When two people meet for the first time, it is only polite to introduce yourself. You and I are just meeting, as this is my first blog for Families.com, so please allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Sandra Essary and I was raised in Roswell, New Mexico (no, I never saw any aliens there) and Midland, Texas, the oil mecca of the southwest. We then moved to California when I was in high school. I did well in high school, but you couldn’t pay me to be a teenager again.
College meant freedom to me. I studied hard, but I also played hard. I spent my junior year studying in France and traveling all over Europe. That’s something that changes your perspective and life forever.
I camped out with my friends, but somewhere along the line it dawned on me that I wanted to go camping more than they did. Well, I thought, if that’s the case I refuse to be tied to home just because no one else wants to go. So at the age of 20 I camped (actually backpacked) by myself, staying in a non-campground area. Many, many years later I had camped in Death Valley, Sequoia, Yosemite, on the beach, in the woods, by rivers, in the high desert, in barely accessible wilderness and in other isolated spots. If you put all my camping-out days back to back, I estimate that they would total about two and a half years.
That’s a lot of learning. A lot of trial and error. And a whole lot of fun! Even now, with all my experience, I am still learning. My hope is not only to share the love of the outdoors with you, but also give you tips to avoid the “error” part.
I have also canoed, rafted (a number of times and places), scuba dived, snorkeled, hot air ballooned, rode horses, skied, and things I’m sure I’m forgetting.
Enough about me. What I really want to know is what YOU want to hear about. Stories about swimming with sharks, my day with dolphins, meeting bears in the woods, camping tips and how-tos, survival, family fun camping activities, kids’ camping safety, nature awareness, tent & equipment reviews – what would you like to hear about?
This is YOUR forum, not just mine. Together we can make it an informative, entertaining, and inspiring blog.
Here are some interesting links for you to peruse:
Make your reservations for National Parks now!
Top Ten North American Campsites