Tents bring campers closer to nature, each other

LAKE TAHOE - The smells of sizzling bacon, fried eggs and last night's campfire wafting through the early morning air are subtle if not sensual reminders that not only is the Fourth of July holiday weekend here, but camping season is in full swing.

"Camping involves roughing it just a tad in hopes of becoming one with nature," tent camper Bob Kowallis said Thursday. Kowallis and 27 members of his extended family chose a campground setting for their annual family reunion.

For those hoping to spend a little time this weekend becoming one with nature, tents are usually the choice dwelling structures used to achieve this oneness, since they are usually light, environmentally friendly and typically require campers to bring only the bare essentials.

However, with today's options including RVs large enough to accommodate a small community and equipped with every item and then some, it may seem tempting to pull one of these "homes on wheels" into a campsite and call it camping.

"I'm a sissy and I'm proud of being it," Gloria Engman of Lodi, another tent camper explains. "I'm not the 'getting back to nature' type, and actually felt like a cavewoman this morning when I had to wash my face with lukewarm water."

So why is Engman in a tent as opposed to being checked in to the Hilton or dwelling in a choice RV, as she would prefer?

"My husband insists on camping in the tent and we do it for the kids," Engman explained.

Simply put, tent camping forces families to be in close quarters.

Sitting around the campfires at night or hiking and biking together during the day, as well as the fact that most meals, if not all, are eaten together makes it a cherished family past time.

"If we all checked into hotels, we'd all go to our separate rooms and separate ways at night.

With camping, we can all hang out by the campfire, spend the evening together and talk," Kowallis explains.

Whether families go camping in a luxurious RV or a bare-minimum tent, the focus of the trip still seems to revolve around the family, and either structure seems to accommodate that.