One of the many downfalls of living in Western Pennsylvania is the lack of ocean. We're probably about 6 hours from the nearest oceanic front. So Elise and I decided to remedy that with a trip to Lake Erie. It sounded like the perfect plan, Beach+Sun=FUN!

We set up our tent within 4 minutes at the Erie KOA, and the adventure began. We lavishly applied bug repellant and sat outside eating cake out of Tupperware. Do we know how to rough it or what? (The neighbors, two young lovebirds, were foraging for wood and berries...)

I provided everything (tent, tarp, mattress) and Elise's job was to bring the light. She brought a half-charged flashlight. So we played "Go fish" in the dark; I mistakenly paired an 8 with a 10 and lost the game. At this point in time our neighbors were getting frisky. All that separated us were two nylon walls providing them with a false sense of security. Elise:

"Do you hear that noise?" "What noise?" "It's like a purring..."

I thought the neighbors had just gone too far, but to my surprise it was a raccoon, 2 feet from the door of the tent. I've never really encountered one out of my car before, so I growled at it. My ferocious growl scared off our rabid friend.

Elise and I have probably gone camping together about 10 times, and every time we do, it rains. This trip was no exception to the rule. The rain pelted the tent, preventing me from the coveted dreams of R.E.M. sleep. I awoke at 6:30, and to my amazement, we had made it to the ocean! Unfortunately I soon realized that this water found its way in through a hole in the top of the tent. We spent the next four hours huddled under wet sleeping bags in the car.