Santa and his reindeer. We also knew that we would find quieter activities for us to enjoy; hiking and trout fishing are always high on our favorite activities list.

We arrived in Branson the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. My mother made the trip with us. My cousin and his girlfriend decided to meet us in Branson as well. We enjoyed five days/four nights of fun filled adventure in the Ozark Mountains using Branson Treehouse Adventures as the base camp for our adventures. By the time we left Branson, our lungs were full of fresh air, our souls were light and airy, and my Christmas spirit was fully restored.

If you are looking for a few magical moments to share with your family, here is a list of activities we enjoyed during our time in Branson:

LET THERE BE LIGHTS:

The first place we visited was Branson’s Promised Land Zoo. This was the first year they turned the drive through zoo into a 2 mile Christmas Drive Light Show. The trunks of trees were wrapped in lights, lights dangled from the trees. lights displayed the 12 days of Christmas, arches of lights danced across the road. At the end of the road, we were able to get out of the truck and walk around a smaller area full of exotic animals. The Short Chic was very excited to pet a dingo.

GIFT OF LIGHTS:

We stumbled onto the Gift of Lights by accident. We had found our way down to The Landing to take a look at the fish in Lake Taneycomo. It was actually quiet cold on our first night in Branson, so we did not linger too long outside. As we made our way back to our base camp, we found an entrance to the Gift Of Lights so we pulled in and checked it out.

I would say this was our favorite drive through light tour between the two that we experienced on our first night. There was nothing special at the end but the lights were bright and fun to look at.

SILVER DOLLAR CITY:

After a Thanksgiving morning hike and a Thanksgiving meal, we headed off to one of Branson’s largest attraction; Silver Dollar City. The park opened at 4:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving night and closed at 10:00 p.m. which was plenty of time for us to wander around, ride some rides, catch a show or two, and see some lights.

Many people over the past decade have recommended visiting Silver Dollar City at Christmas time but recently, Silver Dollar City has up’ed their Christmas game by adding 6.5 million lights to create the Christmas in Midtown Light Show. Their are lights on trees, houses, and generally any structure they can put them on. It reminded me of the Christmas movie Deck the Halls. Danny DeVito’s character wants his house visible from outer space. I am positive the Midtown area of Silver Dollar City is visible from outer space!

There are a few things we never leave Silver Dollar City without doing. Shopping is top of that list. And we did poke around every single shop in the place. My favorite shop of the trip was the Christmas store. I fell in love with the vintage camper section and wished I could bring all the trinkets home with me!

We also have to catch a show. We watched the Cajun Christmas show and we were delighted. We also caught the laser light show where all the lights danced and twinkled timed to music. I do hope my Snapchat friends enjoyed the show as much as we did!

We also enjoyed the Christmas Parade, Rudolph’s Holly Jolly Christmas Light Parade. There were marching soldiers, dancing moose, Rudolph, The Abominable Snowman, and yes, even Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.

Other things we have to do is eat food! After an early Thanksgiving meal, we were ready for snacking when we got to Silver Dollar City. We enjoyed the Tator Twist, The Fresh Baked Cinnamon Bread, and Oliver’s Wassel. Grandma and The Short Chic would not leave Silver Dollar City without some fresh saltwater taffy.

Silver Dollar City use to have a go in after 4 p.m. get the next day free deal. We had originally planned on that but that deal was not available during our visit. I was a little disappointed; there is no way you can possibly see all of the shows in a six hour time period. In the end, we saw what we could and we said our good-byes leaving the park ready for bed.

TROUT FISHING:

Lake Taneycomo maintains a constant cold temperature, making it great for trout fishing. Wayne loves to fish the tailwaters below Table Rock Dam at the public access site whenever he gets a chance. The dam was running 2 units of water, making a nice steady stream but on this trip the fish just were not biting. Still, what do they say: a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work.

The dam was really close to our base camp. It took less than 15 minutes to get from Branson West to the parking lot. If you are new to this area and unsure how to find the fishing area below the dam look for the Shephard of the Hills Fish Hatchery. The public access area is behind it.

BRANSON FERRIS WHEEL:

A new attraction from the last time we were in Branson is the Ferris Wheel. This ferris wheel was brought to Branson from the Chicago Pier. We decided to ride it but there was nothing we could do to convience Grandma to go with us. Almost as soon as we exited our ride, they announced we should find a seat and watch the show. Timed with the music, the Ferris Wheel put on a jaw dropping light show that we considered ourselves lucky to have seen!

