Camping: Desert and Mountains

Camping: Mountains and Desert A few times a year, I like to go camping. Sometimes I go to the mountains in Kern County, California, whereas, other times I go to the desert in Brawley, California. Camping in the mountains, although similar in atmosphere, terrain and activities, has many more benefits than camping in the desert. There is nothing like taking a deep breath of cool, crisp mountain air, taking that narrow winding road that never seems to end until at last reaching the very spot that I’ve been dreaming about. The sun is starting to peak through the trees as I start the tedious task of setting up camp. I stop for a moment and realize I can hear laughter, bushes brushing up against the pant legs of hikers, fallen branches snapping under foot and the various ground critters that run free. I look around and see cities of tents packed tightly together under the soaring redwood trees, large rocks scattered near and far in promise of great climbing adventures for young children and shallow streams that invite even the most inexperienced fishermen. Night falls, and I hear the trees moving, making music in the sky, coyotes howling to the moon and the streams moving swiftly as they are racing to the river. Out of the corner of my eye I catch a glimpse of flickering orange light that seems to dance in the wind, only to realize it is the camp fire at the heart of each tent city. I can see happiness painted across each of the smiling faces that sit and stare as others puff their checks out and cross their eyes. Oh yes, they are imitating a monkey in the game of charades. The smell of roasted marshmallows is beginning to engulf my pallet as I hold my metal hanger over the fire, causing my mouth to water. As I sit in my chair I can feel my eyes beginning to close, and all I can do is smile because there is a promise that tomorrow will hold new adventures. The season has changed, and the excitement has begun to sink in, the bikes are loaded and the RV is packed.