Guadalupe River Camping Trip - Part 1

Luke and I returned tonight from spending the past four days out in nature at the beautiful, scenic Guadalupe River State Park. Neither of us had much camping experience before this little adventure, but I feel we went through this week like pros! It was SO fun, and we made so many memories together this week. There are so many things I never want to forget about our time there. I wrote in a small journal every night before we settled down for bed, so I could remember the details and fun happenings from this week. Transferring those journal writings over to my blog now, and including some pictures from each day as well! We had a great time, but are both definitely happy to be home and in our own bed tonight. 😄



Day 1, Monday
5/18/2020

This is our first camping trip together for our first anniversary. I'm writing this by lantern light as we wind down for bed. It is so peaceful and quiet here in the tent at night with Luke, just listening to the sounds of nature. Today was likely the hardest day of our time here, since we had to set up camp -- first time putting a tent up, woot...! We made campfire nachos for dinner (see below). I like the simplicity of camping so far, and especially that "survival" feeling you get when you have to build a fire to cook your own supper. We have this place to ourselves for our first two nights here, and that's been awesome. There's not any people besides us on the park campgrounds tonight (thanks, covid). Tomorrow I think we'll be going hiking, and maybe Luke will teach me how to fish. So thankful for the time we're gonna spend together this week.

Day 2, Tuesday
5/19/2020

Today was a really awesome first full day at our camp. We woke up about 8:30am and had muffins and bananas for breakfast. After we ate, we got all packed up for a hike. The first trail we went on was hot with very little shade, but went right along the beautiful, flowing river. Luke carried our backpack, which held turkey sandwiches, pineapple, chips, and water bottles for our lunch. We ate sitting on a log by the river under a huge oak tree, where there was a nice breeze. Something really funny happened during our lunch conversation, that I want to remember. Sitting and listening to the river sounds while eating was a really contemplative experience for me. I said wistfully, "I really want to have a big family someday." To which Luke replied, "The provolone cheese on this sandwich is really good." Lol. 😂
After eating, we rolled up our jeans, put on our water shoes, and crossed the river to some hiking trails we wanted to explore on the other side. At the river's deepest point, it came up to about mid-thigh. The trails on the other side were very nice. They were mostly shaded and paved with gravel in some parts. An app on Luke's phone recorded that we walked 6.2 miles today.
When we got back to camp, we cooked hamburgers for dinner on the propane stove. Luke had it on the lowest setting, and the flame was so hot, our thick, prime cuts of meat cooked in about 8 minutes. They were juicy and sooooo delicious.
I didn't know if I would get a shower this week, but after dinner we packed up some clean clothes and headed to check out the camp bathhouses. They were kinda far away, so we drove. Surprisingly, the showers were very nice, and it felt really good to clean off. Tonight in our tent, we drank cold sodas that we got from a vending machine up by the bathhouse, while watching some episodes of Phineas and Ferb. Our first day here at the park has been so fun and relaxing. I can't wait for another day tomorrow. We saw a raccoon from our tent window tonight, trying to get into our cooler. But the lid is on securely and there's totes sitting on top, so I don't think he will be able to.

 Look for Part 2 of our camping trip in another blog post!!