I don't even know where to start with this!!! It is a crazy adventure that is not for the squeamish!!! The Lawlers, the Ducks and Michael planned a camping trip to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Lawton. Very exciting place where buffalo, longhorns, deer, elk, prairie dogs and all kinds of other wildlife actually roam free. And to top it all off there are real mountains there. You start singing from the mountains to the prairies the moment you cross over into the park. I just can't explain it good enough, but it is super cool.
So we all packed up on Friday and took the 1 and a half hour trip to the Refuge as soon as Brodie got out of school. We saw buffalo and longhorn before we ever even got to the campsite! Then while we were all setting up our tents a deer just mosied through to check us out, so cool. James and Layla just thought the whole thing was totally crazy and fun!
After setting up we all headed to Meers which is a nationally known restaurant that has the third best hamburger in the country! It was built in 1901 or something like that and is quite a place. totally looks like a shack, crazy. We tried some fried green tomatoes as well as the famous longhorn hamburgers, but only Will and I dipped them in the ranch sauce served with them. Yes, that is an important point you will understand later.
We then went back to our campsite and the guys got a fire going, no small feat, so we could roast marshmallows and have smores. Brodie called the wire hangers for roasting, rakes. He also was the hit of the night, very funny and entertaining. A good time was had by all. In case you're wondering, the babies missed the evening campfire because they went to sleep in their respective tents!
6 AM rolls around and in the Ducks tent I hear Brodie coughing some and some weird noises. Didn't think much of it since I'm still pretty much asleep and he just fell back to sleep. so no big deal i thought. Yeah, at 6:30 when he woke up and tried to climb in the sleeping bags with Damon and I, I found out that it was a huge deal. He had too much fun around the campfire and his little stomach didn't handle it very well, ewwwww gross. Are you remembering that we are in a tent in the middle of a wildlife refuge --- in other words, instead of putting him in the tub i am trying to clean him up with baby wipes. do you remember that he fell back to sleep after this little episode at 6 so it is everywhere on him, hair, ears ----totally disgusting. So i get that as taken care of as I possibly can and throw his sleeping bag outside. by this time, Layla Jane is awake and thinking it is the coolest thing to all be together in this tent so then we all wake up! Damon who had slept through all of these shenanigans is totally baffled about what is going on, but trust me, I fill him in!!
it's about 7 now and still quiet time at the campsite. Have you ever had to keep a five year old, a one year old and a baby quiet? That was a joke! James even had on shoes that squeak each time he took a step...very cute but not quiet! Anyway, there is a bathroom of sorts (pretty much a porta pottie with concrete walls) that has an old timey pump with some water outside of it. So I wash brodie's hair with some camp soap that Michael has and the freezing cold water. Oh boy he howled!!! yes, all still during quiet hours. hee hee.
Then it's time to make breakfast. michael gets the coffee brewing on the campfire and we all proceed to help make a breakfast quiche type thing in dutch ovens on the campfire, fry bacon...pretty much eating high on the hog! Two deer check out our campsite while we are doing this. Oh and we woke up to the sound of elk bugling. It was incredible....well, i guess i woke up to the sound of Brodie bugling but......
About 8:30 during breakfast preparations, I start to feel a little queasy. How weird. I start wondering if maybe Brodie was sick instead of just too much junk. I have to stop helping prepare the food cause that's just making it worse. So I just sit down by the campfire. Eventually I have to move into the tent and lie down and pretty much it all went completely downhill from there. Have I mentioned that we are camping in the middle of nowhere with no running water and a porta pottie of sorts for a bathroom? not a good place to be ill. that is the biggest understatement you will ever read!!!
Layla then proceeds to have a giant blow out from teething that damon has to change, diaper, clothes, everything. I tried to sit by the campfire after several trips to the porta pottie but then just opted for the front seat of the Tahoe while Damon packed everything up and took care of both kids. We did stop by the prairie dog town on the way out since I had to feed Layla anyway. And yes i kept a walmart sack handy while feeding her.......nasty.
Finally felt better Sunday and fully recovered Monday. I have had food poisoning once in my life and thought that was the worst thing that could ever happen to a person. however I have now discoverd there is something worse....food poisoning while camping. Will also got sick but not till early Sunday morning. That ranch only he and i ate was evidently the culprit!
But all is well now and this camping trip will live on in history!!!! It can only go up from here, right?!!!
As you can see in the progression of pictures as the morning goes on I start to just sit by the campfire clutching my stomach!!! Then I disappear entirely from all the fun!
Man, am I glad that is over! Next time, we are not going to eat out on our camping trip!
1 comment:
Man, ya'll are brave! I have to laugh at all that took place, b/c I KNOW we would have the same type of experience should we venture on a camping trip anytime soon! We will just stick to day trips to the beach....they are exhausting enough! So much so, in fact, it's been about a month since we've been to the beach. How sad is that?
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