Camping

I am still brushing the wood smoke from my eyes, a feeling of calm has settled inside, my hurried pace of life has slowed a wee bit. Camping this past weekend was just what I needed ~ sleeping under the stars, sitting around a campfire and laughing with friends, hiking in the mountains ~ I could see fingerprints of God everywhere I looked. What an amazing creator He is ~ the fall foliage is almost at it's peak in the Adirondacks ~ the brilliant red leaves took my breath away! (The picture posted is the view from our campsite ~ I didn't take it myself)

When I drove up to the campsite, the park ranger informed me to be on the look out ~ the camp site was on bear alert ~ black bears had been sited in the camp. I guess my reading up on black bears was not totally fruitless ~ I knew what to do if I happened to run into one of them in the middle of the night. However, nothing prepared me for the incredibly mournful and creepy sound of the loons in the middle of the night! Think about any film where campers in the woods are attacked by some crazed woodsman ~ cue the creepy music ~ and you hear the loon ~ I nearly jumped out of my skin! The loon wail sounds very similar to the call of wolves and coyotes.

All things considered: bacteria water warnings, a blue heron with the wing span of a pterodactyl, scurrying creatures in the middle of the night, sub-zero Arctic temperatures, the assistant to the den-mother, tales of working in factories, headlamps the size of street lights, a couture armadillo purse, out gassing smores, coin-op showers and tons of other tales that will remain unmentioned to protect the innocent ~ I had a relaxing, spirit renewing weekend. BTW ~ no bears were sighted while we were there!