Bad awesome vs. good awesome - Recap of the long weekend.

I love three day weekends. I love them because I have time to do the things I want to do and need to do. Plus, who doesn't love the feeling of not having to go to work on Monday? This weekend was the Great Camping Adventure in the White Mountains for me, Kevin, and the dog. I will admit I am not the world's greatest camper, but I gathered kindling like a champ and became accustomed to the lack of running water.

We arrived late Friday night. As we got out of the car we notice that our site is directly across from another site that had a family of at least 15 with at least 8 kids under the age of 12. Awesome. To make it better they were singing the words to "Dynamite" (or maybe it's "Dyn-o-mite", whatever, it's annoying) and some Justin Beiber song. More awesome. In the middle of the night (lets say 3 AM) the youngest started crying. This happened again at 6 AM when the kid woke up our dog (which meant we were up as well). First thing on the agenda for Saturday... change camp sites.

The nice park ranger gave us another site farther away from the Partridge Family. There was more space for Ellie to run and explore in the mud. And even more exciting was the quiet couple next to us who spent their day mountain biking. Kevin found a short trail not too far from the campground that was an easy hike. We had to find easy hikes because someone forgot her sneakers. (Who forgets sneakers when you go camping?)

Ellie enjoying the view from the campsite

Swim lessons at Dixville Notch.

I think some of my favorite things about camping are being able to sit around the fire, enjoying the view, and drinking beer.

Sunday we decided to see how Ellie would do in a canoe. Let's just say there is room for improvement. I did most of the paddling while Kevin spent most of the time trying to keep Ellie from jumping ship (and taking us with her in the process). New item for the Christmas list: life vest for the dog.

After lunch we went to check out The Balsalms. It is one of the few "grand resorts" left in New England. Driving up to it I am reminded of the movie The Shining. Despite the fact that I think the place is haunted they have some really fantastic walking and biking trails (all of which are dog-friendly!)

Whizzing by The Balsalms

Kevin and Ellie at The Balsalms.

On our way back to camp the skies opened up. Luckily we made it back to our site before the rain hit there. We decided that if we were going to spend the rest of the afternoon, evening, and night in the tent soaking wet we might as well head home a day early. Kevin would probably have liked the challenge of making a fire in the rain and would most likely have befriended the new campers next door (5 guys, 5 canoes, and a cooler of beer hanging out in the rain).

So you ask, "Jen, don't you have an Ironman you are training for?" Yes, yes I do. And no, I did not do anything productive towards my training while we were away. BUT, today I was able to break in my sweet new ride, The MJ Cruiser (that's right, I named my bike), on a 3 and 1/2 hour ride. The seat is awesome. The chain doesn't fall off when I shift - awesome. It has a spedometer to tell me when I need to pick up the pace - awesome. It has red handlebars - AWESOME!

I am gearing up for the Pumpkinman 1/2 Iron-distance triathlon next weekend. If you have any plans to be near South Berwick, Maine on Sept 11 stop on by and cheer me on. Kevin will love the company. Plus, Shipyard Brewing is hosting the beer tent!