Last weekend Riley went on his first adventure to Lostock.

His second ever camping trip.

Our second ever camping trip since he was born.

Our second time ever forgetting to take pillows.

I was extremely excited to take Riley to Lostock being that most of my fondest childhood memories involve the Lostock Dam Caravan Park and land that surrounds it. I always wanted to live at Lostock and still to this day dream about it. I’ve even published a poem about the place, In this place featured in The World Around Me eBook and In My Shoes & Under My Skin Tree Book both Published in 2014.

Lostock Dam is a fairly small dam on the Paterson River (approximately 93 kilometres north-west of Newcastle NSW Australia) The name of the dam originates from the village of Lostock, located approximately 2 kilometres downstream from the dam wall and then there is the Caravan park on higher ground at the face of the dam spillway, named Lostock Dam Caravan Park.

On Friday night the weather channel said that the forecast for Lostock over the weekend was rain, so we Umm’d and Ahh’d about tenting it in the Cruiser or staying in my grandparents on sight caravan. In the end we went with camping out of the Cruiser down with the Hector boys and their utes.

The weather stayed mostly clear until we finished setting up. On setting up camp we discovered that in our haste to leave and with all the Umming and Ahhing we had forgotten pillows and pots and pans (things we wouldn’t have needed if staying in the van).

In true Lostock style it was fine and then the clouds rolled in. Within a few minutes the heavens opened up a torrent on us, then about half an hour later it was all sunshine again. Riley toughed it out in his rain coat and gum boots, he wasn’t too keen on the coat but was very happy when the rain cleared and he found the puddles left behind. He had a grand old time wandering up and down stomping in all the puddles and loved having the freedom to roam around.

The simple things 🙂 :-).