~ Expenses ~

It amazes me how hard My Captain worked…how much overtime he had to accumulate…in order for us to afford a two-week camping trip to Montana.  Sure, the airfare from Reagan National Airport to Kalispell, Montana was exorbitant, but he worked for much more than that.  There were camping essentials:  the tent, the sleeping pads, sleeping bags, cookware, food, gas, SUV rental, more food, wilderness outfitting, National Park camping fees, more food, and, er, beer.   It all added up to a rather daunting sum.

But the funny thing is, of all the things we did, of all the adventures and challenges we embarked on, the one activity that gave the kids the most fun only cost $2.00.  That’s it.  The sum total of two cheap plastic rafts from the dollar store.

The rest of that tab was picked up by Mother Nature.

She’s a generous old broad!