This past weekend we went car camping for the first time with Kenny. In Washington, reservations are pretty much a necessity for the state campgrounds around the busy time of year (i.e., now). I tried reserving a campsite at Deception Pass, but it was completely booked. The only place I found a campsite available was at Dash Point State Park. And let me tell you, there's a reason that nobody else wanted this campsite.
Let me preface my complaints with the fact that Kenny had lots of fun. Sleeping in a tent, having a campfire, roasting marshmallows and hot dogs - all were new and exciting experiences. And Eric and I enjoyed it, through Kenny.
Having said that, the campground itself was a sea of dust. It was about an inch thick wherever there was no pavement. The campground staff actually put some stuff that looked like grass clippings on the dust, which did improve it slightly, but still - very dusty.
The beach was crowded, dirty, full of dogs, and encrusted with mats of dried seaweed. Nothing close to a wilderness experience. Of course, we were 7 miles north of Tacoma, so what did we expect? I was kind of hoping for something like Seahurst Park, in Burien. That doesn't have camping, but it is a great waterfront park, and also pretty close to an urban center.
I have a reminder set up in my Treo for January of next year - make summer reservations at the most popular campgrounds.
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