The Aggies are now part of the SEC and baseball season is finally upon us. For all the hoopla that the football team got for entering the nation’s toughest conference in football, baseball has flown under the radar. The SEC claims recent National Titles in 2009 (LSU), 2010 and 2011 (both South Carolina). Needless to say, the all-around competition has taken a step up.

With that said, tougher competition usually equals higher expectations, and higher expectations usually equals more attention (media and attendance). We got our first sign of this when season tickets sold out shortly after they went on sale for the season. We had to mindful of when the general admission single game tickets went on sale so that we could guarantee tickets for the games we wanted to go to. The next sign came when we pulled up to Blue Bell Park around Noon with our camper… there were already a fleet of RV’s setup for the weekend, and we even thought we were early! Gone are the days of this little secret vacation spot we have in College Station during Spring Break for some college baseball. No more last minute tickets and prime tailgating spots without fighting the crowds. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted, but it won’t deter us by any means.

The Friday night game is always my favorite. The anticipation leading up to the series and the cool weather under the lights makes for a really great environment. This game did not disappoint. It was a tight game with plenty of drama (see “What’s the Deal with Superman”), and the Ags won. We had friends meet us at the bus afterwards, so Reed got to stay up EXTRA late with us and our guests.

One thing about sleeping in an RV or camper at Blue Bell Park… you WILL hear the train go by ALL night. I think Juile counted 12 that first night. Forget thinking you will sleep through it, no matter how tired you are, just hope you can go right back to sleep.

Saturday was the big tailgate as always, and our friends from Dallas and Houston descended upon College Station to join us. The kids are all growing up, and we are not done multiplying either so there are still new faces every year. The game was packed so we relegated to the lawn where everyone could be together and spread out by the playground.

On Sunday we are always ready to go, but it is always the most relaxed time around the ball park. We got Reed out on his new bike around the parking lot and then packed the truck and camper. One of these times we will stay for the Sunday game (and this should have been the time), but we opted to get on the road.

The Aggies swept the series against Georgia. To the SEC: Welcome to Aggieland!

We’ve been using our popup camper for about a year now. Between the lake and tailgating, we have broken it in quite well, and the kids are used to the accommodations. However, all of those trips have been along side the Reasonover’s bus, which has all the OTHER amenities (ie: running water, heat, fridge, kitchen, microwave…). So we haven’t exactly been roughing it. It was time for us to branch out on our own with our little popup and take a weekend alone as a family.

Cliff notes version:

We went to Guadalupe River State Park. One trip to the ER. One night of freezing temps. Campfire meals. Plenty of laughter, screaming and crying. Lots of walks and fresh air. Hundreds of rocks thrown in the river. Best part of the weekend… the grin on Reed’s face when we woke up in the popup and sang “Happy Birthday”.

Check out the pictures, videos and full version below.

Full version:

Guadalupe River State Park is 30 minutes outside of San Antonio, and even closer to our side of town. This was perfect to focus on the destination and not so much the road trip. This is the shortest trip we’ve ever taken with the popup. The lake and College Station are each 2.5 and 3hrs respectively. We opted for a Saturday to Monday since the drive would be so short. It was certainly a nice change since we are always facing traffic getting out of town after work on a weekday, so we allowed ourselves the luxury of going-with-the-flow the morning we left.

We were in our spot by 11am, and that was after a trip to HEB on the way for last minute items… like diapers. The weather was amazing and the kids were in a great mood. This was shaping up to be a GREAT weekend already.

Then all of that derailed…

Not 15 minutes after we had setup the camper, unloaded the truck and began unpacking, I was playing a little baseball with the kids. Alison went to go get the ball and tripped over a rock sticking out of the ground. She cried instantly, and when I scooped her up, there was blood down her face and a puncture wound on her forehead from another rock she had fallen onto.

I handed her off to Julie and raced for the first aid kit that I had packed in the camper (hat tip to Scouting). We cleaned it, and after confirming with Laurie over the phone, we were off to the hospital. We scurried to pack the valuables in the truck and throw the rest into the camper. The park headquarters recommended a few urgent care facilities (Boerne or Bulverde), but we knew she needed stitches and our recollection of Reed’s stitches at an urgent care facility was NOT pleasant. Julie’s gut was to go all the way back to SA and go to Methodist Children’s Emergency.

