Camping...

We went camping last weekend with Payton's Cub Scout Pack.

Not exactly the camping that one thinks of when they think of the Cub Scouts. It did not involve rubbing sticks together to start a fire, nor was there any clearing of land to set up musty tents held together with rope. In fact, I don't even remember a single mosquito...or insect at all for that matter.

No, instead, we went "camping" at Disney's Fort Wilderness.

And since we had some time constraints due to swapping out Parker with my parents, we didn't even set up a tent at all. Disney did it for us. Seriously.

We showed up, walked into our campground site and there were several tents (and cots) set up by Disney just waiting for those with reservations. Of course a lot of people brought their own tents, but hey...don't knock the tent reservation till ya try it (it was particularly nice when we were leaving and we just packed up our two backpacks and got into the car - no tear down!).

Of course all the fun began when the sun went down. The kids ran around like children who had been given nothing but junk food, hotdogs and sugar all day... oh wait, that is all they had been given.

We celebrated a fellow Scout's birthday during the camp out.

But seriously, it was so great to just let them run and run to their heart's content. They would occasionally stop back by our bonfire to grab a handful of snacks or some water, but for the most part they went full speed ahead until they collapsed of exhaustion around 10:30 p.m.

My super fun fellow Scout-Moms and I enjoying the bonfire

And then once the sun started to peek its way up into the morning sky, the kids were back outside the tents running around and starting their games all over. Just boys bein' boys. It was awesome.

We did explore the grounds a bit with just the 3 of us, which was really nice. They have just about everything on site; a little shop that sold all of the essentials (kinda like a mini 7-11) plus all the overpriced Disney crap souvenirs you can imagine. Lots of walking trails through the woods. Fishing docks, archery, and much more.

After getting some coffee and a few trinkets at the shop, we sat outside in the rocking chairs and enjoyed the cool morning watching people ride by in their golf carts or walk by on one of the trails.

There's a beautiful creek that runs through the property with picnic benches dotting it's edge.

But once the sun peeked out and the boys caught site of the heated pool, it was "game on!" They swam and swam for hours, only stopping to refuel with lunch and to warm up with a quick rest on the pool lounge chairs.

About half way through the day, Payton mentioned yet another pool - a bigger, better pool - at the Fort Wilderness Lodge. Well, it only took about 3 seconds for all the boys to start begging their parents to "Can we please go to the Lodge pool!" So, a short time later, we arrived at the Wilderness Lodge.

Just look at that massive fire place and all of those rocking chairs!

Stunning lobby area

Payton in the pool

Sadly, I didn't get many pictures here because my phone battery was almost dead and we were waiting for my parents to call to tell us that Parker was up from his nap and ready to come meet us. But this pool area was amazing. There was a geyser that would randomly erupt and shoot water hundreds of feet into the air. The pool was huge and had a great slide. There was a wonderful pool bar and more seating than I can ever imagine they use. Then there was a whole separate beach area where you could rent kayaks and fish.

I would definitely put Wilderness Lodge on my "places to stay" list.

But like all excursions, it had to come to an end. So we packed up our camper SUV and headed to Downtown Disney to meet my parents and Parker. After fighting the outrageous crowds, we got back into our respective cars and headed home. Happy. Full of great memories. And EXHAUSTED.

Sadly, we didn't get 20 minutes down the road before our car broke down. Fortunately, we were able to safely exit the highway. Unfortunately, the car was not driveable and had to be towed 80 miles home (at $5 per mile!). 

Of course the boys thought riding in the tow truck was awesome, and just another adventure to tack on to an already fun-filled weekend.

Don't let the smile fool ya...I was not happy.

But our poor car is still in the shop getting over a $1,000 worth of work done to it. As I told my parents, I guess I'll be driving this car till I die. Oh well, whadda ya gonna do?

Overall though, my memories of our first family camping trip will be wonderful ones, and I am so glad I went this year. Now next year, I have to figure out how to get a room at the Wilderness Lodge while the boys camp outside. :)