Back when we started group camping we were dog owners. We had an aging Boxer that we rescued as a puppy. Back then, I would never have considered myself a dog person even though we had a dog. I think I have always been a cat person. My husband, while he will deny it, is a dog person. It was his idea to rescue Sugar, the Boxer.
When we first started camping, Sugar, was a great camping dog. She was well mannered, tolerant to other dogs in the campground, and friendly to children and other campers. Sugar would alert us when people entered our camping space but often she never even lifted her head to those who strolled by on the road. However, as she aged she became less tolerant, less friendly, and a lot more temperamental. It got to the point that we felt badly taking her camping and eventually took to leaving her home with the dog sitters; aka Nana and Papa.
We said our final good byes to our beloved Sugar in May 2016.
Through our grief, we learned to camp without our dog. Life became easier. No dog sitter needed. No packing dog food or the plethora of other dog needs for a camping trip. Long vacations no longer needed a lengthy pet boarding plan. One less dependent to prepare. Easier.
This is where our story could end. I am not sure it would be a very good story but it could end with us moving forward enjoying the “easy” camping life. Except, I found myself looking at every other dog in the campground. The Short Chic started watching Youtube videos of dogs. She worked her dad hard but at every new play, he remained firm. No. He was enjoying the dog free life.
Then one day last fall on our way home from a family reunion. our story took an unexpected turn. At the family reunion, our relatives were giving away free bird dog puppies. We said no, knowing our lifestyle was not suited for such a breed. The Short Chic, heart broken, cried nearly the entire way home. Less than six miles from home, we stopped at a stoplight. The kids noticed a gathering and a sign in a parking lot just off the side of the road. The sign said “Puppies”. Wayne turned the truck around and we went into further investigate.
I will save you all the begging, pleading, puppy dog eyes (pun intended), negotiating, and even worry that we went through. But, I will tell you we added an adorable Yorki-Poo to our family that day and once again became people who camp with a dog.
Moose has been on three camping trips with us so far. Two of them he was so little, under three months old. He is a little more active, a little bigger, and a lot spunkier than before. He loves to play fetch. He loves to dig. He loves to chew on sticks. But mostly he just loves being with us.
Some stories are just ready to be told and those post just pour out of you. Other stories are very difficult to tell. They invoke so much emotion or have such a depth of self reflection they are harder to write about. I have not been able to put words to Sugar’s passing…ever.
Sugar’s story is so bittersweet. Yes we had to say good bye to her and that hurt so badly that I still tear up thinking about it. But, through our grief we found Moose. Moose brings so much happiness into our lives and we are so smitten with him. For goodness sake, for the first time in my life identify as a dog person.
While trip planning we knew that a visit to the famous Hattie B’s Hot Chicken Restaurant was high on our list. With heat levels that range from Mild (with a touch of burn) to Damn Hot (Fire Starter) or the Shut the Cluck Up (burn notice) we were a mixture of excited and intimidated to cross the threshold.
First up on our day of sightseeing was the Mother Church, The Ryman Auditorium (Tickets were $20 per person). I do not think it matters what genre of music you grew up with, odds are your favorite artist has probably performed at The Ryman or at the very least dreamed about performing there. As a lifelong fan of country music I have wanted to visit the home of the Grand Ole Opry for my entire life. Being there was completely surreal.
Thomas Ryman may have been the architect who built the Mother Church, but Lula C. Naff morphed the Ryman into the iconic building that we know. Under her management The Ryman became a premier performance hall and in 1943 she opened the Ryman up to the popular radio show. The rest, as they say in show business is history.
There are two types of tours at the Ryman; the self guided and the back stage. Both tours start at the same place, watching a movie titled The Soul of Nashville. The Soul of Nashville describes how the Ryman came to be the Mother Church, how it was abandoned, sitting in a state of dilapidation and nearly demolished, and finally, how it has once again rose to be the icon of Nashville. We followed a well marked path through the Ryman, reading well placed plagues full of historical information. We were able to see historic clothing from some of our favorite country music stars, sit in the church pews that makes up the audience seating, and we could even walk up on stage and stand near the unbroken circle.
