Big Bend Camping Trip

Having a few close friends is a blessing. Having friends who love to camp is like hanging out with superheroes!

- Elizabeth Rose -

Throwing gear in the back of the truck, blasting “On The Road Again” while singing along with friends, getting some mud on the tires, and choosing the perfect camping spot makes for one of my favorite types of adventures. Every location, every group of rugged explorers, every sunset is etched in my memory. The unexpected roads we travel, conversations had, campfires lit, and s’mores enjoyed make my heart glad.

There’s just nothing like getting out in the wide open spaces to soak in a bit of nature. The sites and sounds, smells and new terrain around every turn provide constant stimulation for the senses. No amount of surfing the internet or scrolling through social media can make me as happy as camping on the side of a mountain or ascending to the top of Pikes Peak at 14,180 feet! Singing the Star Spangled Banner with a 50-piece orchestra comes close. Yet still, there is a part of my heart that comes alive on a mountaintop and sleeping under a dark, night sky.

Visiting Big Bend National Park for the second time brought back some good ole memories of the first Thanksgiving trip back in 2017. Fast forward five years, and thankfully this time I had a tent to sleep in, rather than roughing it while sleeping on the ground! Yes, you read that right!

During the first trip to Big Bend, two girlfriends and I thought we’d pack light, sleep in hammocks, and bundle up in sleeping bags. Needless to say, we weren’t fancy enough to have a tent and basic gear back then. Little did we know that it’s “illegal” to string up a hammock at the Big Bend campsites. So, rather than turn around and drive home we figured we’d tough it out. The hammocks were laid out on the ground as a tarp, sleeping bags laid on top of the hammocks, and we endured shivering through the night in the below-freezing temperatures. What a memory!

Thankfully, this trip I was much more prepared. With a few camping trips under my belt, and having purchased a whole lot more gear, this trip was very enjoyable. With supplies sorted into labeled bins, more than enough cooking supplies, everything for a comfortable nights rest, hiking gear and more, I felt like a pro!

Accommodating seven campers in a group site was a dream come true. With the perfect combination of willing adventurers, different personalities, varying skills, and lots of laughter, we made it through five days and all partied involved remained friends at the end. That’s quite an accomplishment! You just never know when there will be a negative Nancy or a Karen in the group that sours the whole experience. So, I was more than relieved and overflowing with joy that seven of us remained jolly at the end of five long days in the middle of nowhere together.

I hope you, as the reader, enjoy the photos above. May they inspire you to choose your next destination location and make it an adventure!

Sincerely, Elizabeth Rose

Scuba Diving in Florida

Family time is very important to me. Sharing quality time together and making memories with family are at the top of my Life Goals list. Each of my siblings have very different personalities, interests, and occupations. And yet, we have found the common bond of family to be the best reason for coming together to have fun and share lots of love.

For several years, my two younger brothers and our parents all lived in different locations - Texas, Hawaii, Florida and Florida 6 hours away.

In the summer of 2020, we came together to celebrate my oldest brother graduating with his master’s degree. My step dad is an experienced scuba diver and outdoorsman. Knowing that each of us kids are athletic, he offered to gift us scuba diving lessons so we could get certified. This was one of my favorite family summer vacations!

We all drove or flew to Florida, stayed at the parent’s house, went through the certification program, and then took a trip down to south Florida to go diving off the coast for two days. The photos above are just a few of the ones collected during the week and a half adventure. What was neat is that all of us are good swimmers, although we have varying levels of athleticism and age. We learned each other’s strengths and challenge areas so that we could all be safe and have fun 150 feet under the surface.

It was exhilarating once we finally made it below the ocean surface. But not before first 1) swimming in a pool for two days, 2) then traveling to two separate lake locations, 3) driving four hours south, 4) staying in an Air B&B, 5) waking up at the crack of dawn, to FINALLY jump into the ocean. It was well worth the time and effort and money. We learned things like, how to defog your goggles with spit, how to use the 3x3 foot bathroom on the boat while wearing a wetsuit, and that fish were not warned about Covid or social distancing! We learned other useful things like, how long you can stay underwater at specific depths, and how to ascend to the surface slowly to give the body enough time to decompress. Other helpful lessons included laughing lots and taking goofy photos and not being too serious.

In conclusion, I highly recommend pushing your limits of comfort and skill level for the sake of gaining new experiences and broadening your abilities.

“May every day be a challenge, and every challenge reveal a greater level of capacity to live fully.” - Elizabeth Rose

To Adventure, Elizabeth Rose