Whitesburg RAs Father-Son Campout

Talk about perfect camping out weather -- that's what the Whitesburg RAs had for their father-son campout this past weekend!

After a dinner of deluxe bacon-cheeseburgers, they took some time making a 'cabin' craft together.

While they worked, they also had a time of devotion, followed by flashlight tag!

A terrific group had a terrific time!

Flint River Community Group -- Low Country Shrimp Boil!

The weather was cool and clear -- a perfect evening for our first group of the spring season to arrive! And the perfect night for the second annual Flint River Baptist Church Community Group Low Country Shrimp Boil!

There was a good crowd of folks . . . probably better than forty adults, teens and children running around!

Once the cooking was done, the big pot was emptied out on not one, but TWO picnic tables!

What a spread! This year they had crayfish flown in all the way from Louisiana!

After a little tutorial on how to eat the crayfish, everyone sat down with plates piled high!

After dinner the fellowship started in earnest.  For some it was around the campfire, roasting marshmallows . . . 

And for some it was around the checkerboard!

That was a very spirited game!!

There were even a few brave individuals who pitched tents (in the dark)!

All in all it was a fantastic evening and folks really enjoyed kicking back and enjoying good food, good friends, and good fellowship. As always, we were grateful to be included in such a fun evening!

As Bill, the coordinator of the effort, said last evening, here's to forty more years!

Troop 96 and Pack 391

We are very familiar with Troop 96 and Pack 391. For at least two years in a row now they have been our first campers of the year. The scouts have to earn their "Polar Bear Badge" which means they have to camp out when it is below freezing temperatures. Well that was not a problem as they temps were in the 20's. The older boys came up on Friday and the younger ones came on Saturday morning.

For the first time in a long time Mary Breeden was not with the group...understand she had some foot surgery. I did see Philip Anderson, Tiffany, Barry Sanders, Triston Stuckey and some others I knew. As always there was plenty of good food and probably some stories to be told.

Trail Life Campers

Trail Life has been coming to the camp for several years now and we always love to have them. 

David Collier was among them doing some cooking and who knows what all else. I asked him about how he slept when I saw him on Saturday morning and he said, "Great!" (I am pretty sure David went home to sleep and came back..:) 

They had a great group for their family camp-out and I also got to see friend Ken Boyd. Ken will actually be running for mayor of Huntsville next year and already he had a crowd of folks around him. I am trying to remember...Ken did you say you had already received a million in donations and were a strong second in the polls? Not sure that is exactly what he said; I will have to double-check. 

Anyway the group seemed to enjoy themselves and we hope to have them back again soon.

Boy Scout Troop 96 Weekend

This boy scout group has been coming up to the camp for several years now and we are always glad to have them. 

The tents started out scattered out from the pavilion but when the rain came all but one under up underneath...along with a few hammocks as well. 

The boys played a few rounds of checkers...went for a hike and did a craft or two. 

The big thing, however, was a cooking contest. 

Now we're not sure who actually won, but the food did look edible!

Mary Breeden, one of the troop leaders, said she'd never made it down to the Secret Creek before...I hope she had the chance on this trip. This group may just get the top prize when it comes to cleaning up the place before they leave! As always, we look forward to their next trip.

Shipps Baptist Camps Out

What a great group we had up at the camp this weekend -- and what a great weather weekend for them. Johnny Gurley and a few other guys from Shipps, came up early Thursday and eventually they all arrived by dark.

Of course they had fun in "The Secret Creek"; this has become the favorite go-to place in the camp.

Johnny and company made quick work of a tree we had across Beech Bottom Trail and we are very thankful for that. There was hiking, and corn hole and several fishing trips.

One of the guys caught 5 or 6 bass and others caught a few bluegill. 

The trip started out on an interesting note when Angela Gurley discovered a live possum in an empty garbage can that was trapped. I was not anywhere close when she found it, but I'm sure there was a scream or two let out.

I noticed there were several plumbers in the group one of which advised me the way to go on a future project. The pastor Sam Gulley came up for a bite to eat and hung around for a bit Friday night. We look forward to having them back in the near future!

Life of Christ Fellowship Family Camping

We had a last minute cancellation for Memorial Day weekend which worked out perfect for Life of Christ Fellowship.  Their original plans fell through and left them looking for a campground and Camp MACOBA was it.

They started coming in early Friday afternoon and put up their tents.  About ten families and lots of children, which means it wasn't long before the camp was filled with the happy sounds of laughter and shouting and fun!

They quickly had a campfire going and it looked like a pretty nifty camp setup!

Not long after getting all set up, they found their way down to Secret Creek and I think they may have spent the majority of their time in what we like to consider the BEST spot in the whole camp!

They had a great time and we're so happy we were able to accommodate them!  We hope they'll be back again soon!

Flint River Baptist Community Group

Even though we'd had a little rain overnight and on Friday morning, and the temps were going to dip down into the 40's on Saturday night, that didn't stop the Community Group and their families (and some youth, too) from Flint River from heading to the camp!  

They arrived right around 4:00 and immediately there were tents going up, folks headed down to the ponds with fishing poles, and some *serious* cooking going on!

Y'all . . . that really was *serious* cooking.

I think it may have been the first time there's been a shrimp boil up here. Isn't that gorgeous?? We were so tickled to be invited over for dinner and then Bill, the group's coordinator, also asked if we'd speak a little bit about the camp and about our ministry.  We were delighted!

There was a good sized group that was there for dinner and then it whittled down a little to the serious campers.

And campfire lovers! We have it on good authority that a significant number of the adults spent the entire night around the campfire . . . who needs a tent??

It was the perfect weekend for camping in the elements and suffice it to say, they had a great time. We hope the camp made some new friends!