A Decorah Camping Trip

I'm pretty confident that one of the reasons my 33rd birthday was a special one was because I got to spend the days leading up to it in Decorah, Iowa, camping with the Guess family.  After our late summer camping adventure last August, another weekend sleeping under the stars was definitely in our plan for the end of summer, although Kate and I didn't put our plans together until a week or so before.  But I tell you, trekking to Decorah to set up camp on the river, to gather with blankets and beers and gooey marshmallows around a fire, and to wake up in a tent in the early crisp hours of a Saturday morning, was exactly how my soul needed to be filled.  And to adventure with one of our favorite families was just the icing on my birthday cake.

We set up camp on a gorgeous piece of land at Pulpit Rock Campground, and marveled at the river and the fall-like temperatures we were blessed with for our weekend.  After pitching our tents, we headed out for an afternoon exploring Decorah.  With Luther alum, Nate as our tour guide, we got to experience Decorah in a new way, with some hidden treasures that truly revealed the beauty of this place.  We picnicked at Dunning Springs, and soon found ourselves not only climbing to the top of the waterfall, but then across the ice cold springs to the other side.  Beau and I held up the rear and laughed at Nate and his band of brave little ducklings as they followed his lead.

  

Our next adventure found us in the river for a little canoeing trip back to our campsite.  A first for both families, we organized based on skill level and age, aka, the dads got the kids and Kate and I were left to our own devices in the third canoe!  We proved to have yet another thing in common with one another as we both struggled to get the hang of this whole which-way-do-I-row-to-turn-left thing.  Fortunately, the river was really low and the cold water was refreshing for the many moments we had to pull our canoe out of the brush or literally turn the thing around because we were going backwards!  We shared enough laughs in that little boat, though, to last us 'til next summer, and I think we both improved by the time our tents were in sight. :)

After getting us all back on dry land, we spent the rest of the night soaking up the camping life.  It's a good life, indeed.  We changed from swim gear to our cozies, played board games on blankets, and slow-cooked hot dogs, campfire mac and cheese, and s'mores around the fire.  The kids formed quite the bond together, and it was so sweet to watch them play.  They spent the majority of the time in the river and on a sandbar just a few feet out and later putting on quite the dance off complete with rocks as drums and head-lamps as their spotlight.  Soon, we zipped up their sleeping bags, kissed their cheeks, and returned back to the fire where Kate and I outstayed the boys and most of the campers around us.

The next morning was a special one, for we woke up on Miss Harper's 7th birthday.  After a failed attempt with the percolator, we snuck away for coffees in town, then set up a simple celebration that was just right.  We sang happy birthday around a picnic table, Harper blew out a bright pink candle on a plate of all her favorite Pella pastries, and we feasted on Beau's campfire eggs and sausage.  I stepped away a few times to take in the sights of our morning.  My phone had been dead since early the night before, the morning air felt calm and crisp, and life felt happy and content.

When you whittle life down to the essentials, the few things God created and gave us to savor and enjoy, you realize that that's truly all you need.  A beautiful spot to soak in God's creation, good food to savor and sustain us, and people to love on and do life with is what this life is all about.  And sometimes it takes leaving the normal behind for a day or two, pitching up a tent under a sky of stars that shine so bright, and reconnecting with people who bring out your real and your best, to be reminded of that.