I posted a comment to George's recent post about camping and received several comments and e-mails back about it. So I decided to put up a post about camping trips we've taken over the last 10 years and our favorite places to camp at. We're not deep woods type of campers. Any site we've stayed at is within a few miles of a regular grocery store. And we do like campgrounds that aren't too crowded and that are tent-friendly.
So here are my favorite sites.
1.Calvin Coolidge State Park in Vermont. This park has wonderful lean-tos that were built in the 1930 by the CCC. One of my favorite memories there is getting gold panning information from the park ranger, and standing in a freezing stream trying to pan for gold. We didn't have the right equipment but we did have a lot of fun. Plymouth is quite close to Quechee, home of the Quechee Gorge. Each year Quechee also hosts a great hot air balloon festival over the June weekend closest to father's day -- well worth the trip.
2.Towshend State Park in southern Vermont. This has a beautiful rangers cabin built by the CCC. There are some campsites just by a river, so you can fall to sleep to the sound of water. Also nice hiking trails.
3.Myles Standish State Forest in southern Massachusetts. We spent a wonderful week right beside Curlew Pond. Lots of wonderful swimming and canoing, thanks to the loan a canoe from a fellow camper. The forest is a short distance from Cape Cod, so you can make day trips there without difficulty. And we met several people who had been camping there for more than 15 years each.
4.Otter River State Forest in western Massachusetts. I stayed there over Labor Day Weekend 2006, just me and the three children. We managed to visit a nearby drive-in movie theater. It was too late in the season for swimming and too wet for hiking. But we're visiting again in June and this time we're staying in a Yurt. Otter River has four of these, each sleeping 4 or 6 people. It won't be the same as pitching our own tent, but I can't wait to try them out. The campground people say these are not good in very hot weather. I'm hoping early June will be on the cool side.
Besides these we've tried other sites in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. None of these are memorable enough that I can recall their names.
If you've not tried camping, now is a good time to start thinking about it. New tents are very light, easy to assemble and extremely waterproof. Tents go on sale shortly and they are very cheap at the start of the season. It's a great family investment and the stuff of memories for years to come.
Have you got any favorite sites that you can recommend?
This evening I read Vivian's post that points to a video about people with chronic illness. As someone with two chronic illnesses, diabetes and asthma, I really struck a chord with me.
For the last few weeks I've been thinking about diabetes and those of us who live with this disease. A lot of recent posts in the OC-blogosphere has expressed the frustration that we all feel. That frustration seems to come from several sources
Insurance coverage struggles for diabetes (a chronic disease)
Difficulties of managing diabetes
Problems with our healthcare providers
I think a lot of the problems come down to the fact that our US health care system is more concerned with providing treatment for episodic health issues. It's hard to get adequate coverage for an insulin pump ($5,000) and all of the needed supplies($2,500 or so per year), but not for a foot ulcer ($27,987 for the 2 years after diagnosis) or dialysis treatment ($70,000 per year). The same is true for many health crises that can come because of the challenges of diabetes.
According to the video that Vivian pointed to, 75% of people over 65 will deal with at least one chronic illness. So why does it seem as if the various institutions involved (health insurance carriers, healthcare providers, etc.) don't seem to take this seriously?
What I'd like to understand is where to start influencing people to make a change. Should we (d-bloggers) be trying to speak to classes at Harvard Medical School? Should I be having regular conversations with my state and federal law-makers? How do we get the ball rolling?
Vivian, thanks for pointing out that video. I feel inspired by it to contact professors at Harvard and see whether I can't talk with a class about some of the struggles that diabetes represents.
What else might you do to turn this situation around?
The Diabetes Technology Blog is focused on using technology to life better with diabetes. I review: blood glucose monitors; continuous glucose monitor; blood sugar meters; diabetes software and living with diabetes.
About Me
Name: Bernard Farrell
Location: Massachusetts, United States
I was born in Ireland and now live in the US.
I have had Type 1 diabetes for over 35 years. I struggle with my blood sugar, the same as most people with diabetes.
I wear a Cozmo 1800 insulin pump and a Dexcom SEVEN CGM to track my blood glucose levels. I also take Symlin to help control my post-meal blood sugars.
I'm blessed by God, and every day brings the possibility of a cure.
