S'Mores to the Rescue

There were some rough moments during our Father's Day camping weekend. We arrived late and had to set up just as the sun was going down. While we were doing that, Camille injured her leg pretty badly on a cement step that she didn't see it in the dark. Noah was already limping around because of a bee sting he got on his foot earlier in the day. It was hot and there wasn't a breeze (luckily that changed in the middle of the night). The pump for our air mattress wasn't fully charged (luckily we had nice, Austrian, camping neighbors who let us use theirs). We were cranky and tired and just when we were all finally able to climb into bed, the disco music started. Loud, pounding music interspersed with commentary by a very enthusiastic DJ. At first we thought it was coming from one of the other campers, but then we realized it was coming from the local beach outside of the camp grounds. It was not a good first night. On the second night, Camille peed on the sleeping bag and the air mattress she was sharing with Adam. And minutes after we had hung all of the wet bedding on a line outside of the tent, it started to rain. That wasn't fun either, but happy to report that our new tent weathered it without any problems.

And yet despite those rough moments, we had a good time. In fact, a very good time. Funny how s'mores, citronella candles, and playing in the ocean always seem to make everything better. By the time we left on Sunday, we had decided to make it a family tradition. I have a feeling our Annual Father's Day Camping Trip will be the source for lots of funny, a few not-so-funny, and some sticky family memories.

Camping Notes for Scopello, Sicily:
Baia di Guidaloca Campground: shady camp site for tents and campers, clean bathrooms, free hot showers, small restaurant on-site (we didn't try it), with an easy walk to the beach (just across the road). The beach has small rocks/pebbles, not a sand beach but there is a children's playground on the beach and small paddle boats for rent. Also, be forewarned about the Friday Night Disco (only happens on Fridays). Just a few miles outside of the quaint town of Scopello and the beautiful Lo Zingaro Nature Reserve. 21 euros a night for our family of four. We would stay here again, but not on a Friday night in the summer.

There is a second camp ground near Scopello, Lu Baruni. It is located further away from the beach and when we drove around the site, it seemed to be pretty run down and deserted. We would not recommend this site.