Over four decades ago, my grandpa began going to a family campground called Driftstone on the Delaware. Since then, he has brought his children, in-laws, siblings of in-laws, extended cousins, and grandchildren. Each year, my family prepares for the annual camping trip and we are excited months before the four days even begin. In all honesty, I am excited now and I still have to wait eight months. The anticipation only adds to the excitement of the trip because we know what Drifstone has in store for us: days of activities with our family. We all can take a few days away from our busy lives, avoiding most of our school and work obligations, and without the pressure to spend time with others.
Going there as children, our parents allowed us to have a sense of importance. My cousins and I could ride our bikes around the campground and to the barn without our parents, a degree of freedom unheard of at home. Despite my weak hammering skills, they allowed me to help pitch the tents, ignoring the fact that having the kids help would only lengthen the process. Unlike the holidays where there was (and still is) a “kids table,” the picnic tables at Drifstone and the chairs around the fire were open for all of us. It was the chance to sit and talk with all the children and adults together.
Over the years there, we have made many traditions. Every year, we take pictures in the same pose, just looking a bit older. We always leave the campground for an evening to get food at a local diner, and oftentimes stop for ice cream on the way back. Recently, we started playing a new game each year created by our grandpa and one of the grandchildren. We’ve become the "River Warriors," and if you think drawing on ourselves with M&Ms and floating down the Delaware River sounds strange, you are correct. If you do not think it sounds like an amazing time, though, you are certainly mistaken.
Even without our creativity, the campground has so many things to do with daily activities like duck races, weekly hay rides, and barn dances including hula hoop and limbo contests. The campground amenities are perfect for wiffleball games, volleyball tournaments, swimming, riding bikes, playing giant checkers, and making s’mores. We spend entire days in bathing suits and eat as many snacks as we would like. These days are so full of laughter and happiness that they fly by. Even in the worst of conditions, there is no place I would rather be. From collapsed dining tents to leaking tents in torrential downpours, we have enjoyed our way through it all.
When I was younger, I always imagined Driftstone to be a magical place. How could I not? The kids were given freedom and responsibility, there were so many activities to participate in, and my family was guaranteed to enjoy ourselves. As I’ve gotten older, though, I have come to realize that I love this place because of the opportunities it presents to me. While camping, I have my family around me with all of our undivided attention and we are unrestricted by time. Driftstone has given me the chance to make incredible memories, but I know that if we had grown up camping elsewhere, I would love it all the same. When I think of my camping memories, they all involve other people as well: floating down the river together, dividing all the cousins into volleyball teams, laughing as one big family gathered around the campfire, etc. My fondness of Driftstone is not actually because of the physical place, but because of the people who surround me while I am there. Thus, it seems my favorite place is not even a place after all; it is a gathering of some of my favorite people embracing and enjoying our time together.
