Making Camp

 Recently a fellow blogger wrote how she was thinking about adding some camping to her activity list (www.diabetessunshine.blogspot.com).  She was worried about having type 1 diabetes and celiac disease which diabetes is a fun dieting exercise then throw on the no gluten and your options go down to water and jello it seems like.  I mentioned to her how to take small steps like taking a long walk in a park and bringing a lunch with her and seeing how the hiking and eating the lunch worked out then hiking back out.  This is a fun way to test your outdoors with a practice hike, or a practice meal.  You are kind of in a controlled environment and able to test it before you do it.

 Last week our family spent five days in "The Great Smoky Mountains" and my wife had rented a cabin for us to stay in.  Now there are plenty of hotels and motels in the area but we wanted that outdoors feeling with a little bit of seclusion and with the amenities.  This is another great way to go further into your practicing camping without being too far from safety.  We were about a half mile from the park and at the far end of town.  This is the best of both worlds being next to nature and next to the city.

 My wife and I have rented alot of cabins over the ten years we have been married and this cabin was the best so far.  Cabins range from almost primitive with only electricity and water to full on houses that are just made to look like a cabin.  Another good thing about renting a cabin is having a kitchen.  With my diabetes and family vacations if I eat out to much my BG numbers get all wacky and adding the constant heading out to get food takes away from the trip.  We only ate out twice in five days and ate real sensible meals that kept me trucking along at a solid 150.  Then the savings on money is awesome as well.

 Here is where my wife went above and beyond.  She found a cabin that had a pool table, laundry room, satellite TV and a slot machine in it.  We had lots of fun playing games during the night hours and watching "Phineas and Ferb" with my son before we went to sleep (yes I know he is 16 but he loves that show).

I had to take a picture of this because I could not believe my eyes.  four dollars and four cents for a single gallon of gas.  My first reaction was thinking since this was the only gas station in a tourist town so they had the market.  Then when we left and I was still paying almost four dollars the entire way home I realized that gas had jumped .25 cents while we were in the mountains.  Strange things happen when you go camping and return to everyday life.