DOWNTOWN HISTORIC BRANSON:

If you don’t mind fighting the crowds, this is a fun place to come and visit. One of my oldest friends lives in Branson and she suggested we meet at The Farmhouse for lunch. The Farmhouse is right on Main Street on the same block as Dick’s Five and Dime. While my friend Jodi and I caught up and waited for a table, Wayne took Grandma and The Short Chic to the Five and Dime. Afterward we enjoyed a nice meal and some yummy blackberry cobbler.

If you are headed downtown, I suggest grabbing a piece of cake from Dino’s Cake and Coffee. Dino use to be located in the Landing but he has moved to Main Street, a half of a block east of the Dicks Five and Dime. Dino’s is a great place to grab a coffee and a slice of cake. With flavors such as 24 Karrot Carrot Cake, Chocolate Fudge, Italian Creme Cake, Red Velvet, and Coconut Creme you are gonna want a slice or two!

TRAIL OF LIGHTS:

We spent our last afternoon in Branson shopping at the local Tanger Outlet Mall. The weather was perfect but I knew I did not want to leave this magical weekend without one last Christmas adventure. Shepard of The Hills is another attraction that Branson Landmark. During the holiday season, it becomes a drive through animation light display. As we waited in line, they had these large wooden boxes with 12 days of Christmas displays in them. They really helped build the excitement!

The Trail of Lights drive through really is long; a 160 acres to wind through. We love that you could buy homemade kettle corn as you passed the blacksmith barn and that elves handed out free candy!

After you finish the display your ticket is also good for a trip up Inspiration Tower; a 230 foot tower with panoramic views of Branson. We could see all of the places we had visited during our time there: Silver Dollar City, The Ferris Wheel, and the Branson strip. As we were leaving we enjoyed a quick visit with Santa Claus.

I enjoyed the visit to Trail of Lights. I think it was also the Short Chic’s favorite. Wayne however, he felt it was one drive through too many.

I am so excited that we took this trip and Opted Outside for Thanksgiving. I am thankful that my mother was able to go with us and that Cousin Dennis and his girlfriend drove down and joined us. I am not sure we will spend every Thanksgiving camping but it was a great use of a school holiday. We loved how magical Branson felt. Coming from a Kansas City girl, I can honestly say the Christmas lights in Branson made our Plaza look pale in comparison.

April 16, 2018
Labor Day Weekend at Thousand Hills State Park

As an adult I developed a love/hate relationship with Labor Day Weekend. I loved the long weekend. I loved the extra paid day off from work. I hated that it symbolized the end of summer. I hated the realization that soon the days became shorter and the temperatures would start dropping. I even hated that the pools closed. However, as a camper, I don’t so much hate Labor Day Weekend any longer. Many of our favorite camping trips occur in the fall. So, instead of seeing it as the end of summer, I see it as a transition from summer camping to fall camping.

We selected to spend Labor Day at Thousand Hills State Park in Kirksville MO. This was a new state park for us, it was within the 3 hour radius limit we set, and there is a lake to play in. Our friends Mike and Marnie were already booked to be there and they offered no loud objection to the Master’s and Taylor’s joining them.

GETTING THERE

We left Kansas City late, late afternoon with plans to stop along the way to eat dinner. Wayne took a new job and his early release Friday’s went away so we had to wait for him to fight traffic to get home. The restaurant we selected was in Hamilton MO and while it had ample parking for the trucks and campers all their wait staff had returned to college leaving the small restaurant running very slowly. The slow service allowed the Taylor’s to meet up with the Master’s for the remainder of the journey.

As we approached Kirksville, our GPS directed us in. We found ourselves on a dark, gravel road. The map app showed we were by the lake but we were no where near the campground. The map showed us that we were on the backside of a giant loop road and that we should theoretically be able to follow it around and find the campground. After many jokes about Keith Morris narrating our final trip, we contacted Mike and he lead us to the campground. Ironically, his GPS did the same thing to him the day before only he was not driving down the gravel road at night. This is the second Missouri State Park that we know of where the GPS is not connected to the state park.

