I just got back from a fabulous weekend camping in the San Juan Islands (WA). Friends of mine got married (in Hawaii) and were having a huge wedding reception where they live on Friday Harbor. About 20 of us stayed at their beautiful home by tent camping on their panoramic property. This is my kind of camping! You sleep in a tent BUT have all the amenities of a house nearby for cooking, eating, showering and anything needing electricity! This house was built for entertaining too! A large great room with high ceilings, poured cement floor, wall-to-wall sliding glass doors, which open onto an expansive patio with grill and fire pit. The center of the great room is the amazing kitchen with a 3-sided granite counter top which seated 15 leather high-backed stools. Off to one side of the great room was the living area, complete with 3 leather couches for maximum seating. The other side of the room housed the dining room table which was large enough for a big group to eat... or play cards, dominoes, do puzzles, etc.
Our friends who live there also prepared the yard for our tents by mowing out circles and marking them with cute little camp site markers. There was a little road in between and a golf cart was made handy for us to get back and forth to the house. SO ORGANIZED! The golf cart also served as a babysitter for the kids. They loved driving around on that thing and it kept them entertained for HOURS! Who knew?!
One of the coolest things was the outdoor shower built by my friends husband. It started out as a pallet with a tall wood frame around three sides of it. Then the wood frame was covered in some black tarp and wrapped with bamboo. The pallet floor got tiled with ceramic tile, a shower curtain was hung, and a shelf for shampoo was added. Lastly, a shower head was installed and hooked up to the outside house spigots (hot and cold!) for an amazing outdoor shower! The most amazing thing was that it was built in just a couple hours while the rest of us sat around the fire pit relaxing in our comfy chairs and watching it all happen!
Here was my packing list for camping:
Tarp (for under the tent, or over the tent, you never know when you might need it!)
Tent (duh!)
Tent poles, tent stakes (seriously, don't forget these!)
Hammer (to get the stakes in...)
Air mattress (yes, I am a princess....)
Sleeping bag (or sheets and blankets which is what I prefer...)
Pillow
Ear plugs
Flashlight (for finding your way around at night!)
Camping chair
Warm clothes for nighttime (don't forget socks!)
Cooler
Lots of water
Disposable plates, cups, cutlery
Napkins, toilet paper, garbage bags
Towel, washcloth, toiletries (dryer sheets, bug spray & sunscreen!)
Dominoes, cards, book to read.
Obviously if you don't have a house next to your campsite, this list would be a lot longer. But as it was, I didn't need to bring a lot of other stuff - like firewood, matches, food, cooking pans, etc.
Tips for car camping: Keep tent zipped up to keep bees out (but open the screened air vents for maximum air flow). Wipe dryer sheets on the tent keep the mosquitoes away. Bring quarters for public pay showers. Do not keep your car keys in the car! Find a safe place to stash them outside of the car because sometimes automatic locks can flip and you are locked out of the car. Bring lots of layers as the tent gets COLD at night but HOT in the morning! If you can, park your car on the East side of your tent to shade you from the morning sun. You might get an extra hour of sleep!
Tips for Friday Harbor ferry: If you can, park your car and walk onto the ferry. This could save you hours in the car ferry lines. Overnight parking was around $25-$30 for 72 hours. If you are takin
g a car across the ferry, pack your patience! On the Anacortes side, plan to get into the ferry line 2 hours before the boat sails. This is a good time to take scenic photos, read a book and use the restroom. Besides getting a coffee and a treat at the one coffee stand, there is not much else to do there. Ferry fares are $51.25 for car and driver. Each additional passenger is another $13.15. The good news is... it's free to come back! From the Friday Harbor side it's a little easier. You still need to arrive at the terminal 2 hours before your sailing time. However, you can park your car in line, and then go explore the quaint town of Friday Harbor. There are lots of shops and restaurants to visit!
g a car across the ferry, pack your patience! On the Anacortes side, plan to get into the ferry line 2 hours before the boat sails. This is a good time to take scenic photos, read a book and use the restroom. Besides getting a coffee and a treat at the one coffee stand, there is not much else to do there. Ferry fares are $51.25 for car and driver. Each additional passenger is another $13.15. The good news is... it's free to come back! From the Friday Harbor side it's a little easier. You still need to arrive at the terminal 2 hours before your sailing time. However, you can park your car in line, and then go explore the quaint town of Friday Harbor. There are lots of shops and restaurants to visit!
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