Serenity in the Big Horn Mountains.

After much research and scoping out various campsite options, I was lucky enough to reserve a weekend spot at the Middle Fork campground via recreation.gov. And just by dumb luck, I believe I ended up with the most desirable campsite complete with a beautiful running creek, far away and out of sight from other campers, and an opportunity for Lenny to stretch his legs while leashed safely so he wouldn't get into any sort of trouble. Thankfully, no bears or mountain lions passed by our site over the weekend. (at least none that we saw or heard)

The site was complete with picnic table, grill, and fire pit. No extra charge for a few mosquitos which thankfully, were kept at bay thanks to this repellent called Sawyers. Amazing stuff!!! Not one single mosquito got into the camper.

Weather was perfect on Sat and half of Sunday until some intense thunderstorms moved in and we were forced to retreat back into the camper and wait out the storms. There's something very soothing about falling to sleep in the middle of a thunderstorm and listening to the rain hitting the roof of the camper at midnight. Woke up the first night around 3am and the temp had dropped to 43 degrees. Fired up the furnace and got the chill out of the air in minutes. What a nice "on demand" luxury.

Lenny was apprehensive about taking a swim in the creek, however, in his defense, the water was freezing and running fast. He preferred to explore the rock formations directly behind the camper and leave his mark in as many spots as possible. Maybe next time he'll be a little more adventurous and put his big paws in the water.

As a total rookie, I learned quite a few important lessons along the way. First, don't over pack. It's totally unnecessary and consumes too much space in the back of the SUV and the camper. I also learned that being without cell service or the internet for several days was a wonderful hiatus from the rest of the world. A chance to recharge and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the woods. Meal planning should remain simple and easy. Of course, this was put to the test when my refrig did not work. Fortunately, I packed a cooler full of ice which housed my perishable items for the weekend. (just in case) which turned out to be a blessing. I converted the dining table into Lenny's bed for the weekend and I had the full size mattress all to myself. Very cozy indeed without the furball pushing me off the bed. Enjoying a cup of hot coffee first thing in the morning by the creek was just so satisfying and relaxing. I need to do this much more often.

However, never drink hot coffee out of a tin cup. And while the cup may look cute, it's worthless as a coffee mug, unless you wanna burn your lips off. Note to self, bring a ceramic coffee mug for the next trip and save your lips.

My first alert warning system worked great all weekend, advising me of killer squirrels in the area, other campers with their dogs that walked by, and of course, whenever he wanted more time by the creek. The good news is, more adventures forthcoming next month. Two more sets of campsite reservations on the horizon in August and a possible BIG trip in Sept. Stay tuned, the adventures are just getting started.