We leave Sunday for our annual camping trip. The name of the campground we go to is called Grover Hot Springs, but we just refer to this trip as Markleeville. Markleeville is the little town just outside the campground. It’s about 30 miles south of Lake Tahoe, and it really isn’t much more than a wide spot in the road to most, but to me it’s one of the best places in the world.
In the late 50s, early 60s, my uncle got a summer job working for the state parks. They sent him up to Markleeville. He fell in love with the place. He had also fallen in love with my aunt and when he proposed, he brought her up there to do it.
The first time I went to Markleeville was in 1969. I was 2 years old, and (according to my mother) it was one of the first times I ever got dirty. Apparently, dirt and I became good friends.
Grant takes after his mama.
We go with a big group of extended family and friends and we have had as many as 30 people in “camp” at a time.
The campground is fantastic… gorgeous scenery, a creek that runs through it, a pool and a natural mineral hot springs… As a kid, the best part for me? Markleeville General Store.
This is one of the first things you see as you pull in to town and as a kid, one of the worst things that could happen was that you missed out on a trip back in to town. The grown-ups would get ice, fish bait, whatever. We kids? Archie comic books, baby! There was a spinning wire rack that had several different Archie comic books. They were all probably a year old or so, but since we only read them once a year at camp, we didn’t know the difference.
We’d pool our money or beg the grown-up (depending on the grown-up) to buy as many as we could. Those comic books floated around the different campsites and at some point, every kid, every cousin, had read them several times over.
The General Store also had an amazing array of bad candy. Now & Laters, AbbaZabbas, Laffy Taffy. Complete crap that I could not get my hands on back home, whether is wasn’t available or my mom thwarted my efforts, I am not sure. But I was on top of Sugar Mountain when we went camping.
When we weren’t eating junk and reading crap, we were in the creek. 
There is a natural rock slide. I wore out many a bathing suit bottom on this rock. I cannot tell you how much I love to see my kids playing here.
And no trip down to the creek is complete without building a dam.
So to answer the question for this week – my top 5 things about camping? Well from a child’s point of view, it would be:
- town
- comic books
- candy
- the creek
- the hot springs
I have so many great memories of eating fantastic dinners (we don’t eat so well all year as we do when we are camping. Steak? Linguine with white Clam Sauce? Gourmet burgers?) Anyway, an amazing meal, then a walk to the hot springs.
Soaking in the warm water.
A few laps in the cold pool.
A nice walk back to camp under stars and a moon so bright it throws shadows.
Sleeping like a log.
Waking up the next morning to the smell of frying bacon and starting it all over again.
Life is good.
I really enjoyed reading your post, I am visiting from mama kats. The pics are great too..
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Oh, I love camping. Your memories bring back a lot of my own. (Not Archie for me – MAD magazine – which I was never allowed to read at home, but one cousin would save all year for me)
Thanks for sharing such rich memories!
SO fun! We went camping every other year as a kid to our family reunions. We have a few different spots that we stayed at for quite a few years in a row. I still have such great memories of every trip. Thanks for offering a trip down memory lane!
Have fun!!
I love Abba Zabbas, but more than that, my favorites are Big Hunk!
Camping scares me a little but I love old Archie comics and Abba Zabbas
I LOVE your pix and camping tales.
And dirty kids in more than one picture – OMG.
Sometimes I long for extended fam (not MINE, but a good one).
It sounds delightful. I hope you have a grand time and come home with lots of stories and photos.
And have a happy birthday dear!
That sounds like so much fun – I have to admit, I’m pretty intimidated by camping, but I WANT to like it – getting the kids out and away from all the comforts and tv & such. I know it would have been easier had I grown up doing it, but my only experience is when the ‘rents bought a pop-up when I was 12 – horrifying. Maybe next summer we can give it a shot…
ah, nostalgia. I guess part of that makes up for no indoor plumbing….
have a fabulous time!
I want to go with you. Please, please take me!!!! I love a good general store and steak and bad (but so good) candy. I hope you have a blast and share many pictures.
How fun! I never got to do stuff like that as a kid. I know, I know. So neat that you are able to take them to a place that holds so many great memories for you.
Those look like the BEST family times EVER!!! I love it!! I love your picture collage, I clicked on it, and it is beautiful, all those family memories:)
I love Archie as a kid too. I always wanted to be Betty, cause Veronica was a b**ch:)
Such great memories and a great family tradition! It sounds like a great place. Enjoy your next trip.
That sounds like a dreamy vacation! Have fun!
What a great vacation! We are trying to figure out where to go next month–needs to includ water!
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Thank you, and God bless!
I am so jealous! I love camping so much, I am craving it!
Sounds like so much fun! Thanks for coming by!
This sounds like so much fun! I want to go!
What great memories!
Have a great vacation!
Love the signature!
Oh, I wanna go!! Can I go? Huh, huh? Can I? Just a preview of the boys in the candy section of the store. That looks amazing, though!
Macey
Umm, MiMi and I might just have to make a road trip and crash your camping trip. 🙂 Have a great time!!
Aw, ya know…I’ve never been a fan of camping, ever. But your story and the pictures make it look like such a great experience and I’m glad that you have your memories and the new memories you will make with future camping trips!
🙂 Great list!
-M.
This post makes me wanna go camping SO bad! And I’ve really never been! Hope you have the best trip!
I wanna go – – – but that is a FER piece from Indiana!
Looks wonderful!! You are going to have such a fantastic time!! You will be missed but I am sure you will come back with lots of great stories about the trip.
Have a great vacation my friend!
~Becca
That looks like so much fun! What great memories…..will you be doing any hiking?
You eat linguini in clam sauce when you’re camping?
Some of my favorite childhood memeories are of camping for the family reunion.
We head to ours next month!