If at First You Don't Succeed...

We haven't been doing enough camping this summer. At all. To remedy that, we decided to go. This sounds good, right? Well, here's the thing... I am a planner, through and through. Per this camping though, I decided I should let loose a bit, you know, be spontaneous. With that notion, Mike and I packed up the car and buckled the girls in with the idea that we'd camp on Whidbey Island. There are two state parks there and a decent county park or two. When we arrived at our desired park, every single site was reserved. We then took to calling the other parks on the island, and the verdict was no different. For living on the left coast, people sure do plan their camping in advance. I mean, we're talking about a part of the country where lawyers don't have to wear ties, folks, and, yet, spontaneous camping is out of the question. Oy. We proceeded to call every park between Seattle and Canada. The only one with any space available was Birch Bay State Park, which lies about 25 miles north of B'ham. So, after driving 100 miles south, we turned it around. To make matters worse, we didn't find out 'til we got there that the only sites left were parts of group sites. It was like living in our condo without walls. Zero privacy. Though we didn't gain an intimate experience with the wilderness, we still had a fire, which we were really looking forward to, and I learned that I can say "fuck you" to anyone who ever criticizes me for over planning.

Here are some pics of us making the most of things:

The Bridge at Deception Pass,
the Second of Two State Parks We Tried to Camp at on Whidbey Island

Birch Bay State Park

Enjoying a Fire while the Girls Enjoyed Digging a Hole as Big as They Are

The Beach