THE ALABASTER EXPERIENCE
Cindy Maddera
After our last camping trip, I made a vow never to let the camping lapse again. I planned this weekend's trip with the meteor shower in mind and it's the main reason I chose for us to go to Alabaster Caverns. I also thought it would be fun to invite friends and family out, but our only takers turned out to be my parents.
Chris and I and some friends had been out at Alabaster Caverns this time about, oh, eight years ago. There was a big group of boy scouts there all working towards their camping and spelunking badges. I just remember being surprised by how beautiful that part of the state is. And not much has changed. Our tent started out looking very lonely out there on the prairie, but by the end of the night we were surrounded. By boy scouts.
We had a really nice time. Did the cave tour, saw some bats, and got to see a couple of meteors. There were only a couple of down sides. My parents got there on Wednesday and Thursday night, my Mom's cat got out of the trailer. We hunted, but she hasn't been found. Dad was pretty upset. Another down side was realizing that Dad is getting old. He didn't do too much of the hiking with us and complained of the heat constantly. Both of my parents seem really out of practice with the whole camping thing and were even a little overwhelmed with the idea of cooking outside. Chris and I pretty much just steered them in the right directions. Sort of like "See? This is how you roast a marshmallow".
And speaking of marshmallows. Chris and I decided from the last camping trip to start trying different candy bars in our smores. Why limit yourself to just a plain old Hershey Bar? This trip we used Reeses Peanut butter cups. I think this is my favorite so far.