Everything was going really great until we saw the football sized bat hanging in the tree above the tent. It was... bigger than a football. And looked... kindof dead. But still, if there was a bat that size in the tree, there must have been more that size elsewhere, right?
This sighting triggered my first ever panic attack, where I couldn't breathe properly and I came scary close to passing out and throwing up. All at the same time!
That's when we got out the binoculars and discovered that the bat was, indeed, PLASTIC.
A practical joke, left by some previous campers.
It was just enough to leave me feeling frazzled and off kilter.
The park ranger lady didn't have a pole long enough to get it down out of the tree, so I had to watch it sway up in the branches the rest of the evening, remembering the feeling I got upon seeing it for the first time-- the feeling that, oh! monsters were actually real afterall! and also, I was going to DIE BY BAT.
After that, things evened out for awhile. We walked and played by the creek and had a grand ol' time roasting marshmallows and making smores. Ezra had worn me so thin during the day of excitement with all his LOUD and non-stop talking/questions/attitude, that I could not WAIT to get him into bed and fall onto my pillow in the camping trailer as well. Myer had also chosen to replace his normal naps with bouts of screeching instead, so I was worn to the bone.
I read Ezra some stories, got Myer to finally pass out on the bed next to me, turned out the lights, and crawled into bed with my headlamp and my book. I was just falling asleep when...
scritch scritch scritch
scritch scritch
scritch scritch scritch scritch scritch scritch
scritch
"What is that kooky noise?", I thought sleepily to myself.
Then I sat straight up in bed and switched my head lamp back on. My blood ran cold.
The light from my headlamp spotted one of them on the sink next to the bed Ezra was sleeping in.MICE.
IN THE TRAILER. Where the boys and I were sleeping.
I ran out to the tent to alert my parents that I was about to die for the second time that day.
After much debate, my dad ended up sleeping in the trailer with one dog (mouse protection), and my mom and me and the kids piled into the tent with the other dog. (bat protection)
The boys and the dogs slept great.
The adults? Not so much.
The next day we played by the creek some more, drank yummy camping coffee, then decided to pack up early and head out.
So... other than nearly dying by bat and/or mice, it was fabulous-ish!
After a 12 hour sleep the next night, safe in the bed at my parent's house, I think I may be almost back to normal.
Almost.
9 comments:
Wow! At least it's an adventure to remember... :)
How mean for someone to put a GIANT fake bat up in a tree! That's awful. I would have had a panic attack as well. And mice terrify me. They are so tiny but so weirdly scary. What an experience you had!
I agree that the bat thing is totally not funny! As for the mice...they always scare me more before I realize that they're mice. When it's just a strange noise, then I can't sleep! How cute is Ezra! What an adventure for him:)
Emery, you're so funny :) But hey, camping is all about bats, ants, mice, bugs and other many-legged pleasures, you know :-D Be ready next time!
I love the outdoors and it always seems like a good idea to camp when there is gorgeous scenery around you... until you are stuffed into a tent with a bumpy ground under your sleeping bag, no A/C and thick, muggy air, strange sounds, etc. I NEVER sleep well and I ALWAYS think, "WHY did I want do this??" You are a brave woman to do this with two kiddos. I salute you. :)
Sounds like so much fun, but not sure if I am brave enough to go out with my boys! Looks live a great vacation and visit.
After going camping in our brand-new mini-van 2 years ago, we brought a bat home....
Yes, it had crawled into the small hole that houses the handle to the hatchback of the tailgate (did you get that? It's kind of confusing) Brad had to pull it out with needlenose pliers in small, bloody pieces.
(insert shudder here)
~Kelly
This is hilarious and strangely, just makes me look forward to our camping adventures this summer (hopefully bat and mouse free).
I can TOTALLY relate to the exhaustion from the CONSTANT verbal processing/questioning in this phase of parenting right now.
Yikes! At least you didn't see any snakes. They send me over the edge. Although the plasti-bat and mouse would definitely get me pretty close.
And, I had been meaning to tell you that my brother has been in OK (miles away from home) looking for a tornado to chase! (It's in his job description.) I recall that you have a penchant for thunderstorms and eerie green skies.
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