The Great American Backyard Campout is an event that happens every year now - this is the 6th year in a row! It encourages kids to step away from the square box known as the TV and the video games, and get outside! You don't have to travel far to go camping - you'd probably be surprised at how many campgrounds may be in your local area, and you can even camp in your backyard! Pull out the sleeping bags and dust off those tents, and go camping - and don't forget to leave the electronics at home. You'll have yourself a BLAST! If you're in need of a tent or new sleeping bag, don't forget to check out a thrift store, or ask around on Craigslist and Freecycle. I know we have more than one tent because we've outgrown our original one. (A 2 person tent does not fit 2 people, 1 toddler, and three medium size dogs anymore LOL)
If you can't go camping on the 26th due to schedules, consider at least spending some time outside in your backyard, and make smores over the grill! You can print a coupon to save $1 off your next purchase of Hershey's Milk Chocolate 6 bar packages (I saw these on sale at Freddy's for $3, so with the coupon you are getting 6 bars of yummy chocolate for just $2!! What a deal!), plus I've noticed lots of deals on graham crackers and marshmellows right now in honor of the Great American Backyard Campout - look for displays at your local store.
And if you'd like to find some free campout games, nature activities, and tips for safe camping, visit www.backyardcampout.org. I recommend making sure that on top of your usual camping supplies, that you bring along extra batteries for your flashlights in case they die out quickly, and don't forget to check that the supplies in your first aid kit you are bringing along are non-expired and have been re-filled - we all know you can never have too many band-aids when camping with kids! ;)
Win it! I have a totally awesome giveaway for you in honor of the National Wildlife Federation’s Great American Backyard Campout! One lucky reader will win a Hershey’s beach towel, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars, Honey Maid® Graham Crackers and Kraft Jet-Puffed® Marshmallows to make their own S'mores this summer! To enter, tell us all about a camping trip you've been on. Did you get lost? Rained on? Have a blast making s'mores as a kid?
As always, you can receive extra entries for:
-Subscribing to my feed or following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway (leave the link or @psychotichouse)
That's four (4) possible entries! Giveaway ends June 26th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)
I received a S'mores gift package. One reader will win the same, thanks to the giveaway sponsor.
190 comments:
Sequoia - with friends - yes, smore heaven and wonderful hikes connecting with nature
What is a camping trip without smores? That is a staple of all of our campring trips...and no other chocolate cuts it except Hersheys!
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I blogged about this giveaway:
http://www.ashoppersquest.com/2010/06/my-top-five-giveaways-this-week.html
My last (and I mean about 30 years) camping trip was at a KOA campground in Guelth Ontario. We were broke and wanted to see Toronto so we stayed in this tiny tent. It rained for 4 straight days and I was not pleased. Where is the nearest hotel?
Psychotic google friend connect follower kycouple2000.
It was at a little park, we tried to make fire the old way by rubbing sticks of course it didnt work just got the wood pretty hard. No rain but always was fun.
skyxsky27(at)gmail.com
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no smores but rained out and helped out by the rangers
4th grade girl scout camp -tons of rain-I swore that I would never camp again....Diane Baum
esldiane@gmail.com
I love s'mores.
I had a dreadful experience when I was a little girl at a girl scout camp. A flying ant got in my ear, I told the staff and they refused to call my parents. I was forced to stay that way for a whole week. It was dreadful and quite painful.
twoofakind12@Yhaoo.com
I am a email subscriber.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com
I borrowed a tent from a friend - turned out it was missing a pole and had a bent 2nd pole... tried it up to a tree - felt more like we were roughing it ;) It was a great trip
I follow your blog
I've actually never been on a caping trip or made s'mores:(
GFC follower---eddiem11@ca.rr.com
Us kids would have a campout in our backyard-sent up a tent,pretend we were pioneers.
aunteegem@yahoo.com
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I used to camp all the time when I was a little. I haven't been as an adult very much. Now my kids are begging for us to go camping. Maybe it's time to break out the tents and smores!
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tiffypoot@aol.com
Blogged about it
http://tiffspixiedust.blogspot.com/2010/06/exp-06-26-smores.html
tiffypoot@aol.com
We actually made s'mores at our cabin a couple of weeks ago.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com
blog follower via GFC
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com
The year we got married my husband and I went camping at Hocking Hills.A raccoon tore through the tent in the middle of the night to get bread we left in a knapsack.That was crazy.
hollow_sins(at)yahoo.com
I am an email subscriber
hollow_sins(at)yahoo.com
last year we went to georges lake in maine met alot of new friends and had a fabulous time
mverno@roadrunner.com
We went to the Delaware Water Gap many years ago and my husband was chopping wood and had a minor accident with the axe.
