Camping Memories

From an early age I have fond memories of camping as a family at Tobyhanna State Park in the Poconos. Dad taught us everything there was to know about camping. We had so much fun building campfires, roasting marshmallows, swimming, fishing, boating, and watching that cute black and white kitty that visited us one night. Mom came along in the beginning, but camping wasn't really something she enjoyed, so she stayed home after a few years. I remember how the lake water was a reddish-brown color; dad said it was because of the minerals in the ground. That's the first time I ever caught a pickerel (we have pictures to prove it). Dad always took lots of photos, a fact I am grateful for now that we're older.

Our camping trips gradually moved from Tobyhanna to Palmyra, New York. Near Palmyra is a place called Hill Cumorah, which is very important in Mormon church history. It was there that Joseph Smith discovered gold plates buried under a rock. These plates were later translated into what is called the Book of Mormon. Each year, a pageant featuring hundreds of actors and Academy Award-quality audio & lighting is featured on the hillside. This pageant tells stories from the pages of the Book of Mormon. For many years we made the trip to go camping and enjoy the pageant. We still try to do so every other year or so with our children and dad. We always stay at a place called Nor-Wyn Campsite in Lyons, although one year decided to try another site. It just wasn't the same.

The folks at Nor-Wyn know us well. Mike and Sue even dated two of their children. I remember how one time we had to make a bunch of noise outside their home just to get Mike to stop making out with their daughter and come home. Who knows, maybe they were just playing checkers, right? Nor-Wyn offered plenty of activities to keep us busy, from fishing and frog catching to swimming, ping pong, softball, and basketball. They even had a 9-hole golf course, although it was nowhere near official. We really enjoyed riding the paddle boats and spending time near the water. Some of our best family memories were forged at Nor-Wyn. It was especially fun singing songs together around the campfire. The peace and tranquility of lying back under a starlit sky are unequaled.

Other camping memories include Rahoboth Beach with our Roeder cousins and along the Susquehanna River at father-son campouts. Rahoboth Beach was fun! That's where I caught a puffer fish, which we cleaned and ate. We had no idea at the time that if one didn't clean a puffer fish correctly it can lead to death. We must have done it right. At night we would play tag around a building (probably the bathrooms). I remember digging a pit in the sand and taking turns lying down inside and having big sand boulders put on top of us. We were crazy. Memories of father-son campouts include being noticeably absent when it was time to put up and take down the tent. Dad would look everywhere for me, but he should have known I'd be fishing. One time dad got the last laugh. I had taken off, like usual, and gone fishing with Glenn Brown. Dad was left to pack up the tent and everything else by himself. He was quite upset when I climbed into the car to go home after he came to get me. His displeasure with me was later surpassed by pure satisfaction as I got sick and threw up from being in the sun too long. Life has a way of getting back at you.