Is anyone camping out there?

I was cleaning out the garage the other day and dusted off various pieces of travel gear plus our tent – it is in pristine condition because, well, we never use it.

The thought of camping with kids in the August heat in Texas is simply not appealing, unless we were to drive a bunch of hours out to someplace like Alpine in western Texas, where it is cooler in the evenings and there are neat places to go nearby….

• The McDonald Observatory for a Star Party
• Historic Fort Davis in the Texas Pecos Trail region
• Spring-fed swimming at Balmorhea State Park

We’ve always said to ourselves that we “ought to be more hikey and campy,” but we never get around to it.

Whether some consider it camping or not, I am perfectly happy to stay in park cabins like the ones in Bastrop State Park near Austin or Osage Hills State Park in Oklahoma, but the whole tent thing? Meh.

We’ve bought outdoor gear for kids in the past – items sized for them, that encourage bug-chasing, exploration, etc. – but it usually ends up at Goodwill.

Anyone out there want to try to get us motivated for camping, maybe in the fall?

I’ll be waiting over here in the air conditioning….