When my husband and I were dating, it poured rain. He ran out of the tent to cover it with a tarp and try to start a fire because the only food we brought had to be cooked. ABout an hour later he came back in the tent fully embarrassed and asked, "Why didn't you tell me I ran out in my underwear?" I guess you had to be there, but it was really funny.
denise_22315 at yahoo dot com
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denise_22315 at yahoo dot com
I tweeted.
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denise_22315 at yahoo dot com
Two summers ago we went to Yellowstone in late May not realizing it would rain the whole time and even snow each day!
GFC follower
lazybones344 at gmail dot com
We would camp out int he Smoky Mountains and eat smores and other junk food. It was fun
We would camp at Carolina Hemlocks. Such good memories.
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last year we went to georges lake in maine met alot of new friends and had a fabulous time
recently went on one with my mom, my kids, my brother we went on a hike, told ghost stories and had a great time
following your blog
shopannies@Yahoo.com
I loved camping in the mountains as a kid. My dad and uncle played hide and seek in the dark in the woods. The camouflaged themselves in branches. I remember stepping right on my dad and didn't know it. One of the best trips ever
hippopurplemonkey at yahoo dot com
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hippopurplemonkey at yahoo dot com
We went camping about four times each year when I was a kid, and I loved it. The only part that I didn't like was the Blue Jays waking me up every morning--they are the loudest birds on the planet!
Alicia Webster
5webs@comcast.net
I remember camping as a kid... my cousins, sis & I made clay pots near the stream... we weren't 'allowed' to go back and get them once our parents found out where we were and we couldn't tell them we made presents for them... so.... I guess someone else found them
google follower
We went camping last month at a local State Park. It's one of our favorites and we always have a good time. So relaxing to have no phones, computers, clocks, televisions, radios, etc. Just nature sounds.....so nice!
Thanks for the chance to win!
proudyaya04 {at} yahoo {dot} com
I'm an email subscriber and I follow on Google Friend Connect.
proudyaya04 {at} yahoo {dot} com
I've never been on a caping trip before.
austma7@aol.com
I haven't been camping in years. Too many bugs.
My grandparents used to take me and my cousin camping every summer when I was little. I will always have wonderful memories of those times.
shawn113(at)hotmail(dot)com
I miss camping so much. I do remember hiking into the Adirondack mountains with my family, and setting up tent near a watering hole. It was so much fine and was one of the best family adventures we had.
Winterbreeze85 @ yahoo dot com
My best camping trip was in the backyard as a kid. I thought it was great to sleep outside, yet be able to go inside to use the bathroom!
sweetscove at gmail dot com
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sweetscove at gmail dot com
I went on one camping trip and slept in a tent and I'd never do it again. I took my two little newphews and we had to pitch the tent on a hillside beside a creek. Not only did we roll on each other all night it started to pour down rain. Then once the rain stopped, the bull frogs started. Rib-it rib-it, croak, rib-it rib-it, croak. About 4 in the morning I gave in and went into the club house and slept in the chair--kind of!
dolniaks[at]consolidated[dot]net
I went camping a lot as a kid and always had a ton of fun. We liked sitting by the campfire making smores and singing.
I used to go camping as a Boy Scout when I was younger
when we camped in Utah in early May, wind must be blowing at 40 mph..My loyal tent survived and inside that, family of 4(girls being 3 &4) survived with each other's body heat!.
A number of us families had booked a camping trip and were looking forward to it. It so happened, it was the weekend after the infamous 9/11. While we and the kids enjoyed ourselves and we tried to put what just happened out of mind for a day or two, there was an underlying since of erieness.
bevwhip at yahoo dot com
cdziuba@aol.com I went on a camping trip to Montauk, Long Island, NY and it rained for 5 days. Yet I still had fun!
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I've been camping all over the North Georgia Mountains, mostly solo, and I can't think of a nicer place to camp.
I'm a blog follower.
On every camping trip I've ever been on, I end up sleeping on the tree roots, and hardly getting any sleep. And, of course, if always rains!
My favorite camping trip was to Arches National Park in Souther Utah. The Park is totally awesome and the highlight was when we were eating breakfast a deer came right up to our table and joined us..it was totally awesome.
