Let's Go Camping!

First let me say that I have no love for camping. My idea of roughing it is a hotel room without cable. John, however, was raised with excellent camping memories, and therefore goes whenever he can. Roughing it on the river is his idea of a great vacation. He loves to go winter camping on the river with only a hammock and a tarp for shelter, and a propane heater to keep warm. Interesting. An introvert if I ever saw one. He takes the family and extended family out in the summer (I go for the day and go home at night) and they have a good time. Fishing, exploring, swimming, eating sand-filled food, all that good camping stuff.
My earliest memory of a camping/road trip was six of us in the Ford Econoline van goin' south. We traveled without the comfort (or expense) of hotel rooms, with the exception of one night. We had two sets of bunk cots that fit in the back, and makeshift beds and air mattresses to accomodate the leftover people.
We stopped at the Jack Daniel's distillery, which was very cool, and went up to the top of the arch in St. Louis which was also very cool, and various and sundry other places I can't remember now. I'm sure that the sistahs will remember more and comment. I do recollect a few things: hot, muggy, dad snoring, hearing soft rock on the radio. "Where is the Love" and "Up, Up, and Away" were the two songs I remember most (I guess that puts a time frame on it). To this day when I hear those songs I am back in that van.
We played lots of games, and sang lots of songs and saw more license plates than we can count.
All in all a most memorable event.