Viva Memorial Day!

Anna with the new tent

It was a hot and humid Memorial Day weekend in Northern Virginia - perfect weather to kick off the unofficial start of summer.  Anna asked numerous times when we could go camping again, so we decided this was the perfect weekend to do it.  It should come as no surprise that it was a memorable trip.

First, we decided to get a bigger tent since the 2-person tent was a bit to crowded for the three of us.  A quick visit to Wal-Mart, and we are now the owners of a 5-person tent (Anna was very excited about that).  The plan was to head to one of the local Fairfax County parks for an overnight camping adventure.  Apparently others had the same idea, including the thousands of motorcycle riders that descend on DC for the annual Rolling Thunder ride, thus the campgrounds were booked up.  Not wanting to disappoint Anna, we found a campground in the mountains on the Shenandoah River that fit are requirements (1 hour from home and with bath houses).  When we arrived at the campground, we found it to be quite full.  We headed in and found a campsite.

What we quickly discovered is that we may have been the only non-Spanish speaking campers there.  Latin music filled the campground (there were several trucks with very large speakers in the back).  We tried to do some fishing, but the river was to crowded with swimmers.  Anna enjoyed swimming.  Actually, Anna enjoyed the whole thing.  She was excited about the tent, the campfire, the s'mores......  As the evening wore on, another family set up camp next to us.  We went to bed early - or attempted to.  At 11 PM, which was the posted curfew time, our neighbors turned on the Latin music - loudly.  When security came, they turned it down.  When security left, they turned it up.  Others began shooting fireworks.  The music continued well into the night.  For a moment, Joe was having flashbacks to Mexico. When the neighbors finally went to sleep, one guy passed out in the bed of his pick-up truck and proceeded to snore loudly.  Somehow, Anna got some sleep.  Joe and Theresa contemplated taking the tent down at 1 AM and going home, but decided to stick it out.  We had a great appreciation for our own bed when we returned the next day.

The rest of the weekend was spent with soccer, at the pool, and hosting a barbecue for friends.  Anna is ready to plan the next camping trip.  Joe and Theresa are definitely sticking to Fairfax County parks next time.  Viva Memorial Day!