Camping, Kinship and Kansas Heat

My sister and I discovered that we enjoyed camping when we went backpacking in the Grand Canyon about four years ago.  After saving up money and purchasing our own equipment, we made plans to go camping at Kanopolis State Park in Kansas.  Being relatively inexperienced in the realm of camping, we learned several things:
1.   When you plan to cook things on a camping stove, you need to bring fuel too.
2.   And matches.
3.   At popular campgrounds, firewood can be found by scavenging vacant campsites.
4.   You can always find a good campsite if you look hard enough; my sister and I seem to have a knack for finding the largest, shadiest and flattest areas! (About the only thing we do well apparently.)
5.   When you discover that you accidentally packed a fire starter kit, but don't want to use the cooking knife to shave off bits of magnesium, broken glass from the campsite works just as well.
6.   When there are refrigerators available, it's best to cook what you know you will eat, and then make more if you're still hungry, rather than have a bunch of leftovers that you have to throw out. (This one we actually learned at the Grand Canyon the first time.)
7.   Sandstone makes for easy carving.
8.   And fine sand and muddy lakes.
9.   Flashlights would have been useful after sunset.
10. Don't keep the tent flaps open all day if you don't want to deal with bugs at night.
11. Flip flops are great for walking around camp. (Another one from the GC, when we had hiked all day and only wanted to take off our boots.)
12. Cold water tastes amazing when it's 100° outside.
13. 90° makes for a sweaty night.
14. Don't sleep on a piece of foam when you're sweaty; the moisture just stays there.  Put down a towel or blanket.
15. There's really no such thing as a silent night in the great outdoors-in the summer at least.
16. Fires that were strong can come back to life very easily, particularly when there's a good gust of wind...
17. Bugs like being inside tents and are hard to catch and remove in the middle of the night with only a cell phone for light.
18. Sleepless nights are LONG!
19. And there are times when 6am can't come soon enough.
20. Pancakes are not very cooperative when cooked on foil or in pots.
21. Fires don't die.  Unless you use a gallon or two of water.
22. 100° plus no-sleep means it's difficult to find motivation for hiking.
23. Church for two is very different from church as I'm used to it, but the fellowship is very rewarding.
24. Trying (and failing) to "rough it" in the great outdoors makes me really appreciate how hard it must have been for people like Lewis and Clark and the pioneers.
25. Camping with my sister is always an adventure and a great experience.  I can't wait until next time!