We just returned from our first, hopefully of many, camping trips with our friends Alex and Nicole. We went to a semi-local state park, Metamora-Hadley, where Nicole camped a lot when she was younger. It’s what most people would refer to as “rustic camping.” There were bathrooms and showers that we could use, and our site had access to electricity, so while this camping was “rustic” it wasn’t as if we were out in the middle of the woods with no amenities. There are some nature trails we could hike along, and a beautiful lake with a sectioned off beach for swimming. You can also rent canoes and go out on the lake to fish or just row around. We didn’t do that this time, but perhaps next time we will. This was the first time that I have gone camping since I was a kid, and even then it was more of a resort type camping (less rustic, same amenities with the addition of a pool, game room, lounge, etc) and I only went once or twice. Kylie, Melissa, and I all had a fun time, though if we are going to go again we will need to get some of our own stuff as we had to borrow a tent, and luckily Alex and Nicole have basically everything else you would need to camp. We were only able to go out for the weekend, so hopefully next time we can go for a longer trip.