Shelter me
For centuries man has always sought shelter. Shelter from the elements. shelter from bad things, things that go bang in the night. The first thing the pilgrims did when they landed was to build shelter. They darn near starved to death but they had shelter.
Cowboys of the old west thought that the perfect vacation was a bed up off the ground and 4 walls to break the wind. Mountain men in the Rockies would build log cabins if they planned to winter in the hills. They would secure themselves inside for the duration, cook all their meals indoors and sleep up off the ground with as many furs as they could pile on. Seeking comfort from the elements and protection from bears and other nastiness.
Today, most of us live in comfort. We have 4 walls, a roof over our head. We have filtered, purified cool air blowing on us in summer and warm, dry air in the winter. So dry that we even invented machines to add moisture to the air. Sealed triple paned windows allow us to look upon our little world without having to venture out into the elements. So what do we do, surrounded by all this comfort? We go camping!
There we are again. Sleeping on the ground eating charred steaks around an open fire. Swatting mosquitoes, squinting against the smoke from a roaring fire that can be seen from outer space. Loving every minute of it? You bet.
I personally love to camp. I have done the motor home thing. It is a great way to get out and enjoy the "outdoors", meet other off beats and still sleep up off the ground.
At the other end, I have just put a sleeping bag down on the ground and camped. Somewhere in between is my favorite. I prefer a good tent to keep the elements away but I still sleep on the ground. My cloths stay dry. My food stays removed from critters. But no matter how hard I try, there is still that rock under my back while I try to get to sleep.
As a kid growing up in southern Utah I would often grab my sleeping bag, stuff some food into my official Boy Scout knapsack and head out for an overnighter or a weekender. My only companion was my ever present dog named Lady. She would range out ahead of me, chase a few rabbits and generally make sure the trail was clear of all dangers. At night she would always sleep curled against my back. Always alert.
I would wake up in the morning just before sunrise. Fix a little breakfast for lady and me and just enjoy the coming day. I always woke up fresh. No creaking bones. No stiff joints.
These days, just climbing out of my bed up off the ground requires planning. Making sure each and every joint is functioning before trying to stand up. Taking deep breaths of filtered, purified air and hobbling out to the automatic drip coffee maker. Turning the oven on to preheat to 400 degrees for a little breakfast and wondering...
Where the hell is my tent.
Cowboys of the old west thought that the perfect vacation was a bed up off the ground and 4 walls to break the wind. Mountain men in the Rockies would build log cabins if they planned to winter in the hills. They would secure themselves inside for the duration, cook all their meals indoors and sleep up off the ground with as many furs as they could pile on. Seeking comfort from the elements and protection from bears and other nastiness.
Today, most of us live in comfort. We have 4 walls, a roof over our head. We have filtered, purified cool air blowing on us in summer and warm, dry air in the winter. So dry that we even invented machines to add moisture to the air. Sealed triple paned windows allow us to look upon our little world without having to venture out into the elements. So what do we do, surrounded by all this comfort? We go camping!
There we are again. Sleeping on the ground eating charred steaks around an open fire. Swatting mosquitoes, squinting against the smoke from a roaring fire that can be seen from outer space. Loving every minute of it? You bet.
I personally love to camp. I have done the motor home thing. It is a great way to get out and enjoy the "outdoors", meet other off beats and still sleep up off the ground.
At the other end, I have just put a sleeping bag down on the ground and camped. Somewhere in between is my favorite. I prefer a good tent to keep the elements away but I still sleep on the ground. My cloths stay dry. My food stays removed from critters. But no matter how hard I try, there is still that rock under my back while I try to get to sleep.
As a kid growing up in southern Utah I would often grab my sleeping bag, stuff some food into my official Boy Scout knapsack and head out for an overnighter or a weekender. My only companion was my ever present dog named Lady. She would range out ahead of me, chase a few rabbits and generally make sure the trail was clear of all dangers. At night she would always sleep curled against my back. Always alert.
I would wake up in the morning just before sunrise. Fix a little breakfast for lady and me and just enjoy the coming day. I always woke up fresh. No creaking bones. No stiff joints.
These days, just climbing out of my bed up off the ground requires planning. Making sure each and every joint is functioning before trying to stand up. Taking deep breaths of filtered, purified air and hobbling out to the automatic drip coffee maker. Turning the oven on to preheat to 400 degrees for a little breakfast and wondering...
Where the hell is my tent.
posted by Rob | 9:20 AM
1 Comments:
You make it all sound so romantic. I remember our first camping trips, in a tent. I also remember the dog peeing in the tent. LOL
You know my take on camping these days. The Holiday Inn, of course.
This does remind me how spoiled we are though. Not that I'm ready to give up the Cuisinart coffee maker. But at least I'm aware that we're spoiled, right?
Now let's talk about your joints. Are you having trouble with those? Because you haven't mentioned that to me.....
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