How one Fourth of July weekend in 2010 became the beginning of our family’s greatest adventure.

“Sometimes the best family traditions begin long before you realize you’re creating them.”

📖 Memory Box

Date: Fourth of July Weekend, 2010

Location: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Family: Mom, Dad, two little boys (a few days before turning 2 and 5)

Camping Style: Tent

Weather: Three-hour hailstorm, then sunshine

Favorite Memory: Our very first campfire and s’mores

Biggest Lesson: Always know if your campsite has electricity!

Would We Go Back? Absolutely. This trip started over a decade of family adventures.

Before There Was an RV…

**Caption:** *Practicing how to set up our very first tent inside our tiny two-bedroom apartment. We didn’t have a backyard, so our living room became our first campground.*

Long before we owned an RV…

Long before we knew what a campsite reservation was…

Long before campfire traditions and hiking trails became part of our family…

There was a tiny two-bedroom apartment, a brand-new four-person tent, and two little boys who thought camping in the living room was the greatest adventure ever.

We had never camped before.

We didn’t own camping gear.

We didn’t know what we were doing.

But we were excited.

Looking back now, I smile at this picture because none of us knew that this little tent would become the beginning of a family tradition that would last for more than a decade.

The Plan

Our first camping trip was scheduled for the Fourth of July weekend in 2010.

Simple enough…

Pack the tent.

Pack some food.

Drive to a campground.

Spend the weekend camping.

At least, that’s what we thought.

Then we discovered something every Midwestern camper already knew…

Holiday weekends are booked months in advance.

Not weeks.

Months!

By the time we decided to go camping, nearly every campground was full.

Determined not to give up, we found a first-come, first-served campground at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Perfect!

Or so we thought.

Caption: Our first family camping trip. We were excited, optimistic... and completely unaware of what awaited us. — **Caption:** *Our first family camping trip. We were excited, optimistic… and completely unaware of what awaited us.*

Lesson #1: Know What “Rustic” Means

What we didn’t realize was that we’d booked a rustic campground.

Back then, we had no idea what “non-modern” meant.

We assumed every campground had electricity.

Water hookups.

Convenient amenities.

Instead…

We had none of those things.

We wouldn’t fully realize that until later.

Three Hours…Waiting

We arrived shortly after lunch, eager to begin our adventure.

Then the sky turned dark.

A hailstorm rolled in.

For nearly three hours, we sat inside our Honda Pilot watching hail pound the campground.

Our camping trip hadn’t even started.

The boys waited patiently.

We waited hopefully.

Around six o’clock in the evening, the storm finally passed.

Only then could we begin setting up camp.

**Caption:** *Finally setting up camp after waiting out a three-hour hailstorm.* *Our creative solution for keeping mosquitoes away during dinner. Looking back, I think we were pretty resourceful!*

Our Luxury Campsite

Our campsite wasn’t exactly Pinterest-worthy.

We had:

One tiny four-person tent.
A beach umbrella.
A mosquito net.
Air mattresses.
A whole lot of enthusiasm.

That was it.

The Air Mattress Disaster

We proudly unpacked our air mattresses.

Then reality hit.

There was…

No electricity.

“No problem,” we thought.

“We’ll plug the air pump into the car.”

Unfortunately…

Our SUV battery wasn’t strong enough.

Our comfortable night’s sleep quickly turned into slightly inflated air mattresses.

Our first camping lesson had officially been learned.

Then Something Wonderful Happened

Dinner was finally ready.

The campfire crackled.

The marshmallows toasted.

And suddenly…

None of the day’s problems mattered anymore.

**Caption:** *Our very first campfire. Every camping tradition starts somewhere.*

“Mom…We Go Home.”

Our youngest son was only two years old.

As bedtime arrived, he quietly told us he wanted to go home and sleep in his own bed.

Honestly…

After everything we’d been through that day, I almost wanted to go home too.

But after a little comforting, he eventually fell asleep.

So did we.

A Brand-New Day

The next morning couldn’t have been more different.

Blue skies.

Warm sunshine.

Lake Michigan stretching as far as we could see.

The boys forgot all about yesterday.

So did we.

**Caption:** *Heading to the beach with all the essentials… and more excitement than experience.*

**Caption:** *Watching childhood unfold one sandy hill at a time.*

**Caption:** *The little boy who wanted to go home the night before was now completely in his happy place.*

We climbed the dunes.

Played in the sand.

Fed potato chips to the seagulls…

(Yes…we later learned that wasn’t a good idea!)

Every first camping trip comes with a few lessons.

**Caption:** *Dad was a very good sport.*

My Favorite Picture

This photo perfectly captures the moment.

No one was thinking about the hailstorm anymore.

Or the flat air mattress.

Or the mosquitoes.

We were laughing.

Camping has a funny way of doing that.

Looking back, I realize something.

My boys probably won’t remember whether our campground had electricity.

They won’t remember how uncomfortable the air mattresses were.

They’ll remember how they felt.

Safe.

Loved.

Free to run.

Free to play.

Together.

And isn’t that what family adventures are really about?

Looking Back Sixteen Years Later

I still remember telling my husband,

“This camping trip will decide whether we hate camping or love it.”

If we hated it…

This would be our first and last camping trip.

After all, what inexperienced camper could survive a fully booked holiday weekend, a three-hour hailstorm, a rustic campground with no electricity, flat air mattresses, mosquitoes, and a homesick toddler?

Apparently…

Us.

Because despite everything that went wrong, something much bigger went right.

That little four-person tent became the beginning of over a decade of camping adventures.

We’ve camped in tents.

We’ve explored beautiful state parks.

We’ve watched our boys grow from toddlers into young men around countless campfires.

And today, we’ve started a new chapter with our travel trailer.

But no matter where we camp…

This little trip to Indiana Dunes will always be the one that started it all.

Mom Tried & Tested: Lessons from Our First Camping Trip

❤️ Book holiday campsites months in advance.

❤️ Learn the difference between modern and rustic campgrounds.

❤️ Always know how you’ll inflate your air mattress.

❤️ Don’t feed the seagulls.

❤️ Expect something to go wrong.

❤️ Those unexpected moments often become your favorite memories.

❤️ You don’t need the perfect gear to build unforgettable family traditions.

Welcome to Our Camping Journey

If you’re new here, welcome to Mom Tried and Tested.

This blog isn’t about having the newest gear or the fanciest campsite.

It’s about creating memories, learning through experience (sometimes the hard way!), and proving that the best family adventures don’t have to be perfect to be unforgettable.

I’m so glad you’re here, and I hope our stories inspire you to start—or continue—your own family adventures.

See you around the campfire.

— Maryset

A Letter to My Boys

If you're reading this years from now, maybe with children of your own, I hope you remember this weekend.
I hope you remember more than the hailstorm, the mosquitoes, or the flat air mattresses.
I hope you remember how excited you were to sleep in a tent.
How you ran barefoot across the dunes.
How marshmallows somehow tasted better over a campfire.
How our little family was simply happy being together.
One day, I hope you'll pitch a tent or park an RV with your own family and create memories that your children will tell their children.
Because that's how traditions live on—not through perfect vacations, but through ordinary weekends shared with the people we love.

Love, Mom