四天三夜露營記
from June 28 to July 1, 2006
Departing 出發
We were excited but somewhat nervous about this trip. It was the first camping trip for us with some neighbors. Laura was especially excited because she would be able to play with her friends for three whole days. I felt so grateful that I finally have a sense of community in the US, being able to connect with other American families.
We left San Jose at 10:00 am, and stopped twice to get food and to buy small cute items such as stuffed animals. Then we met other families at the Cowboy Museum for lunch. Some families brought their own lunch but we decieded to eat at a Chinese restaurant which was not very tasty.
cowboy museum 牛仔博物館
Arriving 到達
After lunch, we invited Laura's friend Juli to ride with us to the camp for another one and a half hours. The camp is at 3000 feet, about thirty minutes from the north entrance to Yosemite National Park. It is on the middle fork of the Tuolumne River. We arrived at our campsite and saw our tent, which was pretty big with five twin beds inside, and a chair, a table and a bookcase. It also had a deck in the back. The first thing I did was to clean up the floor and the mattresses. Fortunately I found a broom. The mattress looked dirty and saggy. The view was great though. We parked right in front of the tent.
our tent 我們的帳篷
Our First Meal 第一餐
John went to the office to sign in, while I unpacked our stuff. I realized that we did not bring Laura's bathing suit! Our friend Lara happened to bring an extra one, so we were saved. People started to go to the beach. At 6:00 pm we had our first meal in this camp. It was b-b-q chicken. They served ice tea and juice. There was hot water with tea bags and coffee all day long. Too bad that I forgot to bring my Chinese tea.
meal time
Campfire 營火
After dinner, we went to a campfire. The kids got to roast some marshmallow and played games. Our first night sleeping on the soft bed was not very comfortable. Laura said the sleeping bag was sometimes too hot sometime too cold. I used only blankets.
Hiking 健行
The next day Laura and John and some of Laura's friends and their parents went on a hike downriver. The hike was about two and a half miles, and descended 1000 feet, so everyone was exhausted and hot (it being over 90 degrees F) by the time they got back.
Water Fun 玩水 
After lunch we went to the outdoor natural pool to get cooled off. The water was very very cold. Laura and John went into the water, but I just sat and read a book by the pool. Laura and her friends went on a rubber raft down the river. The river was the center of activities. People can go fishing, or rafting. We picked out some beautiful river rocks. Laura said,"It is so cold! "
Art and Craft 手工藝
After John built a boat out of plastice bottles for Laura, we went to the river to float it. Later that day, there was a boat race but our boat was broken already by then.
John and his creative boat and Laura 他做的船 boat race 賽船
For the rest of days, we all started out with breakfast at 8:00 am, lunch at 12:30 pm and dinner at 6:00 pm. There were a couple of activities in between. I spent most of the time reading my book. Our last project was to weave yarn into a pattern called "god's eye".
Laura's art work. 蘿拉做的手工藝
Going Home 回家
Finally, it was time to say good-bye. Luckily, we will be able to see everyone again back in San Jose. After the breakfast, we left for home. We first stopped by the nearest town Groveland to have lunch in a Pizzaria. Then we walked around the downtownl. I bought two watches from a gift shop. There was an art show in a fancy hotel, so we went to take a look.
I was so tired that I fell sleep in the car until we were almost home. Home sweet home. That's true.
For more info about this camping program,
click on San Jose Family Camp.
