Island Camping

We love island camping! It may seem crazy to some people, but it is one of our family favorites. We load up our boat with all of the necessary gear and head out to enjoy a laid-back weekend on the island. The islands where we camp are actually islands, although not like many of you are probably thinking. They are not out in the middle of the ocean. They are spoil islands in the Indian River. When the intercoastal waterway is dredged (to keep the depth deep enough for the larger vessels that travel the river) the dirt, sand, etc. that is removed is put in the middle of river creating the spoil islands. The islands have been there for a long time as they all have plant growth and large trees. The island that we like the most has a long sand bar that extends out into the river. The girls love to run with Duke up and down the sand bar and look for exciting finds, which does two things - 1) it gives them something fun to do - we have lots of cool shells to prove it and 2) it allows them to exhaust a lot of their energy with helps all of them (Duke included) sleep really well.

So some of you may be saying "I don't do camping" or "My idea of 'roughing it' is staying at a Holiday Inn". Well to those of you who think that, you are truly missing out on a really fun, family-oriented experience. And we don't rough it too much. Our tent is really big - we only have 4 occupants (2 big and 2 small) and it could easily sleep 6 adults. Also we sleep on queen-size air mattresses, seriously, the ground can be hard and the air mattress makes it wonderful. Also, we usually have steak, corn on the cob and other fresh vegetables at least one night. Then we will have hot dogs, hamburgers, etc. for lunch one day. Each morning we have a full breakfast - eggs, bacon, ham, toast, etc. All cooked by my wonderful husband on the campfire. We always roast marshmellows because it just wouldn't be camping without those. We have found that our favorite way to create smores is with our roasted marshmellows and Oreos. It's not as messy as graham crackers and chocolate squares.

During the day there is a wide variety of things to do. Audrey and Claire love to explore the island and find lots of different things. They also love to play hide and seek, which can be quite humorous, especially when Claire hides where she thinks is "out of view" but is actually in plain site from many angles. The hammock is one of everyone's favorite spots - it is my go to spot when the girls are napping. With a good book in hand, I lean back, read and enjoy the quiet sounds that the island offers. Brock loves to fish and the girls join him a lot. We also love to snorkel around the island looking at the different fish and habitats that we find. Duke loves the freedom that the island offers him. He doesn't have to stay on his leash during the day, so he is free to run like mad all over the island barking at birds and sniffing to his heart's content.

All in all, it is just a great way to spend the weekend. As I said before, we love island camping!