Riverfront Trail

Yesterday I rode Amber down to the riverfront to to hang out by the Arch. Today we hit the Riverfront Trail. No car necessary :).

Rooftop Camping....Again

Our 2nd go at rooftop camping went well. Setup was much faster and we're getting a routine down. It's a shame that this is the last weekend (for the summer) that we have our little rooftop area to ourselves.

Ready for a Walk

Mr. Bryce attempting to walk himself.

Urban Camping at City Museum

Camping supplies for an urban camping trip vary just a bit from those you'd pack were you headed into the woods. Electricity is usually readily available and a good long extension cord will come in handy. Why do you need electricity? Air pump. The air mattress that you'll need to get you up off the concrete (our rooftop is concrete) when you sleep will ruin your night if you try to blow it up manually. Also, our fire needs are minimal so no need for starter fluid, tinder, or anything like that. Pictured (to the right of the marshmallows) is a mini-hibachi that uses sterno and lights on the first try.

After a harrowing journey down the hall, to the elevator, and up to the 13th floor (aka, 'the roof'), the girls get to work staking out the most sincere spot on which to pitch the tent. 

Yes, we're 13-stories up and yet there are trees and a school bus just two stories below us. Figure that one out. Ohh, wait, we're at the City Museum. Cool. Y'know, that bus looks like it'd be a fun place to camp sometime. We'll have to work on that with the powers that be.

The tent is up and the sun's going down. Sunsets from our building are amazing. Just behind the girls, two stories below (not pictured) is a small pond that'd be perfect to put some magnetic 'fish' in. With some magnets on fishing poles, we could potentially add fishing to our urban camping experience at some point.

At night in the tent. We took a break from some games to snap this shot. Whoever thinks that the city is devoid of interesting wildlife can kiss my...well, anyway, that mantis in the background is about 16ft tall.

 

Who wants to worry about wood, charcoal, starting a fire or burning down a forest. That little mini-hibachi in the center cost $12 and burns sterno. It's perfect for roasting hot dogs or marshmallows.

4:12am in our tent. The weather was perfect and all went well. We had a small oxygen-retention problem with the air mattress but, overall, things went great. The air mattress has already been patched and we're looking forward to our next go at rooftop camping.