Family Adventures: Camping at Meramec State Park | Brittany Lynn Imagery
In an effort to celebrate our newest purchase - our pop up camper - we hit the road this past weekend and headed to Sullivan, MO for a family camping trip at Meramec State Park!
After the Farmer's Market closed, I packed up my booth and went home to find my husband and daughter anxiously waiting for me to get home so we could
leave. We quickly unloaded my car, packed up the food, and we were off, dogs in tow!
In all honesty, I had no clue what to expect. Bella had never been camping before, Ryan and I were rusty ourselves as it had been over a year for us, and of course the dogs were new to this as well. The drive was easy for us and everyone, myself included, napped so Ryan got to have a peaceful journey to the campsite. Upon arrival, everyone was eager to get out of the car and explore our new home for the weekend which made set-up a little tricky but overall, it was decently painless and within an hour, we were completely set up and ready to camp!
Once we finished our lunch, we changed into our swimsuits and headed for the river. This was the dogs' first experience in water together and I imagined myself sitting on the shore with Jax, our Rat Terrier, while Marley, Bella, and Ryan splashed in the water. We found a nice, secluded spot near the water and took off our dry clothes and walked right in to the water. I dropped the dogs' leashes so they could enter at their own pace and leave if they were uncomfortable but to my surprise, both dogs followed us right into the water and Jax, being such a small dog, immediately started swimming to keep up with us as we waded away from the shore.
Once all five of us were content in the water, we took off to an island-type spot in the middle of the river so that we could let the dogs play off leash and we could enjoy the water. For the rest of the day, we played, made dams, swam with the dogs in the current, and wore ourselves out in our new spot!
The next morning, we scarfed down bacon and toast and headed back for the water. The river was incredible and it was our favorite spot so we waded back out to our island and set up for the morning. Bella made friends with a girl that wandered over with her parents and they had a good time playing in a makeshift pool we dug out the day before. Lunch came, we packed up and went back for a quick bite, only to end up back at the river for a short amount of time before we realized we were all too tired to keep swimming.
Once we returned to the campsite, we had some lazy time before dinner and once dinner passed, we went to bed early!
Waking up the next morning was bittersweet because it was our last day there and we wanted to savor every bit of it. After breakfast, we returned to the river for a short amount of time and then decided to try a hike before heading home. At the beginning of the campgrounds, there is a cave and a trailhead so we took the trail and ended up on one of the most stunning short hikes I have ever experienced! The trail wraps around the outside of the cave and leads to a cave of its own where we got to see some beautiful rock formations and bask in the enchantment of finding a cave. The trail continues to circle the caves, going up to the top of the hill and following alluring bluffs and breathtaking views of the forest and comes to an end at the cave entrance.
After our hike, we reluctantly returned to camp and began packing up. Within an hour, everything was packed, the car was loaded, and the camper was
closed.
Our first family camping trip was beyond successful and I look forward to the rest that we have ahead of us! My favorite part about camping with my family is that, in nature, it is just us - there's no jobs to worry about, no deadlines, appointments, or bills - just family. We got to focus all of our attention on and with each other and it was pure bliss. When Bella would go to bed, Ryan and I would stay awake to talk and laugh and enjoy eachother's company and these are all moments that I will cherish forever!