We arrived at dusk. By the time we filled up with water, we found ourselves backing into a shared site at night. Backing up and parking by flashlight is no joke. Getting in your camper after you have traveled down a bumpy gravel road to find that you have lost all power to your first slide, is also no joke. Unfortunately, we experienced both.

SHARED SITES

We booked site 39, which is a family site. This was our second experience with a family site and the Master’s first. The site is wider than a regular site (in fact it is double the width of a regular site because it is virtually two put together). A family site comes with two of everything; two electrical boxes and two picnic tables and a much larger side yard. Family sites may work great for tent campers or even smaller units but they are pretty tight when you have two 32 foot campers with a combined total of five slides.

Thousand Hills State Park

There are two campgrounds at Thousand Hills State Park. We were in campground 1 but we did visit campground 2. I think there are decent spots at both. Campground 2 appeared to be the smaller of the two.

Ironically, we found the entire park unsupervised. When we arrived there was no campground host Thankfully we brought our own firewood because there was no one to purchase any from the entire weekend. There was no one working the office. Sometime on Sunday a brand new campground host arrived. And when I say brand new I mean she had never been a host before, so we had to walk her through signing our camper award.

Park Activities

Thousand Hills State Park is one of two state parks with petroglyphs or Native American rock carvings still visible in the park. The petroglyphs are inside the Interpretative Center just off of the swimming beach. We had a great time stretching our imagination to see the carvings, and then to decide what they meant. It was sad to see so much graffiti. People had carved their initials over the carvings. I would like to think that is the reason for the interpretive center was built but given it was completely unsupervised I am not sure.

We encountered a lot of people hiking at Thousand Hills. From short .6 mile hikes to long 10 mile hikes, from day trips to overnight trips there seems to be a trail for everyone. We hiked portions of the underdeveloped Forest Lake Trail.

If hiking is not your thing, or it is your thing and you feel the need to cool off after a hike, you can head to the swimming beach. The kids enjoyed the beach. We enjoyed the beach. Until that moment when the unsupervised child starts throwing rocks at your kids. And while the unsupervised child’s parents never see him throwing the rocks at your kids they sure see you asking him to stop throwing the rocks and they get all mad at you for addressing their child. Swim at your own risk.

The marina rents boats. We rented a TriToon boat for an entire afternoon. We had looked forward to spending our time anchored up in a cove but we learned that you are only allowed to anchor at designated swimming docks. There are four docks total on the lake and they were all busy as we approached. It felt very intrusive to join an group but we finally found a group who welcomed us to the dock and we anchored up. We spent the afternoon swimming, tubing, and just generally enjoying the lake. For a holiday weekend, the lake was really empty. We were able to do loops on the tube in the main channel with no worries of other boaters.

I should note that on this trip I faced one of my fears. I have an absolute phobia of putting my face in water. I know it is ridiculous but it real to me. Panic attack real. Watching the kids and everyone have such a fun time, I decided to give it a go. I think it is so important for me to keep trying to tackle this phobia. I think it is so important to me for my daughter see me keep trying. I got on that tube. I got splashed in the face. And I had a great time. Meeghan and I shared the last adult beverage as a celebration of my accomplishment!

We enjoyed spending time animal watching. Wild turkeys and deer visited our campground and camp sites. Mike and I got up early and drove around the grand loop oohing over dozens of deer all over the place. Friday and early Saturday we were able to watch helicopters trim the trees from the power lines. The deer loved the fresh cut tree limbs. Have you ever seen a helicopter trim trees from power lines? Pretty amazing!

Of course, we also just enjoyed activities at our campsite. Meeghan made giant bubble wands and we threw together a solution for making large bubbles. The kids practiced and practiced to make giant bubbles. They also got a kick out of painting rocks and watching outdoor movies, from eating home made funnel cakes, and just from hanging out with friends.

On our last morning at the park, we attended a ranger lead program called Hug A Herp. What is a herp? We learned all about herptiles. There were even live examples. We noticed the day was foggy and the park ranger was the first to tell us how the fires in Canada were impacting our skies. I am not gonna lie to you all, we thought maybe the park ranger was a little off. She ended up being right on.

We saw a lot of new types of snakes. Including a pug nosed snake. Mid morning we packed up and headed home. Our ride home was way less eventful than the ride there. After this trip, we had to put Betty in the shop to fix her lack of electricity to the slide.

