Tents on Trucks are Us!

Wednesday seemed like a perfect day to take the pickup tent on its maiden camping voyage. The weather is cool now in Nebraska after some record-breaking high temps in September and I have no desire to sweat profusely while trying to sleep in the great outdoors. We packed our various camping supplies and made the trip to Fort Kearny State Recreation Area which is just down the road from Hastings (directions). My strategy for choosing a tent that sets up on the back of the truck rather than on the ground has everything to do with my perceived safety and nothing to do with practicality. I believe it would be harder for a bear to eat us or a rattlesnake to bite us if we are three feet off of the ground rather than directly on level with their teeth. However, Mark has a sizable machete just in case any wild critter threatens our lives. Time will tell if this was a smart move on my part or just paranoia.

Arriving at the campground, we were greeted by an Iron Ranger which is just a fancy word for a mailbox-type slot to fill out an envelope and put the camping fee ($15) inside not a superhero of any sort. We picked a lovely spot with shade, a lake view, and the outhouse bathrooms just far enough away to keep the odor at bay but close enough to be manageable for a midnight run. Honestly, it took very little time to put up the tent and within 30 minutes we had the entire campsite up and ready to go. The campground has a bicycle library of sorts, where you can take a bike to use for the day at no cost as long as you treat it well and return it. What a deal! We pedaled to where the Fort Kearny Hike-Bike trail began and then walked down to the Platte River, crossing a very cool bridge that had previously been used by the railroad. Now that area farmers have stopped irrigating in preparation for harvest, there is a nice amount of water in the river and this bridge provides several ways to get down into the river bed and explore. It was a beautiful, quiet walk and we met only one other person on the trail.

We then returned to start our bonfire with wood we brought from home to roast hotdogs and later s’mores while drinking adult beverages from an ice-filled cooler. It was lovely! A neighboring camper brought some very nice firewood to share and we enjoyed a roaring fire until bedtime. We climbed into the truck tent around 10 PM with our pickup truck fitted air mattress inflated and covered with comfy pillows and a comforter. It was as good as camping gets in a tent! As the night progressed, the temperature dipped down into the 40s, and at around 3 AM, I got up to potty and grab my long underwear out of the cab. It was cold! Our tent has a screened top for star viewing and the night sky was beautiful far from the light of populated areas. Mark made fresh coffee at around 7 AM using our pour-over pot and handed me an insulated cup full so that I didn’t even have to get out of bed!

In review, we’ve decided that it might be wise to invest in a couple of sleeping bags that would be warmer than just a comforter but the overall experience was stellar! We started home at around 10 AM after checking out the bathhouse, which was very nice and clean. Overall, it was a grand success and we are currently planning our next fall camping trip for sometime in the near future.