A Family Tradition Unlike Any Other
More Than Just a Music Festival
Every family has traditions.
Some gather for holidays.
Some spend a week at the lake every summer.
For us…
It’s Country Thunder.
We’ve been attending this four-day country music festival for years, and somewhere along the way it became much more than a weekend of concerts. It’s now one of the highlights of our year—a chance to reconnect with family, spend time with friends, and make memories that usually have very little to do with the music itself.
As Hank Williams Jr. would say…
“It’s a family tradition.”
A Different Kind of Journey
This year’s trip started a little differently than usual.
While I stayed home making the final preparations, Tracey flew to Texas to help our daughter-in-law Rachel and our granddaughter Norah make the long drive back to Arizona with their travel trailer.
Chris had to work, and Lilah still had school, so they would catch a flight Wednesday evening and meet us after camp was set up.
It was Rachel’s first time towing the trailer over such a long distance, and having Tracey along made the two-day journey a lot less stressful.
By Wednesday morning, everyone was finally together in Arizona, and it was time for the real adventure to begin.
Rolling into Country Thunder
Around 10:00 Wednesday morning, our little caravan pulled out of the driveway.
Tracey led the way in our motorhome.
I rode with Rachel to help guide her through her first trip towing the trailer.
Behind us came Tracey’s brother Scott and his wife Kerri in their RV, along with our good friend Robert pulling his trailer.
For a convoy of RVs and trailers, the drive actually went surprisingly smoothly.
One of the biggest improvements this year came before we even reached the campground.
Instead of waiting in long check-in lines, our camping passes and wristbands had arrived in the mail ahead of time.
Sometimes it’s the little changes that make the biggest difference.
Setting Up Camp…With Opinions
Once inside the festival grounds, we headed toward the same group of campsites we’ve reserved for several years.
Finding them should have been easy.
Should have been.
Tracey became convinced the campground numbers weren’t lined up correctly.
After a few minutes of discussion, I pointed out that he wasn’t parked in site 55…
…he was looking at site 53.
Apparently campground numbers become harder to read after towing an RV.
With that mystery solved, the guys began positioning every trailer exactly where it needed to go.
Robert volunteered to paint the boundary lines around each campsite.
He did a perfectly respectable job…
Until Scott, Kerri, and Tracey’s collective OCD kicked in.
Suddenly everyone had opinions about how the lines should be painted.
Rather than argue, Robert simply started wandering around the grass painting random zigzags and snake patterns, making all of us laugh.
Eventually the campsites were finished, every trailer was level, and everyone settled into vacation mode.
Family Dinner at Camp
After hours in the Arizona sun, nobody wanted anything fancy for lunch.
Sandwiches tasted perfect.
Robert joined us before heading back to Chandler to pick up Michelle and their daughter so they could return the next day.
Of course, before leaving he managed to spend plenty of time entertaining Norah.
She absolutely adores her Uncle Bobby.
Watching those two together never fails to make us smile.
Birthday Celebration, Country Thunder Style
Wednesday evenings are wonderfully relaxed.
There aren’t any concerts yet.
Everyone simply settles into camp and enjoys being together.
That evening we loaded into Rachel’s Explorer and headed across the festival grounds to celebrate my brother-in-law Larry’s birthday with cake, ice cream, grilled hot dogs, and some of our favorite people.
It didn’t take long before conversations were flowing and laughter filled the campsite.
These are the moments that have become our favorite part of Country Thunder.
The music is wonderful.
The friendships are even better.
Every Camping Trip Needs a Story
As we were saying our goodbyes and heading back to camp, Scott discovered one of camping’s hidden hazards.
Unfortunately…
He discovered it with his face.
Without noticing the guy line supporting an awning, he caught it perfectly and found himself flat on the ground before anyone really knew what had happened.
Thankfully, his pride suffered far more than anything else.
Naturally…
Once we knew he was okay…
The teasing began.
The Sweetest Little Voice
Back at camp, Rachel suddenly wasn’t feeling well and disappeared into the trailer while everyone unloaded the Explorer.
A few moments later, I realized Norah was standing alone.
When I asked where her mommy was, she looked at me with complete innocence and matter-of-factly said,
“Mommy has her head in the toilet.”
Then, without missing a beat, she added,
“…and I really gotta go potty, MomMom.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
I scooped her up, carried her barefoot over to our motorhome, and helped her take care of business while Rachel recovered.
Thankfully, Rachel was feeling much better a short time later, and both she and Norah turned in early for the night.
The Family Is Finally Together
The rest of us settled into our camp chairs, enjoying the cool desert evening while waiting for one more arrival.
Chris and Lilah.
Because their flight didn’t land until after 8:30, we weren’t completely sure they’d make it through the campground gates before they closed for the night.
Thankfully…
They made it.
Lilah was exhausted after a full day of school and traveling, so after giving everyone hugs she quickly headed to bed.
Chris stayed outside just long enough to catch up before we all called it a night.
Camp was finally complete.
The concerts hadn’t even started yet…
…and Country Thunder was already off to a perfect beginning.
To be continued…