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the best camping gear is a positive attitude

Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Mike's family go camping in upstate New York every Summer, and we can't always join, but every few years we try to make it up there.

This time we were planning on spending a day at his brothers in Utica first, to meet our newest nephew, and then take the 3 hour drive to Fish Creek in the Adirondack's and stay for about a week. The second our plane touched down in Utica, I got a text from my Disney boss asking if I could jump onto a cruise ship sailing project in 4 days. After talking it over with Mike, we decided it was best for me to cut our camping trip a little early and fly home to jump on the ship, but more about that later.

We made it to my brother and sister in laws place, and were very excited to have some play time with our nephews.

This part of the trip seemed to fly by, and before we knew it, we were off to camp. We grabbed some well-known Slice pizza in Utica for the long car journey.

The wildfires in Canada were making the sky pretty hazy, but it seemed to clear up by the time we got into the mountains.

Camping is not my favorite activity, but I do love spending time with Mike and he loves the outdoors, so we find ways to make it fun. There is always a plethora of activities as long as the weathers clear. It was pretty cold while were there, so there wasn't a lot of time swimming in the lake, but we did make it into the water to kayak. (Also, can we talk about what a talented photographer Mike is?!)

One of my favorite things about camping is laying around in the hammock reading or doing crosswords.

We also enjoy going on bike rides, and this time we added a little bit of playing catch into the mix.

I also love our iconic visits to Donnelly's Ice Cream, where they only serve one kind of soft serve ice cream flavor a day, always twisted with vanilla! Plus the views there are stunning.

Cooking and camping can be quite the experience. Since Mike's family has been doing it so long, they have their traditional menu. Some popular items easy to make over the fire are of course hot dogs, popcorn, smores, and both pizza pies and sweet pies.

For pancakes, eggs, and bacon in the mornings, or grilled chicken and potatoes, the black stone grill comes out to play.

And when you don't wanna cook all together, you find somewhere to go out to eat. We had some amazing German brunch at Lake Clear's Lodge, and wow this food was amazing.

Apple strudel waffle, the most surprisingly delicious.

Black forrest cherry french toast crossaint

pork schnitzel with potato salad and cabbage

Mike's parents were camping with us this time, and the first night it rained, so we shared space in the RV. the next nights, Mike and I slept on an air mattress in the tent, which meant we had the best views to wake up to.

Camping this time was very quick for me, but we made the most of our time together.

My last morning before rushing to the airport, we decided to do a hike up Mt Jo because it was actually our 8th wedding anniversary!

Incredibly romantic hike as I panted and whined the whole way up the mountain, lol. It was about a 3 hour adventure with 700 ft of elevation, but the weather could not have been better.

We finally made it to the top for the sweeping views.

We exchanged our cards and had a little picnic on top of the mountain to celebrate.

After Mike and his dad hike, it's tradition they always get a milkshake. I had to go to the airport straight away, but we both ended up getting Chick Fil A milkshakes from our separate view points.

When we got back to Orlando, and after my cruise, we celebrated our anniversary with a cute little make your own pottery date at Stroke of Art. This was SO fun, and we had a great time. Excited to see the final product!