I was a Girl Scout, and we had smores at every campout.
marcia.goss@gmail.com
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marcia.goss@gmail.com
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marcia.goss@gmail.com
We camped out last Labor Day with the extended family. I'm not a tent person but we found some great cabins in the state park and had a blast just hanging by the fire and of course eating S'Mores!
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My first camping trick and introduction to Smores was my 6th grade class trip. We cooked them on bunsen burners. I was thrilled with the taste!
smchester at gmail dot com
I remember my first camping trip, I thought it was absolutely thrilling to be outside AT NIGHT. We sat around a fire and listened to the adults talk. They pointed to the stars and I learned about the Little Dipper and Big Dipper. It was magic!
Thanks for the chance!
I am a google friend connect follower, thanks again!
We go camping every weekend. We stay in a camper at the local campground. It is our home away from home. Before we got our camper, we tent camped for many years. I still like to do that once in a while. Lots of memories have been made in the ten plus years we've been camping. Thanks.
partymix25(at)hotmail(dot)com
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As a kid, we camped a lot at the lake on the weekends! We had such a bad storm one night, we jumped in the truck and drove home. When we came back the next morning, our tent was down and our boat was upside down!!
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I remember the first camping trip we took the kids on and made smores! They absolutely LOVED it and now their hooked! They think no camping trip is complete without them!
april_vereb@yahoo.com
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april_vereb@yahoo.com
I haven't camped in a while but I remember my last camping trip with my family was not spectacular. I was left in charge of my son's newly caught turtle and I managed to let it run away. Then while roasting marshmallows I accidentally dropped a whole melted marshmallow on my arm and burned it pretty badly.
we camped in our backyard because one of our kids is scared to camp lol. we made smores and hot dogs and they all ended up in their beds before the night was over
jonilynntaylor at gmail dot com
We have this family joke that whenever we all decide we are going to go camping it WILL rain, even if the forcast is totally clear rain will pop up out of nowhere!! think it was like two years ago we decided to go and the whole summer we were in a drought no rain what so ever the forecast was clear and we set up all the tents and boom POURING down rain our tents were puddles and it was so miserable nd it rained all night long so now we bring lots of extra tarps and umbrellas!!
haydensmommy05@hotmail.com
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haydensmommy05@hotmail.com
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haydensmommy05@hotmail.com
We always went camping when I was a kid. Our neighborhood used to go together and we would have float trips, smores, and ghost stories. I miss those days, but my husband and I still enjoy camping together.
I tweeted http://twitter.com/cstironkat/status/16743929433
The last camping trip I was on, it rained the whole time and I stayed in this little tent with my girl friend playing cards all day!
LWons@HotMail.com
When my kids were younger we always did smores on our camping trips. My last camping trip was funny. We do tent camping. Well they had a base to put it on. We had a heck of a time putting it up.It was just my garandson and me. We laughed almost til we cried. Finally got it up, with the help of a few rocks.
Caught some wonderful bass in the lake.
grampysworld@gmail.com
I just gave you a tweet. grampyandyou
I follow with google. Russ
Last camping trip I was on was to Apline Valley to see The Who in concert. It was great. Well worth the long drive.
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Yup, with my high school youth group. Made Smores and Mountain pies. Remember arguing with a boy well into the night if it is a sin for a woman to shave her head bald. LOL!
jenndiggy at gmail dot com
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jenndiggy at gmail dot com
i spent 4 months hiking the appalachian trail... wish i'd had smores!
oheeyore at hotmail dot com
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oheeyore at hotmail dot com
I always make sure we have stuff to make smores when were having a camp fire!
chellibear21@gmail.com
Followed your blog
We went to Kanaskat Palmer state park, I got very ill and needed to get to a hospital but we were locked in at the gate until morning. We waited in the car all night and I was throwing up and had a temperature..it was HORRIBLE.
Thanks for the chance.
mogrill@comcast.net
Year ago we always went camping with a couple other families. One spring the campground was flooded and we had to spend the weekend in a cabin instead. That was the last of the tents and it was cabins forever. Thanks.