The cut was jagged enough that the doctor confirmed the need for stitches instead of just gluing it. Julie stayed was Ali and I waited with Reed in the lobby. Reed was a champ through the whole ordeal, but Chick-Fil-A and the iPad certainly played a role. Laurie met us in the waiting room just in time for me to go back and meet Julie and Alison right before the procedure. The doctor and nurses were amazing with her even for the short time that I was there. Blowing bubbles and singing songs was certainly not part of the experience at an urgent care facility.

Three stitches later, the doctor asked us what we were going to do about our camping trip. Julie replied, “Well, I guess we are going back.” The doctor and all the staff in the room smiled. “That’s my kind of family!”, said the doctor. Indeed we did go back. Our weekend was derailed and now Alison had a band-aid on her forehead, but three hours start-to-finish we were back at the campsite!

Now, where were we…

We were in an RV hookup lot that was about a 1/2 mile walk to the water. As soon as we got back, the best thing for us all was to get out and enjoy the great sunshine by the water before it got too dark and we needed to cook dinner. Alison was showing no signs of slowing down. A stroller ride, throwing rocks in the river, and a stop at the playground were just what we all needed.

Dinner the first night was foil wraps of chicken and potatoes over the campfire. Dessert was another foil wrap that Julie stole from The Pioneer Woman, called “Banana Boat“. Sweet gooeyness of marshmallows, caramel, chocolate and crushed graham crackers mixed into a sliced banana still in the peel! Awesome and a keeper.

That night was COLD. We had electricity of course, and a space-heater to warm the camper, but it was no match for the 35 degrees that first night. The kids slept wonderfully, but Julie and I were up chatting a shivering to keep warm. I also heard our cooler get attacked by the racoons you could hear in other campsites around us. By the time I got out there, the cooler lid was open and a rather fat raccoon was waddling under my truck. I surveyed the damage and he had only just disturbed our eggs.

Sunday morning was still very cold. We stayed in the camper as long as we could stand it, but our tummies started talking louder, so I got the stove setup for Julie. Eggs with cubed ham and potatoes is what she cooked while I did some dishes from the previous night. Julie’s prep work before we left certainly saved us a LOT of time getting meals on the table while we were out there. I commend her on that for sure.

We took our second trip down to the water after breakfast, and did a little more walking this time to see a different part of the river. The park has a “Discovery Center” down near the parking lot closest to the river, so we spent a good while in there with the place almost to ourselves.

Nap time back at the campsite was more of a rest time, at least for Reed. Julie and Alison were out, but Reed laid with me and could not lay down long enough to go to sleep. I at least got to lay down for a while and he sat up next to me just peering out the windows of the camper at our neighbors or watching the iPad. At least he had some down time.

We made our final trip to the water after nap (this time we drove) and spent it throwing rocks into the water at our original spot. Julie and I just sat down and let the kids be kids. Reed was piling rocks into his toy truck’s bed, and Alison was getting dirty in a tiny inlet of water. I videoed the scene and got some classic footage of them at this age. We stopped at the playground on the way back and stayed until Reed’s meltdown killed the mood. Fortunately we had the truck and could just throw him in and not have a long hike back to fuel his fire.

Back at the campsite, Reed and I got the fire ready while the girls took off to shower. Sausage and hot dogs over the fire, along with chips and then s’mores for dessert made for a rather simple meal after a long day. It was warmer the second night, so we stayed up and enjoyed the campfire a bit longer. When it was time for bed, the kids practically put themselves to sleep (the sign of a good day outside). We enjoyed a quiet, late-night beverage by the fire before we turned-in ourselves.

We slept much better and warmer the second night. No raccoon attacks, either (that I know of). When Reed woke up, the three of us sang “Happy Birthday” to him there in the popup. The grin on his face was a shining moment from the whole weekend. He had talked for months about camping for his birthday, and here we were doing it.

We made quick work of breakfast bars and packing before we loaded up. At Reed’s request, we stopped to pickup some donuts on the way home.

-RB