Ten Lessons From the Campground

1. Sleeping outside in nice weather is therapeutic. Even if it is only a nap on a blanket in the shade.
2. Sleeping outside in a thunderstorm doesn't happen.
3. Cooking over a campfire requires fortitude and a sense of humor. And, if the hotdogs take a dive into the ashes, it requires quite a bit of water and a diligent washer to make them edible.
4. Food cooked over a campfire tastes better. It just does. One of life's mysteries.
5. Camping is not for sissies. Sissies (like me) can rent an RV to mitigate the hardships. But even so, camping requires much more effort than other vacations.
6. It is entirely possible to over-pack for a camping trip. Measuring cups and a microplane should stay at home.  
7. Surround yourself with fun people.  And, since everyone has their own definition of fun, maybe it is better to say, surround yourself with people who have a sense of adventure and a sense of humor.
8. Give thanks for your washer and dryer when you get home. Campfire = stinky clothes.
9. You can take lots of pictures, but you still have to burn into your memory the looks on the faces around the campfire. They are priceless.
10. You can plan, but you can't control. Nature is full of wild cards. Which is the very definition of adventure, right?