A Stay At Parker Canyon Lake

This past weekend, my son and I headed south to Parker Canyon Lake for a Cub Scout Camp-out. He had a good time. I got a bit too much sun. I still took a bunch of pictures, though, so I thought I’d share a few. You can click the images to get a larger version.

I’ll be honest, the landscape around Parker Canyon Lake is not what immediately springs to mind when I hear the word “camping.” Growing up, I got spoiled on tall pine trees and cool mountain air, and neither were to be found in this area. Dusty trails and dry grass were abundant, though, so fire safety was a must.

The views of the lake were very pretty, though, and that’s where most of the kid’s time was spent. Hiking, fishing and exploring.

My son had a good time exploring the lake. He gave the fishing pole a try, but he never got the hang of it. In truth, I think the heat was getting to him a bit, too. We’d packed for cooler weather and were met with temperatures in the low nineties. Still, we made the best of it.

We played a couple of games, and had fun with the other families. My son says he really enjoyed himself, and wants to go again soon. Unfortunately, I had to borrow all of the camping gear I used this weekend, so we’re going to have to save up to get our own stuff if we’re going to be doing this on a more regular basis. Speaking of gear…

That “little” green tent behind the trees is where we called home for the night. It’s a “four man” tent, so it slept a full sized male and a ten year old boy comfortably. I almost didn’t bring the air mattress, but I threw it in at the last minute, just in case. I am so glad I did. The ten minutes it took to inflate it, carry it back to the campsite, and shove it in the tent, meant the best night’s sleep I have ever had in the great outdoors. Our tent, tarp, and bedding were provided by my good friend Wayne Daley, who runs MAN Tucson. Go show him some love.

We all tied the day off with some time around the campfire. The kids, and a few adults, got to tell (awful) jokes and share stories. Everyone got a chance to make and eat s’mores. The kids were able to take advantage of the beautifully clear night and got to see Saturn, Venus, and Mars through a telescope that was brought up to the site by one of the leaders. After that, bed time.

For breakfast the next morning, we had RV omelets. That’s what I was taught to call them, at least. You cook two eggs, and whatever other ingredients you’d like, inside a plastic freezer bag that’s placed inside a pot of boiling water. Easy to do and almost no clean up.

This would be the most dangerous wildlife we saw during our entire stay at the lake. Little lizards just like this one were all over the lake shore. They were probably more active due to the warm weather.

And finally, here’s a accidental shot of my foot. Enjoy!