So, we bid summer farewell. It is not a time for sadness because we have the fall and I am pretty sure fall camping is my favorite. So long summer; see ya next time around!

February 27, 2018
Ahoy Ye Scallywags, The Pirates Have Landed

Each year we participate in a Halloween Camping event at Watkins Mills State Park in Excelsior Springs, MO. Each year this event grows in popularity and I will warn anyone interested in attending; the entire campground was sold out within a few hours.

We were luck to reserve six camping sites in a row and we set about creating a scene worthy to compete in the scariest campsite contest. Should I mention we have won this contest for the past two years and feel a need to defend our “title”?

In years past we used easy up tents to contain our decorations. It has worked well for us but we decided this year to tackle a larger space. We made the decision to move away from the tents, Our theme for this year was Pirates.

Our goal was to turn the front of our campers into large pirate ships. We also knew we wanted to use our outdoor movie system to show a popular pirate movie and we wanted to make our visitors walk the plank. The rest came together with the help of a well pinned Pinterest board.

Thankfully, our camping group really likes hanging out together so we had a few work days prior to the event. We painted a lot of cardboard, empty wine bottles, and put our creative minds together to sketch out a plan that we hoped would be sufficient to win this contest for the third year. I should also state that our goal for this contest is always to use as much recycled/reused materials as possible.

So, please let me walk you through our 2017 Halloween Campsite: Shipwreck Cove.

Up till this weekend we had pretty much a beautiful, dry fall. Our children had been counting down for this weekend; madly crazy about the idea of camping and trick-or-treating as well as seeing our campsite plans come to life. Not only where the kids excited but we adults were as well.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had her own plans for this weekend. A massive storm was scheduled to move through and it should be hitting the campground right around trick-or-treating time. We were determined that the show must go on despite the weather. Mid Saturday morning the campground host came around to tell us the organizers had moved up the time table in anticipation of the storm.

We scampered to set everything up. We had to bail on the night time effects (outdoor movie, fog machine, lighting, ect). We barely finished decorating in time and found ourselves with only twenty minutes to get ourselves into costume/make up. The wind kept picking up the entire day. Our massive sails took a beating. We ended up having to cut tears into them to allow the wind to pass through.

From the moment trick-or-treat started until the costume contest started we had a line of kids (and parents) coming through the site. They entered and got their candy, walked a path by the pirate table, Played the Hook Toss game and then got to claim their bounty. However, they soon found out that since they touched the bounty they had to walk the plank, right past a “giant kraken”!

The scariest site judging was a little odd this year. The judges came by our site during the trick-or-treating but the organizers had told us that actual judging would not occur until 8:00 p.m. We stayed in costume the entire day despite trick or treating ended by 4:00. The judges came by a second time right before 8:00. We started taking things down as soon as they left and by the time they came back 10 minutes later to tell us we won, it was pouring down rain! What amazing timing!

So, here is to another year of Halloween camping. We are excited to have won but most importantly, we are excited to have another weekend together. Sadly, the grand fall weather we had been having blew away with the rain we got that night. It has been very cold since then.

November 11, 2017
Easter At The Campground

We kicked camping season off over Easter Weekend. It wasn’t planned to be an Easter camping weekend. It was meant to be the men’s annual fishing trip to Bennett Spring State Park. They selected the dates. After it was booked I realized it was Easter. I had a little anxiety about it. I mean, Easter is a big holiday, could we really be away from our families? Could we break tradition? I mean we have spent holidays in our campers: Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day are standard camping weekends for us. But Easter?

Thankfully I listened to a podcast by RV Family Travel Atlas about spending holidays in the campground. The podcast recommended finding a way to celebrate the holiday without all the fuss, staying true to your own traditions. It made sense to me. So, I let go of my family guilt and embraced the idea of opting out…outdoors.

I knew I needed three things to celebrate Easter away from home: some quite time to reflect on the purpose of the holiday, an Easter meal, and an Easter egg and scavenger hunt for the kids. I did most of the meal prep before the men left. The scavenger hunt seemed daunting but with a little brain work, I pulled that together as well.

