In a NUTSHELL!

We arrived at the campsite early morning to set up and get used to our surroundings. Went on a few nature walks and had our traditional first meal at camp, HOBO Dinners. we also started our traditional Domino Tournament in which I still remain "THE QUEEN!"

Overall, I took almost 400 pictures and just made composites to view here on my blog.

Day One
Day Two

We awoke to lots of rain that subsided by early afternoon. This is the day we took our tours of the cave and also had breakfast at the restaurant. Considering it was literally a flood in the campgrounds, it was perfect to get dry and enjoy a good meal to the start of our busy day ahead.
By the way, our tent was dry but almost everyone in the campground was hanging their gear all over. We were very lucky.

Day Three

More hiking on this day. Soaking in the local history and stories of the Sand Cave and the historical death of Floyd Collins that died in the cave. In the year 1925, over 10,000 people came from all over to "picnic" and wait out while a man was under a pile of rock. It was known as, "Carnival Sunday." It is rather a sad story as he ended up dying. Hard to believe this was considered a form of entertainment. I guess it is not much different today, we all see "rubberneckers" on the highways each and every day when tragedy hits.

Here is a bit of history of Floyd Collins.
(click the above and read the story)

Day Four

On this day we walked down to the original mouth of the cave. It was pretty cool to feel the breeze (natural air conditioner) coming from the cave as we hiked down. You could feel it coming from the rock around our feet before reaching the mouth. It was 55 degrees and with a heat index of over 100 degrees outside...the mix was truly refreshing. In the late afternoon we took a short drive and went swimming. We did not have swim suites with us but our shorts and shirts were just fine. The water was very warm. But it kept us cool until late afternoon when we would conclude our trip with our traditional steak and baked potato dinner over the open fire.

In a NUTSHELL?

1. Exciting
2. Fun
3. Historical
4. Hot
5. Humid
6. Roasting Marshmallows
7. Swimming
8. Cave exploration as a family
9. Hiking
10. Great Food

I also keep a journal of our family camping trips. I always take it with us. It is fun to read at night around the campfire of our previous camping trips. Although, our entourage is smaller now. Our memories continue to grow and they are as big and fresh in our memories as the day and moments we lived them. I recommend keeping a journal of these kinds of family activities. It really is quite the entertainment around the campfire to read aloud.