Patapsco Camping

Since our family had the insane idea to try to camp across the United States during our drive out west this summer, we figured we should have a trial run before we went. We got a hitch and a rack for the van, which Elijah knew exactly what to do with: 

Lawnmower? Check.

Tent and sleeping bags? Unnecessary. 

After our last camping trip with Knoxes, we learned two things. First is that camping in the rain is zero fun, especially when your tent starts leaking in the night. The second is that one night is just not enough when you have to be out of your site by 11 am. So this time we opted for two nights, and the weather looked beautifully rain-free!

We camped at Patapsco State Park, which was just a beautiful place. Our campsite had tons of shade, plus lots of distance between us and any neighbors (probably because we accidentally reserved an RV spot). We weren't sure how all seven of us would fit into the 8 person tent, but we made it work without too much squishing. 

Our only issue was the cool camping sound machine I bought to give us some white noise. It worked beautifully...until around 2 am, when it died. I think I had the volume up too high and just blew through the battery. So everyone was up at 2 am while I quickly downloaded a white noise app on my phone to get us through the rest of the night.

Turns out the rest of the night ended at 6 am. I grabbed the people in my tent who were awake and snuck out to the little arena area next to our site. Of course, the second we opened our door there was a Paul Knox waiting for us (Paul is always an early riser). I kept everyone entertained for a couple of hours until the others rolled out of bed. Then it was off to enjoy the scenery!

We found water and rocks.

My kids will never move again.

Paul and Catherine

Melissa, Craig, Seth & Gabe

Little Elijah frog

Eventually we convinced the kids to leave the water and continue our hike along the train tracks. Some of us were very, very worried that a train would come out of nowhere and kill us all (mostly Aaron). 

Thankfully we all survived!

I'm honestly not sure what is happening here.

But here's Gabe, who has apparently lost his shirt during our hike

We also found a really cool area with a swinging bridge and the ruins of an old mill. Seth loved making the bridge sway. Mostly because it terrified Catherine:

Catherine and the ruins:

None of us were actually brave/stupid enough to cross this little arch

(there was quite a drop underneath it):

Next stop: a waterfall! 

Aaron and the falls:

This was actually a perfect hike for that day. It was unseasonably hot that weekend (in the 90s in May!), so we appreciated the water and the shade. My favorite part was watching Gabe literally climb up the waterfall. 

Aaron is still completely obsessed with fire.

Even when it's 90 degrees outside. 

The second night went much, much better, despite being ridiculously hot. I think we are now prepared for our journey across the country! Knock on wood...