Sometimes you just need a break. A rest from the noise of life among other people and mechanical things. My good friend Matt and I decided last minute to get away from all of that and camp for a few days. He convinced me that Portola was the place to go! Eager to get on the road I left work, hit the store and drove as fast as possible away from ‘it all’. We met at a coffee shop in the actual town of Portola and headed straight for the wilderness.
I was a bit surprised when we rolled into the camp ground, the spaces were close together and apparently everyone and their extended families were eager for a similar reprieve. This is where I remembered that I am completely capable of forcing myself to relax. Perhaps it sounds like an oxymoron but no, I can do it. Our lot was clean, with a nice large fire-pit and relatively level tent platform.
Instead of setting up right away we sat on our bench and cracked open some beers. Unwinding from our mutually hectic weeks we allowed ourselves to simply enjoy this new, yet temporary residence.
Our neighbors on one side have a seasonal lot, four months out of the year they come and go as they please. A 300 pound 5’3″ hairdresser and a 6’6″ giant live there. Both really nice and eager to share their honey Jack Daniels…I love how life never let’s me forget that wherever I go, people are there to surprise me.
As the night wore on we skewered meat and veggies and caught up on life. In the middle of the campground was a very large group of people, kids and dogs with fires twice as high as ours. Matt had gone over to them earlier asking if we could purchase some firewood, and they gave it to us refusing to accept anything. Well as the night wore on and they got louder and louder, we both kept chanting “they gave us wood, they gave us wood.” Eventually at around 4 am with their party still in full swing I started praying that they would pass out from all the alcohol they were consuming. No luck. Hopefully tonight will be a different story.
So I guess we are, as my older brother would say ‘phamping’ instead of camping haha. But hey, if I can look up from my campfire and see brilliantly lit stars, I’m still ( yes I’m gonna say it) a happy camper!
