BY JENNIFER & JOHN BURKHART
Thinking of camping for your next stay-cation, but you don’t want to set up a tent, break down a tent, or bring a tent at all? Well, yurt camping might just be your next adventure. Yurts are great for spontaneous vacations — you just show up with your sleeping bag, pillow, snacks, and start relaxing! Ok, maybe a few more necessities are helpful, but yurt camping is great! Even better if you’re off grid and on a farm, which is what we did. Believe us, you CAN unplug and have a good time.
He Said: We decided to get out and go camping this month — well, “glamping” to be exact. For those who don’t know, glamping is just camping for spoiled brats. I’m used to dry camping where if you don’t plan it and pack it, you don’t have it. Forget the toilet paper? Well now you’re wiping with leaves. It’s stressful. I mean, just getting everything to fit in the car is a challenge. I felt completely babied on this trip, because everything was provided by the host. Tent, bedding, chairs, lights — all waiting for us when we got there. I didn’t even have to start a fire because there was a propane fire pit. We could have packed absolutely nothing and still had a great trip. Of course we still brought some necessities, including snacks and marshmallows for the kids to roast. We didn’t even have to cook dinner — we drove into town for burgers. Spoiled b-r-a-t-s. We explored the woods, relaxed by the campfire, drank, laughed, and were very merry. Then we fell asleep to the sounds of a babbling creek and owls hooting in the distance. This was perfect for a quick camping getaway, but I’ll be careful not to do this too often — or I may ruin regular camping forever.
She Said: The site was beautiful with tall pine trees, a little creek, and a tan yurt shaped like a circus tent right in the middle. The kids immediately started exploring — almost frolicking — with glee. My excitement was more of an “internal” frolic, as my knee would otherwise complain too much. The creek meandered around our camp on three sides and was perfect for leaf boat races. We probably spent a couple hours racing different “boats” made from leaves, sticks, and flowers until one made it to the finish line. When it was too dark to do that, we gathered around the propane f ire pit. Not as nostalgic as a wood fire, sure, but not dealing with smoke was fabulous! I never had to move my chair! More quality family time was had with roasting marshmallows and laughing as we played Mad Libs. Our family was in dire need of a break from screens — phones, video games, and such. Getting out in nature and staying in a very low-tech yurt was just the thing we needed. Electricity was provided for a small space heater and one string of outdoor lights, but everything else ran on solar power, batteries, or propane. I appreciated the included conveniences like Adirondack chairs, a propane stove and fire pit, a lantern, cute string lights inside with extra batteries, a glass beverage dispenser with water, and the best part — an actual queen bed! It was definitely the most comfortable I’ve ever been while camping. Keep in mind though, the yurt doesn’t keep sounds out any more than a tent does, so earplugs are a plus for light sleepers. A few noisy trucks rambled by and then….the coyotes. They sounded cool, but also darn creepy! Once the trucks and coyotes settled down, I was able to fall asleep to the soothing sound of water babbling in the creek. One night of camping went by way too fast, but it was such an easy, quick stay-cation full of nature and family time that I think we might just go back for more.
