19 Comments

Enjoyed the recap bro! Back when the kids were young I used to take them camping with a couple of buddies and their kids in N. Michigan. We went every year for about 6-8 year, always evaluating the best sites and logging on every hear exactly 6 months ahead of our trip to grab the best one...which we almost never got and had to sacrifice for something close! Did you really sleep 9 hours????? I don't believe it! I don't think you've slept 9 hours in a decade or more.

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Thanks man. Yeah, 9 hours … two days in a row! It was fabulous. And yeah, we’ve written down the best campsites that Sara spotted, even though I’m sure we won’t be back.

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What an absolutely gorgeous area to be camping. It really looks spectacular. I love the outdoors and could just sit outside doing next to nothing all day. Can't wait to hear your next story about you moving 😉

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Yeah, it’s really great isn’t it? We’re heading out for a couple more days coming soon, over on the Yakima River. Growing up in the Midwest, I never forget how fortunate I feel to live out here now.

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Haha! Tom has a flair for storytelling. I didn’t actually say that.

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What the ...? I thought I had you blocked!

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Lol, now I'm not sure who to believe. I think every story is going to have to come with an afterward by Sara.

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We actually talked about this as a result of your comments--and we agree that what actually happened can’t be known for sure, and it’s my story so I get to tell it as I please. Thus: trust me!

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Yeah, Tom’s stories are all about how he experiences the world. You can trust you are reading a story he wants to tell in exactly the way he tells it.

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Recollections of early camping with Tom and Pete’s by their mom include 5 month old Pete in a shoulder pack that I carried on my back hung on a post while we pitched the tent by a river and their dad, awakening in the middle of the night by Tom, who was peeing freely in his face. Tom had a tendency to do strange things in his sleep. Now he just writes about them!!

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Aug 21, 2022Liked by Tom Pendergast

We did lots of car camping when I was a kid. Now my idea of roughing it is a hotel without room service.

We did take a cross country road trip in an RV in 2021. It was loads of fun and I would do that again.

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Great post!

Which Agatha Christie book was it? Do tell!

I only ever camped in a tent as a Girl Guide. I coped reasonably well, but as an adult I preferred hotels (or staying at home!).

And then my husband bought a VW T5 camper three days before the nation went into lockdown in 2020 - I could have killed him! But oh my goodness me, it's been a lifesaver for both work (where we need to stay away quite often) and leisure (because guess what, we LOVE it!).

Sounds like you're having an ace trip! :D

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Thank you! The book was "And Then There Was One," which I'll say was a lot of fun but did feel like a bit of a parlor trick (and she said as much in her author's note). But fun to see her pull off the trick nonetheless.

Sara and I have been debating about some kind of a camper, but we're so dedicated to getting away from the crowds that it would have to be pretty easy to get way off-road in (like a 4x4 van or something). But we're taking baby steps, validating that we can handle it before we sink some money into it. We take off again in 2 days!

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‘And Then There Were None’ is just the CREEPIEST - and soooooo clever!

We’re tempted by a bigger vehicle but ours needs to earn its keep as a work van (and fit into city car parks) as well as for camping. Most of our trips tick both boxes, so that’s cool. One day we’d love to be completely off road - but those big boys aren’t cheap...!

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Happy Anniversary!

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Nice, Tom. Your stories remind me of mine and it's fun to look back ... trust you don't mind me sharing -- https://www.warnerblake.net/2021/08/post-28-july/

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Oh sure, the more the merrier!

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Aug 24, 2022Liked by Tom Pendergast

Dude. This is EFing perfect!!!! I was laughing my ass off because, well...

Let's just say, I can relate.

Thanks for sharing and I'm happy to hear that you two are enjoying yourselves.

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I knew this would fit a few people pretty well! Glad you liked it

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