Roughing it with Dad...

August signals summer drawing to a close and the start of a new school year, so this past weekend (while Sarah and Shelly danced) Addyson, Austin and I celebrated with our annual almost-time-to-go-back-to-school camping trip.

"I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, To put to rout all that was not life and not when I had come to die discover that I had not lived." 
~Henry David Thoreau

OK, eating s'mores around the campfire may not be what Thoreau had in mind, but it's a chance for the three of us to "unplug" for a few days and that's good enough for me. Of course, "unplugged" is a relative term these days as the kids got to play DS in the car and I got busted a couple times for playing "Angry Birds" on my phone in the tent. But hey, I said we were camping, not Amish!!! :)

 

Special thanks to our new friends at Dayton Tall Timbers KOA for providing a great camping experience. This was by far the cleanest, most well-maintained campground we've visited so far. The kids loved the pool and playground, and I appreciated the convenient location. The kids are already planning their trip back there next year, since we missed out on the hayrides and train. They even have Kabins and Lodges, so maybe Mom and Sarah will consider joining us next year? We'll see...

The pool was a big hit, but both kids will tell you that their favorite part of the weekend was playing mini-golf.

On Sunday, we stopped on the way home to visit Clifton Mill and took a hike through Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve near John Bryan State Park.

 

The shaded trail and sounds of rushing water provided welcome relief on a hot August day. We found ourselves wondering what we would find around the next bend in the trail. A big green caterpillar waiting to transform into a magnificent butterfly? A fallen tree that would act as a perfect balance beam?
The anticipation of the next great discovery compelled us forward along the trail. I can't wait to watch Addyson, Austin and Sarah use that same sense of adventure as they encounter the challenges and opportunities of a new school year.

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." 
~Henry David Thoreau