Friday night when we arrived, I was so giddy to be camping. We have waited all winter long for the opportunity to be out in the fresh air and sleeping in ole Brown Betty. The weather Saturday could not have been any more perfect. We were able to walk all over the park. We hiked all the way from the campground to the bridge and from their to the spring. It was a perfect hike until a snake slithered out to greet me and nearly slid across my foot. And as if that was not enough as we approached the spring, we were warned of a water snake hiding under a rock we passed by.

After all the snake excitement we headed back to the campground for some down time. We even napped. The men got some fishing in. The Boy actually out-fished Wayne for the first time in ever. The Boy felt ten foot and bullet proof.

Angie found her own way of celebrating Easter at the campground. She invited some of her family down to Bennett Spring. They joined us Saturday evening for a fish fry with all those freshly caught trout. We sat around the campfire and enjoyed a crisp spring evening.

Easter Sunday arrived and so did the rain. Our Easter Scavenger Hunt might have been a little damp but the girls had a great time. Watching them complete a blindfolded “how well do you know your Easter candy” challenge was very entertaining!

The rain cleared an hour or so before lunch. We got to enjoy our Easter dinner outside at the picnic table. I may have been apprehensive about breaking tradition but honestly, this holiday was perfect! I am thankful for the tips in the RVFTA podcast. It really helped me step outside my box and find a way to have Easter while doing what we love; exploring and enjoying the outdoors.

April 22, 2017
Halloween Camping

We love fall and our favorite fall activity is Halloween. I do find it a bit bittersweet, the fact that the end of camping season is near but Halloween is so much fun that you kinda put the doom of what is coming out of your mind for a while.

A few of our local state parks have started hosting Halloween Campouts (Watkins Mill State Park and Wallace State Park). We sorta stumbled onto the first one and had such a great time that we keep going back. Last year we even won the Scariest Campsite Contest and earned ourselves three free nights of camping. We used that reward and booked sites at Watkins Mill State Park for the 3rd Annual Halloween Campout this past weekend.

When the judges brought us our first place prize last year they said, “You really blew us away and we can’t wait to see what you come up with for next year!” I am sure that was some kind of standard reply they give to everyone but we took it to heart and looked at it as a challenge. Could we top the Mad Science Lab we did last year?

Maybe I should pause here and explain who all is involved in this haunted camping trip. The Taylor’s and The Todd’s have been at every single Halloween Camp-Out at Watkins Mill. Last year we extended an invitation to The Merriman’s because they are fun and love Halloween as much as we do. This year, the Todd’s had to cancel due to a conflict with Z’s sports schedule. So, I invited my friend Meg and her family. (Do you remember Meg? She wrote a blog post for us called Growing Up Camping.) Then we have my dear Mother who comes to help and participate the day of the Halloween party. We also have other friends who attend the same camp-out so it is nice to spend time with so many great camping friends!

We settled on our theme for the year: Zombie Prom. We decided a prom had three main elements we needed to create in our campsite. First we needed a DJ. You can’t have a school dance without someone playing music. Second we needed a photo attraction. I am sure all of you out there have a “memorable prom photo” from back in the day. And finally, we needed a refreshment table with cake and punch.

I would say we it took us about 2 months to pull together all of our decorations. Finding formal attire we could muck up at a price point reasonable to us took a little while. In the end we told our family members that as long as they had something to do with high school we would be happy. So, we ended up with a Zombie Prom Queen and her date, a Zombie baseball player, football player, a few cheerleaders, and even a Grimm reaper responsible for collecting the departed souls.

We used two easy up tents as our frame. We covered the tents with inexpensive black dollar store plastic table cloths to create walls. Not only did the walls give us an area to transform, it also kept us hidden from the watchful eye sight of other campers. I think this helped create an excitement around our campsite as everyone’s anticipation kept building about what was inside that tent. On top of the black walls, we hung up some red plastic table cloths that we unevenly cut into strips. I remember back to my high school days and we used rolls of crepe paper to create the walls of our dances. Hours were spent hanging the crepe paper and twisting it in the same direction and taping it to the floor. We wanted our Zombie Prom to look like it had been pretty at one point but had been discarded and forgotten until this one night.

Our original plan was to have red and white plastic tablecloths cut to look like crepe paper streamers but when we got to the campground I realized I had picked up round tablecloths and not rectangle ones. Meg was quick on her feet and suggested using the rounds as valances on top of the red and it worked out well!

