Though we are but camping novices, this being only our third full season with The Camping Machine, we have come to have our own 'RV traditions,' if you will.  Not that ours are unique in any way, but we are still new enough to the whole experience that it feels neat to say, "It's the second weekend in August - time for our annual trip to Bear Lake!"  Or, in this case, "It's Labor Day Weekend - time for our Last Blast camping trip of the year!"  And as excited as we are as it approaches, it is also with a tinge of sadness that we pack up for what will be our last trip of the camping season.

Of course, it really doesn't have to be this way.  There are a couple of very nice campgrounds we could visit that are less than 90 minutes from our home.  The weather is still reasonably mild where we live through the end of September and even into mid-October, so we could always make the quick trip to one of three local state parks located on nice reservoirs and have a fun overnighter close to home.  But with two soccer games every Saturday between now and October 20, and MBW's weekend prep for the upcoming school week (she teaches Kindergarten), not to mention the household chores for both of us, it seems more work than it is worth to do the local overnighter.

So as we pack up for our last trip and prepare to depart Friday August 31, we know in our hearts that once we get back we will park The Camping Machine on the RV pad, give it a good scrubbing inside and out, winterize it and put the cover on for the winter.

And where are we going, you ask?  What destination is worthy of the Last Trip of the Season?  To what magical place will you travel that will be the proper capstone to the 2007 Camping Machine Season?

Well, we're going back to Sand Hollow State Park.

If you read my post on the Travels page you know what Sand Hollow State Park is about.  It is a beautiful reservoir located in the Red Rock country of southern Utah, with long red sand beaches and mild water temperatures.  It's still very warm this time of year - well, let's be honest, it's pretty darn hot - so we'll get a true Last Blast of summer heat to help tide us through the long winter ahead.  MBW is looking forward to shopping at the outlet mall nearby, and of course the boys are looking forward to more fishing.  Chris is determined to get his 'first fish' after watching younger brother Tommy nab his four weeks ago.  

And me?  I'm just looking forward to getting away.  Anywhere but here.  Away from the seemingly endless work I've been doing.  Away from the valley full of smoke from distant brush fires, the freeway smog and the daily routine.  Out on the open road, Camping Machine in tow, a day full of bright possibilities ahead.  A day of seeing the excitement on my son's faces as they grab their fishing poles and head to the water's edge.  A day of throwing a baseball, football or frisbee in a new place.  An afternoon of pushing plastic trucks and shovels through fine red sand.  An evening of s'mores and snacks, watching a brilliant sunset.  A night of sitting under the stars and seeing the Milky Way, invisible from our backyard but in full glory in the true darkness of the sparsely populated southwestern desert.  

A weekend away, togther as a family, spending time outdoors.  Sunshine and fresh air. 

Yes, I'm excited.  By the time you read this we will be on our way.  I can't wait.

Last Blast?  Yes.  But just wait until next year!

It's been a long time since I've posted here.   Not only that, but I have not updated the Travels page, which has become my favorite page to work on.  I enjoy selecting the photos and writing the stories that we bring home from our camping trips.  And according to the site stats, the Travels page is one of the more popular pages on this site in terms of page views.

But the Blog page is, after the home page, the second highest-visited page on this site.  Probably because the RSS feed allows people to subscribe to posts, so they know when new content is posted and can visit only when there is something new to read or view.

Because this site is called The Camping Machine many people think it is a website devoted to camping.  That would make sense, given the name and the majority of the content.  But with summer fast coming to a close and with it, our camping season, you may wonder why you would want to visit the site after there are no more camping trips to describe on the Travels page.

Well, I am not going to let this site go dark from Labor Day to Memorial Day.  Let me make that clear.  The Camping Machine (the travel trailer, not the website) will go under it's cover for a long, well-deserved rest - hibernate for the winter, if you will - but our family will be as busy and active as ever.

And really, that is what this site is about.  Family.  It so happens that camping is an activity our family has come to enjoy very much - an outgrowth of our desire to be healthy, active and outdoors as opposed to spending quality time in front of the TV.  As I have mentioned before, given the natural beauty and outdoor recreation possibilities that are, literally, minutes from our home (visit the Travels page and scroll down to our picnic with Moose) it is not difficult to spend time outdoors that is refreshing, invigorating and downright fun.

But there is more to family than camping and being outdoors, so as the leaves begin to turn, school starts up again and the snow begins to fly, I hope you will continue to find this site entertaining and worth your time.  In addition to stories about my adventures coaching two soccer teams (Chris and Tommy are just old enough that they play in different age brackets in out community recreation soccer league), our skiing excursions and other random tales, I'll also have the occasional story from my business trips (weird stuff always seems to happen on these trips), and I will endeavor to post an interesting photo from time to time.   I'll gripe and complain about work once in a while, because unless you're a full-timer out on the road, carefree and happy, grousing about work is almost a national pastime and sometimes worth a rant.  I'm not a big political junkie but I may include a random comment as things heat up.  And don't be surprised to hear about the travails of the New York Giants and Syracuse University Football.  I'm a fan of one and an Alum of the other.  Go Big Blue - Go Orange!

But in the end it will mostly come down to the stories of our family and how we make our way through life.  The older I get the more grounded I become in the famly way of life.  Having married late and started a family later than most, it has taken me awhile get the priorities in order.  Hopefully I am there now, and if it is true that a writer should write about what he or she knows and what he or she is passionate about, well, there you go.  That's what I've got, and that's what I know.

Thank you for continuing to come to this site.  Feel free to drop a line to CampingMachineGuy (at) gmail (dot) com. 

Now on with the show.