I tend to look back at the past and remember fondly parts of my childhood and after. I’d guess that I have always had a fondness for camping from the get-go. It all started in our backyard when I was a kid. On some hot summer nights, my mother would find an old flannel sheet and hang it over the clothesline. She would let me stake it out in the shape of a tent. One or two of the neighbor kids would get permission to sleep over in the tent. We thought that this was great, and we would pretend that we were frontiersmen crossing the country on our way west. As the night rolled on, the dew of the night set in and made everything soggy. Eventually, the adventure would succumb to the dreaded mosquitoes that filled our soggy tent, which had turned into a buffet for them. We realized that we would have to surrender to nature, but not without having a mutual agreement to head in the house. Little boys do not want to be the first to break, so we had to mutually agree that feeding the mosquitoes was not a good idea.
In the early 70’s my wife and I would tent. When our two boys came along and grew a little older, we decided that we needed to graduate to a camper. We bought a pickup camper from Larry Pence in Clarks Grove, which suited our needs because I could pull a boat behind it, and we could go just about anywhere.
For many years, we would go to Spider Lake and camp at Spider Shores Resort. The owners became friends, and they treated us like we were staying in one of their cabins instead of a $9.00 a night campsite. That $9.00 included electricity. Those were great times and I still get a good feeling whenever I reminisce about those days.
Whenever I was camping with the family at Spider Lake, I would fish until late evening, clean the fish, and then head to the camper for the night. The boys always wanted a campfire, so we would usually roast hot dogs and then make S’mores. There were times when we would be be joined by a skunk or two that were looking for any crumbs that dropped on the ground. At first, we were freaking out, but they didn’t seem to be bothering us, so we just left them alone. They were almost like having a bunch of cats around, but I am pretty sure that you didn’t want to check to see if they would purr.
For a few years, my sister, Judy, and my brother-in -law, Mike Gordon, would camp with us at Spider Lake. Their two boys, Jeremy and Zach, would also come along. Once the day of fishing was done and the campfire was going strong, the boys would play a game of hide and seek. One night Jeremy had found a perfect place to hide. He soon found out that hiding behind a boat leaning against the wall was not exactly perfect. He looked down to discover that a skunk had joined him behind the boat. This abruptly ended the game for the night and rightfully so. The boys did play tag the next night, but I am sure that they did it with one eye on the game and one on the lookout for skunks. The first time that the Gordons came up to Spider with us, Zach had to use the outhouse and came running back yelling: “That is so cool, and you don’t even have to flush!”
Until next time: I am hopeful that the 90’s are behind us for this year. I know a few folks that say they dread the weather that lies ahead, but if you are a Minnesotan, isn’t that what happens every year? I always feel that in winter you can put as many clothes on as you need, but in summer you can only take so much off.
Please show our support for the troops that are serving our country today. These servicemen and women are making that sacrifice, so that we may have the many freedoms that we enjoy today.