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I never tent-camped as a kid and I never enjoyed “sleep away” or summer camp. Family vacations were more fun and as an only child, the activities and food were better than anything a one- or two-week stay at a campground could offer. In the ‘70s I stayed in cabins as a Bluebird in Camp Fire, formally known as Camp Fire Girls of America and enjoyed annual class weekend trips to Camp Pioneer when I was a student at Martin Luther Christian School which closed in 2004. However, my parents and I enjoyed amusement parks. Crystal Beach, Fantasy Island, Disneyland, Cedar Point and Six Flags over Georgia were among my favorites.

Moving to Niagara County in 2017 piqued my interest in tent camping. I used to bicycle across the Rainbow Bridge and ride along the Niagara River Recreation Trail north to Niagara-on-the-Lake or south toward Fort Erie. One day, I passed the Riverside Park Motel and Campground on one of my trips along the southern route. The location offered shady tent sites. A bicycle camping trip was something I did not consider, but I filed it away as something I could definitely manage.

I mentioned the idea of a bicycle-tent-camping trip to my partner Tom. He was not that enthusiastic at first. I thought he would relish the opportunity to dust off his camping gear and practice the skills he finessed as an Eagle Scout. On more than one occasion he has said, “Being an Eagle Scout helped make me the man I am today.” Surely, he would jump at the chance to show me the camping ropes. Instead, I had to listen to him whine about how he got it out of his system. He only uses his backpacking tent for male-bonding motorcycle trips and, blah, blah, blah. Eventually I changed his mind. It only took five years. I am very patient.

We packed his 2-person “motorcycle trip only” backpacking tent, a cooler and overnight bag into our SUV and drove to Niagara Shores Campground & Event Center in Olcott for Labor Day weekend.

I have grown more outdoorsy as an adult and my first tent camping experience did not disappoint. It rained Saturday evening, but the tent was dry, and I did not melt. The RV site is a small area compared to other places. Traditional tent camp sites are not as plentiful as they used to be. A few sites have replaced their tent groves with gravel to accommodate the increase in recreational vehicles. The pandemic was a boon for RVs and campgrounds. Luckily, Niagara Shores is tent-friendly and has no plans to decrease the size of the tent grove.

Cabins are nice, RVs are cool, but I prefer a traditional camping experience. There is nothing like sleeping in a tent beneath a starry sky. I liked it so much that I ordered a 4-person tent and booked a visit to Four Mile Creek State Park.

Niagara County is naturally wonderful. I love living here and, in a few weeks, I’ll get to nestle in my new tent and count my lucky stars in the beautiful Niagara sky.

Sharon Bailey lives in Niagara Falls. You can email her at sbailey.opinion@gmail.com

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