1990 was a very busy year for me. Recently divorced, dating someone else, each of us had young children -- so we retrofitted then took off in this Chevy van. It had custom benches in an L shape so there would be room for all 5 kids to sit as we traveled. The back half was piled with sleeping backs. Under the benches was storage for all our things. We "roughed it" -- each of us only carrying a small duffel.
But one thing roughing it taught us: how to be more independent. One weekend, I decided I needed to get away, just me and the kids headed up to Big Basin to camp. We didn't bring much, just essentials. I don't recall if I planned out any meals to cook -- I'm guessing we just had hot dogs cooked over the fire (My fav meal when we're camping!)
We explored, chopped wood, took a hike, looked at the Redwood trees, and didn't bother with setting up a tent. We just slept in the van. We brought along pumpkins to carve, as this was October. Luckily, it hadn't turned cold yet!
This was 30 years ago now, and I have no idea what my daughter remembers. I just know that she wasn't a big fan of camping after she became a teenager!!!
Good times, family memories, makes life worth living.
