Green Vacationing

Even though I haven't written a post in a while, doesn't mean I've fallen off the green wagon just yet. In fact far from it. I have spent time exploring the many different ways to go green while vacationing. I used to think that "green" vacations meant getting back to nature, and reconnecting with mother earth, and although this is still true for many people, there are some of us who love nature from afar. Don't get me wrong, I quite enjoy a nice hike along a nature trail, and as long as I can take a hot shower and climb into a comfy bed at the end of the day, I'm all for mother nature.

When one thinks about summer, the thought of family vacations pops into mind. Years ago when our kids were little and money was tight, my husband Paul and I still wanted to indulge ourselves with a well deserved break. Our neighbors, who were in the same financial situation as we were, came up with what at the time seemed like a good vacation plan, a joint camping trip.

Paul was the least enthusiastic of the bunch, but relented when he saw how excited the kids were. We researched just the right camping spot, not too far from home, but far enough away to get the feeling of a vacation. We borrowed most of what we needed from a friend, bought enough food and supplies to last a week, packed the car and headed off for our great adventure in the wilderness. Well maybe not the wilderness, but for a two people raised in the city it was the closest Paul and I had ever been.

We left at five in the morning figuring we would be able to pick a spot close to the lake. The car was filled with excitement, songs, and anticipation on the two hour drive to the camp site. We talked about all the fun things we would do, and personally I looked forward to cooking over an open fire. Just imagine how good that food will taste I though to myself.

We arrived just in time to get the last spot by the water, and we all commented on what a good omen it was. We spent most of the day getting our tents pitched and camp sites set up. When everything was set up, the men decided they would make a fire while the women took the kids on a little hike. The hike proved to be a bit of a challenge with five kids under the age of 8, but my son loved the ability of being able to walk behind a bush and pee at will.

When we returned from our hike our first nights meal of hot dogs and hamburgers was all cooked. My mouth watered in anticipation of that first bite, but I was hugely disappointed when all I could taste was lighter fluid. When my daughter refused to eat another bite after a fly landed on her hot dog bun, I got an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, but chose not give into it.

Later on that night when the campfire had just about burned out, Paul, the kids and I went to spend our first night ever sleeping in a tent. I laid there awake for what seemed like an eternity focusing on the high pitched mosquito noise in my right ear. When my husband sat straight up and slapped himself in the middle of the forehead trying to get the misquito that was tormenting him, I couldn't restrain my laughter. When we had all finished laughing I came up with the brilliant idea of going to sleep in the car. Thankfully our SUV was big enough to sleep three of us comfortably, but the fourth would have to settle for the front bucket seat in a reclined position. The kids fit beautifully in the very back, and I pulled the - I gave birth card - and took the back seat for myself, while Paul got the reclinded bucket seat.

The next morning we woke to the sound of thunder. When the rain started to pour down in droves, we started the car and headed to the nearest town for breakfast. We thought about our neighbors stuck in their tent and brought back coffee, juice and doughnuts for them.

When we returned to the campsite, everything was packed up and our neighbor friends were all covered in mud. "Nice of you to bail on us," snapped Steve. When we tried to explain what had happened and offered them the coffee, juice and doughnuts, Cindy offered us a gesture of what I could only interpret meant the end of our neighborly relationship.

On the way home we quietly sipped our beverages and ate the rest of the doughnuts. We agreed to never mention the word camp or camping again. Unless of course it was a vacation at the camp Holiday Inn.