Camping Capers

Not much baking going on this week. That's because we're CAMPING! It's been a long time since I've felt so close to nature...our site is coverd in white clover, so needless to say, the honey bees have become my good friends. Anyway, I thought I'd share a few pictures and such. We're at Bob Shetler Campground right next to Saylorville Lake and Dam. We were going to stay at a nearby campground called Acorn Valley, but as we had decided we needed electricity and none of their tent sites had said amenity, we decided to move on over to Bob Shetler. In retrospect, we probably should have stuck with Acorn Valley because their sites were prettier and the only thing we've used electricity for in the past three days is to make three pots of coffee. All in all, it's been a great trip, despite the fact that I've gotten lost in Des Moines a couple times, and the fact that the couple next to us had a couple of those tiny yippy dogs that make sleeping such an impossible feat (they left yesterday morning...a hilarious ordeal to listen to).

Our lovely tent under the tree. Laura was able to rent it from work. Unfortunately tent stakes do not come with the tent. We didn't realize this until we had set the tent up. But the nice park rangers came to the rescue with some make-shift rebar stakes that are about six feet long. They get the job done, but getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night has become a dangerous affair.

The view from our site:

We're right next to the playground...

...and the bathroom.

One major highlight of the trip was the opportunity to see an Iowa Cubs game in Des Moines. One of Laura's high school buddies plays on the team, and he got us great tickets. Unfortunately it started raining at around nine o'clock. As we were behind by about six runs, Laura and I decided to be true fair-weather fans and leave before it started pouring on us. Good news, though: Laura's friend got us tickets again for tonight's game...we're going to try our best to make it all the way through this one! Here are a few pictures of Principal Park. Steve, eat your heart out! (Steve, for those of you who don't know, is our baseball-loving little brother.)