The last time we went camping, it rained so hard our tent collapsed. :(
kirbycolby at gmail dot com
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kirbycolby at gmail dot com
tweet! thank you! http://twitter.com/Aerated/status/16929730820
kirbycolby at gmail dot com
Camping isn't complete without s'mores :)
ktgonyea at gmail.com
The place I love caomping the most is on a deserted island up in Maine. The stars were amazing!
melissamcnicol[at]yahoo[dot]com
enter me thanks
I only went camping once--and got up in the middle of the night and found a motel.
farrell@crosslake.net
I used to go camping all of the time as a kid with my grandparents and my brothers and sisters. We had a blast, we'd eat trout for breakfast and dinner, and it never got old.
Thanks for the giveaway.
s.mickelson at gmail dot com
Last summer, we set up our tent in the backyard to see if our kids could handle sleeping out all night. I even packed us a breakfast to make it seem even more special for them. It was great. We made it the whole night.
chipdip2010(at)hotmail(dot)com
Our camping trips are pretty boring, I guess. We go out, pitch a tent, sit around a fire. Bank it, make sure it's out and then go to sleep. We tell stories, watch the stars or listen to the radio.
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The last time i went camping was when i was a little girl. We used to go to the Kern River and always had a blast ! Making Smores was a must
When I was a kid I was allowed last minute to accompany my friend and her family to one of theirs. Despite the fact I had no gear (no sleeping bag, just a blanket) I had an amazing time.
Following publicly as Louis on Google Friends Connect
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We went camping to a new campground once and it was dark when we got there. I ended up getting lost going to the bathroom with the kids! It was terrible because I couldn't even remember our campsite number! Now I make sure I know our number as soon as we check in!
We go camping to the beach every summer as our vacation,
I love waking up to the sounds and smells of the ocean
We normally stay for a week. And within that time we will sit around the fire and have smores at least three nights.
It is definitely one of our favorite aspects of camping.
Thank you so much for the giveaway.
jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com
I am subscribed via email as jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com.
The last time I went camping it started to rain abount midnight and forced us stay overnight in our car since our tent was totally soaked
Camping with young scouts, several of the boys got into an argument and we had to switch everyone around in the tents. Smores helped ease the problems.
We are avid campers and campout every chance we get. Last summer my son who has special needs, got lost in the woods for a couple hours. Most terrifying two hours of my life!
sweepyhead at gmail dot com
When I lived in NH we went camping and ended up taking the wrong trail, it ended up being one of the toughest 5 in the United States to hike, needless to say, we didn't make it all the way to the top of the mountain, thanks!
Hotsnotty2@hotmail.com
One of the last times I was in a tent, the inclement weather was so bad, that they moved us inside.
edgnemmers@gmail.com
We LOVE camping. We go to a state park and camp lots of hiking trails. The last camping trip we took was in April and we ended up hiking like 10 miles in 2 days omg my legs was so sore.
I subscribe via email.
crazyred61@yahoo.com
At camp one year 3 girls and I were in our tent when a family of skunks walked in. two of us were from the country and we told the others to be very quiet and still. The skunks walked around the tent for a few minutes exploring then left. we all breathed a sigh of relief and then heard several girls screaming in a nearby tent...they were sprayed
First (& last!) camping trip was to the Appalachian mountains with some college friends. Generally a miserable trip - we got rained on the whole time & needless to say got no sleep.
Thanks for the giveaway!
megalon22 at yahoo dot com
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megalon22 at yahoo dot com
The worst camping trip was when we saw a snake the first day. After that my daughter thought every stick, shadow and leaf was another snake. We left after the second day.
I went when I was in a girl scouts troop waaaay back when and I remember we had an awesome storm one night, great for telling gost stories!
i2ylee(at)yahoo.com
My Hershey camping experience was years ago when we were at Yosemite. Although my parents told us to take the trash up to the garbage cans, us kids took a short cut and hid the leftover smore garage under a bush - too close for comfort. Bears came into our campground and we were in a tent - now that I am MUCH older, I realize how terrified my parents truly were. I miss the good ole' days - not enough camping at this time in our lives.
I haven't been truly camping in a long time, but I have a blast camping out in the backyard with the kids.
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We have not been "real" camping for about 12 years but these days we do these family camps at the YMCA campgrounds. You get to stay in adequate lodging (indoors... with plumbing) and still get to enjoy campfires and activities.... We had smores every night around the community campfire ring. It was yummy and fun!
At least once a month, we have a mini camping trip to our backyard where we make smores and sleep in a tent in the backyard.