For our photo attraction, The Merriman’s and I made a giant 6 foot 3 inch coffin out of cardboard. We were gifted the shipping box of a whiteboard and set about measuring and cutting. Once cut, we painted it black and duck taped it all together. Our original thought was to have someone “pop” out of the coffin and provide a timely and funny photobomb but in the end, we left the coffin closed because it felt stronger. We added chains and a “beware of zombie’s” styrofoam sign to the coffin. Around the coffin we had a candelabra with zombie candle’s, skulls, and a flower arrangement of dead flowers. The Merriman’s and I also made a sign to sit in front of the photo attraction that said “Zombie Prom “#3rdAnnualHalloweenCampout #WatkinsMillStatePark.

The DJ was the easiest and maybe the funniest part to set up. We have access to a life-size medical skeleton that we like to call Bob. Bob was always going to be the DJ for the prom. We were going to call him “Bob Bones” and use bone lettering to make him a DJ sign for his booth. However, the presidential debates happened and Ken Bone made himself an internet sensation. So, we changed Bob’s name to Ken, gave him a mustache, put a red sweater on him, and called him Ken Bone, DJ 4 Hire. We put Beat headphones on him, rested his hands on a turntable and a laptop. I even found a brand new mirrored disco ball on Craigslist and hung it from the roof of the tent. We used our red/green garden lasers to caste light onto the disco ball so the entire prom spun with light.

We always knew we wanted cake and punch at the refreshment table but really debated over fake cake vs real cake. A month or so ago, I stumbled onto a tutorial from another RV blogger, Gretchen about a fake cake she had made in the past. (Gretchen has two blogs one for home, Boxy Colonial, and one for the RV, Boxy Colonial On The Road.) I knew immediately that this was the type of cake we were going to have. So I set about buying cake forms with my 40-50% off coupons and used some Plaster of Paris I had at home to frost the cakes. I used old Mardi Gras beads painted black for decoration and made clay roses uses Sculpey clay I had on hand. Ironically, I never figured out how to make roses with frosting but my clay roses turned out amazing! We added some old flower arrangements painted black to the table along with some blood red punch with eyeballs and had a spooky looking refreshment table.

Outside the tent we created a grave yard with styrofoam headstones and compost dirt. We put strobe lights and warning tape up. We also lit the pathway from the road to the tent with solar lights and we ran floral wire between three trees and taped red glow sticks to the wire to give the effect of floating red candles.

Reflections from the night:

This was the most forgiving theme we could have picked. It did not matter how inexperienced we were at mucking clothing up, it looked great. Not a single one of us felt confident with our make-up skills going into this but we nailed it! The Plaster of Paris got bumped around a bit as it cured, it didn’t matter it looked like it was a decade old.

I am not sure how many parents at the Halloween campout knew who Ken Bone was. He was funnier to us than any visitor!

We had a line to visit our Zombie Prom all night long. In hindsight, we should have created a front entrance and a back exit. Our photo attraction got a lot of attention and it slowed down the traffic flow.

We ended up taking first place again! It was a shared victory with all the kids and all the adults who helped plan. We all went to bed with big smiles and maybe some sore muscles from all the dancing we did. People greeted us with their hopes of seeing us next year and looking forward to our site. It seems we have a reputation to uphold.

There were other really cute sites in the campground. A short drive around, we snapped some photos of our favorites.

This was our campground host. They used their Class A cab to create a giant monster face and even used the grill for a mouth. I also love the Halloween pail totem pole.

The Short Chic and I saw this large frame made of PVC pipe during our morning walk. We wondered how they would use it. Well, it was nice to find out. I am not sure if they purchased this or made it but they put a giant Frankenstein cover over the PVC frame.

This trio of skeletons sat around a campfire roasting marshmallows all weekend. The fire was very realistic and crackled and popped just like our real fire did!

A trio of witches brewing up some special potion just for Halloween. They had motion sensors and startled me when I got close enough to activate them.

This camper has been pickin his banjo a long ole time.

This group skeletons look like they are enjoying camp life.

If you have the opportunity to go camping for Halloween, we encourage you to give it a try! And if you are interested, we will back at Watkins Mill State Park next year for the 4th Annual Halloween Camp-out. See you then!

October 31, 2016