Glamping at Wekiwa

Our first time tent camping in several years. Are we too old for this? I hope not because I made reservations at Yellowstone for 2 weeks this summer.

We put up our big tent on the pool deck last week just to be sure it was still whole, which it was, with the exception of 2 corroded zippers on screens. I sprayed them with WD-40 and maintain hope I can get them to slide. Next was trying our camping mattress to see if it holds air. Then we remembered the blowup bed. Why not give it a try in the tent? It does take up most of the space, however its 18” height means we don’t have to get down to the floor, and, more importantly, back up. 

In for a penny, we bought an electric mattress pad. What the hey, we will have electricity this week. Not in the national park, but by June, I plan to have stronger thighs and figured out warm sleeping arrangements.    

Six or seven years ago, we camped at Cumberland Island. With the exception of a father and son who camped there every MLK week, we had the place to ourselves. A group of hunters rode the ferry over with us, but they were camping at the north end of the island. Every morning we walked on the beach and didn’t see anyone, not even a footprint. In the sun and out of the wind, it was absolutely delightful. At night it was freezing. Icicles formed on the water faucets. Georgia issued a temperature alert for the elderly. The rangers put heaters in the bathroom. Not particularly efficient because the buildings are on stilts with gapes in the floors to let the sand fall down. 

Every morning, we planned a new way to stay warm at night in our little tent. Space blankets over us, space blankets under us, towels in the sleeping bags. Even with all of our clothes on, we were miserable. I’d go back in a heartbeat. Plus I found a diamond bracelet in the sand.

We’ve traded solitude for comfort. Our dual-controlled heating pad kept me warm on low, while Grant kept his side on high. Rather than waves and raccoons, I hear the cars and trucks on the road outside the park, airplanes landing at Orlando International, and this morning, a train whistle. The latter reminds me of Fort Lauderdale. Finally the birds are starting, perhaps a wren, definitely crows. A downy or hairy woodpecker tapped at trees in our campsite yesterday afternoon. Today I plan to watch it and positively identify which species.