I did not do much camping as a kid bit take my 4 kids all the time.we are vanners and go camping at least 4 times a year.We always have fun.Thanks!
lstanziani(at)yahoo(dot)com
When I was a kid my dad would always take me hunting with him but I didn't hunt, I just stayed back at the campsite and called it camping! I played a lot of cards with my cousin and ate bacon and eggs every morning, it was great!
justine417@comcast.net
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We love to campout in the backyard-it is SO much fun!
We RV all summer long and are never without out S'mores ingredients..The grandchildren love them!!
I went camping at Lake George many years ago and boy did it rain! But we still had a blast!
leenburke@yahoo.com
We stayed at a campground on a steep hill that the kids were able to ride their bikes down. It was a blast.
my favor camping trip is the time we camped on the beach
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leenburke@yahoo.com
once i went camping and it poured the whole time that my boyfriend and i left our shoes there because they were so muddy. bill110@optonline.net
Living in Idaho we do a lot of camping. Our favorite is on a mountain lake.
google reader subscriber
Sorry.. I had a deprived life... I never went camping and never made smores. I would like to make the smores for my granddaughter.
kat_emerick@yahoo.com
Last camping trip I had was way back when I was a church youth leader, and we really roughed it *cough* at Disney's Fort Wilderness camp site. It was a lot of fun, even with my cousin accidentally breaking our group's van window.
I haven't been camping yet! Every trip I make, something comes up and it gets canceled or we end up doing something else! I love Smores though...
clarkmurdock@yahoo.com
Our first time camping was last summer. It rained the entire weekend. We also broke the zipper of our tent on the first night and kept it close with about a dozen hair clips (good thing I'm vain and overpack).
It was fun though. Our boys loved it.
dgwithrow062405 at gmail dot com
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dgwithrow062405 at gmail dot com
I must say I hate camping, but we still make smores in the confines of the safe backyard by way of the fire pit.
I had my first s'mores on a Brownie camp out
lucy4luck@hotmail dot com
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lucy4luck@hotmail dot com
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lucy4luck@hotmail dot com
We love taking the kids to Jalama beach to camp & surf, s'mores every night are a must!
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I don't remember the last time I went camping but I love smores - we have them at our annual weenie roast!
Thanks - Sarah Z
believedreamcourage (at) gmail.com
I'd been a long time since we went camping and we didn't have s'more mostly because it rained so much.
http://twitter.com/susan1215/status/17118961207
I haven't gone camping in ages. But some smores sound good.
when i was a kid we went all the time,i loved it!We are taking my kids this summer can not wait for the smores!
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ardelong2(at)gmail(dot)com
I love camping trips. My favorite was going out with all my friends for my birthday in November. Every year at that time there is a meteor shower and you just can't see them in the city lights. And of course we made s'mores. :)
subscribed to your blog...and btw my photo is from that camping trip :)
camping trip to mendocino was awesome. we had fun and no rain and we stayed 4 days.
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The last time I went camping we got flooded out and had to go and stay in a hotel. The room also had a leak in it so it was wet in there also.
Google friend. ladyt64
As a kid, we used to camp out in our backyard. We'd use the clothes line to make a tent with a blanket or sheet. It was a lot of fun. I haven't been camping in years though. Don't even have a clothes line out there now. We could still make smores when we have a cook out in our backyard though. Great prize.
I slept on rocks on my camping trip. I had no idea I should have brought more than just a sleeping bag to sleep on. It was miserable!
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Thanks for the giveaway...had a great long weekend hiking/camping trip at the Grand Canyon last fall; camped alongside the Colorado River and made s'mores !
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I spent 2 weeks camping in Yosemite with my 5 children. It rained every morning so we had breakfast in the lodge. We hiked to the top of every waterfall and had an absolute blast.
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The only camping trip I was ever on was in the parking lot of the YMCA. Seriously! I belonged to the Indian Y Princess Program as a kid and we were supposed to have gone camping but something happened and we ended up setting up the tents in the parking lot and camped there!
I have been on several camping trips. It almost always involves fishing and me doing a lot of cooking and clean-up. vidomich(at)yahoo(dot)com
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I've never been camping. There are snakes in the woods, Right? garrettsambo@aol.com
I've never been camping. There are snakes in the woods, Right? garrettsambo@aol.com
The kids got to see the big dipper and eat lots of homemade campfire food.
When in boy scouts, we were hiking the wakazoo trail. while buzy running my mouth, I stepped over the only poisoness snake in Michigan. The seldom seen Massasauga Rattler! foutunately it was only a small one and did not attack.
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