Camping with Etto

When I was a kid I loved to go camping. Matter of fact I’m not sure if there was anything I enjoyed more. My elementary school offered class camping trips on weekends nearly once a month and my parents happily paid the small fee that I now realize was actually a very low cost babysitter to give them a break from my childish demands - I guess it was a win-win.
 
The older I’ve gotten the less camping I’ve done. I still love the thought of it and think about it with wistful nostalgia and even long to pack up the ‘ol tent and head out to the woods for a couple of days. The problem is it never seems to happen and I have lots of excuses like: It’s too hot, too cold, I’m getting too old to sleep on the ground, I can’t find the tent poles, my sleeping bag smells bad, all the campsites are too crowded or full or too expensive. Mostly however it’s a lack of finding the time and planning and excursion.

Since my daughter has been home for the summer she has been out camping with friends it seems like every couple weeks and I'm a little jealous. She just grabs some gear, a cooler and sets a destination and off she goes. She has visited parks, both state and national, beaches and even some random spots that were uncrowded gems and even free. She uses an app called iOverlander that helps her find campgrounds wherever she ends up. Her hikes are pretty epic and would probably push me to the limit, but I’m up for the challenge.

After her last couple trips it unlocked a hunger in me to get back out under the stars and put my old tired bones on the ground (with some type of air mattress) and camp again. Let me know if you have a favorite spot? Until then, here's to enjoying the beauty that’s all around us and I just have to get off my you-know-what and make it happen.
 
Aida’s favorite camping meal is Etto pasta with pesto and chicken. I swear she came up with this with zero prompting and input from me (make’s a papa proud). See the recipe below in the recipe section.

Aida's Easy Camping Pasta