I did it again. I booked a summer weekend in a Yurt for the middle of the year.
You can call me crazy (I think my wife believes I am) but these places are popular and sell out quickly. If you decide to go, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's like 4-star camping, and an easy introduction to the outdoor life.
Mel of Orsa Aetas introduced me to Doane's Falls and I know we'll also pay another visit there while we're in the neighborhood.
I'm looking forward to a last bit of R&R before school starts for everyone.
On Monday I'm looking forward to lunch with Allison and Mel in Cambridge, MA. If any of you d-bloggers are local to Massachusetts drop me a line if you'd like to join the fun.
And next week I'll try and post some thoughts on the Cozmo insulin pump that I just returned today. Overall I liked it with a few reservations.
Warning: I'm updating my blogger template and my blogroll. I apologize for the big RSS feed updates. I'll let it all settle down for now.
I'm going camping with my children (Mom's staying at home) for the first three days of next week. We'll be at the lovely Otter River state forest in Massachusetts.
Oh, and we'll not be packing our own tent. This time we're staying in a yurt! You can see them in the picture on the Otter River page.
I'll post some pictures after we get back. I can't wait!
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?
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.
