Our second round of camping in as many weeks was a result of much deliberation (that is, not much at all) by the womenfolk of the concerned parties.

Our friends Satoshi and Yuko (along with baby Shin-chan in tow) are big camping nuts. Name any essential, and many non-essential, pieces of camping and they've probably got it. Granted, our definitions of "essential" may differ somewhat but they do know how to camp and do it in style. In fact, it was this particular couple who got us turned on to the whole camping thing in the first place.

The campsite they led us to was literally on top of a hill with a small observatory nearby. It's run by the municipal government and whilst it was lacking some of the refinements of other paid campsites, there was still a very new, clean toilet and a perfectly serviceable washing up area. And it was free too! The night was just as cold as last week but I was better prepared with my new sleeping bag and this campsite also afforded us a great view of the city in the distance. Saw the Dipper again too thanks to the wonderfully clear skies.

It was actually hard to believe that such a nice place, and one that felt really in the middle of nowhere, was so near to our apartment. A mere 40-minute drive was all it took to get us feeling like civilization was much further away than it actually was.