One thing is clear, this town is full of memories and legends. Every one you chat with has a story to tell. One of the stories we were told is about the alley between The Ryman and Tootsie’s Orchard Lounge. Performers of the Grand Ole Opry would sneak out of the Ryman and visit Tootsie’s in between sets, some of them not finding their way back to the stage in time. One artist even told Tootsie Bess that there were 17 steps to get to Tootsie’s and 34 steps to get back!
The four of us walked down Broadway, listening to the music as it flooded out into the streets. We stepped into every boot store we could just to smell the leather and try on hats. We ate lunch at Tequila Cowboy enjoying live music and a cold beer.
From Roy Acuff to Hank Senior, from Patsy Cline to Taylor Swift and from Johnny Cash to Blake Shelton. Lead singers to bass guitarist and from managers to producers. If it is country music it at the Country Music Hall of Fame. The amount of history collected and displayed here is unbelievable. I felt like I was reliving moments from my childhood as we walked from one exhibit to the next.
With a combination of old country and new/upcoming country we enjoyed our time at the Opry. The Opry started as a radio show and it continues to be. The show is divided into four segments, four different sponsors, one fifteen minute intermission, and over two hours entertainment. On the night we were there, we saw legends Connie Stevens, Whispering Bill Anderson, John Conlee, and Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers. We enjoyed rising stars, Jimmy Wayne, Kalisa Ewing, Keith Anderson and Craig Campbell. Merle Haggards son, Marty was there along with Mike Snider and bluegrass legend Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-press. I will forever be thankful that I had the opportunity to see Mr. Roy Clark at the Grand Ole Opry.
From the youngest in our group to the adults, from those of us raised on country music to our vacation guest who had never listened to a moment of country music before this trip, we all had a great time. It would seem as if we could not get enough as we have found ourselves tuning into SiriusXM to listen to more.
I might have dragged my husband to the Opry that night but in the end, he became a fan. We ended our evening walking through the Opryland Hotel, which is right next to the Grand Ole Opry. We woke the next morning headed home ending our first two week vacation in the RV. Since our return home, I have heard several songs on the radio that we were introduced to at the Opry. Which is kinda cool.
Our youngest had a day off from school this past week. A fact that I seemed to overlook until the automated message came out the Thursday before to remind all those parents like me who can’t see the forest because we are dodging the trees. We could not go out of town because we still had cheer responsibilities Friday night and Saturday afternoon. We returned to a local spot and set up our base camp a few miles north of our own home at 
The Todd’s schedule would not allow them to join us, their lives are just as hectic as our own, but they were able to come and visit us for dinner Saturday night. In addition to the Todd’s my cousin and his family joined us. We enjoyed a campfire, smore’s, and adult beverages, as well as laughs.
Many weekend camping trips are filled with activities and running. During those weekends we hardly see the inside of our camper other than to shower and sleep. But occasionally it is nice to hit the pause button. During these weekends I am glad I took the time to make our camper feel like a second home. There is no place like a home away from home to allow the body and mind to reset.
1. Select a Setting:
2. Select a Date and Invite Some Friends
Once you have a date set, start inviting friends. I did not look for friends who liked to camp, I started with friends who had children. My goal was to create a weekend of camping that my kids would enjoy and playmates were central to that. One friend I invited was so shocked she literally asked if I had sent the invitation to the wrong person as she had never been camping in her life. As she laughed about it, she actually let the idea sink in and she decided to join us. My dear friend Deanna has been at every single camp out and tells me every year that without this opportunity her two kids would never experience camping. So, when looking for guest, don’t limit yourself by looking for campers instead open the opportunity to others and they might surprise you and themselves!
3. Activities
4. Food:
A few years ago, we found ourselves with some old florescent light fixtures and we decided to recycle and reuse them by hosting a glow party every Saturday night of the camp out. We fix the lights to our awning, open a few bottles of glow-in-the-dark body paint, add a few glow sticks, create a play list, and we have ourselves an instant child friendly dance party at the campground. Young and old guest alike will enjoy watching their clothing change appearances under the black lights. Seeing parents and kids dance together for a few hours is just another memory that makes me happy.
Dancing and glowing the night away is one option for using night time but there are other ideas worthy of consideration. Night hikes are awesome and with limited sight other senses increase creating a whole new learning experience. If you plan a night hike, I strongly recommend introducing a whole new crop of campers to the sparks Wintergreen Lifesavers make. Star gazing is another fun activity if your camping setting is dark enough.
Roam With Friends 