CODA Fall Tour

A few weeks ago Larry, Sally, Frances and I had the opportunity to go to the Wisconsin area and tour some camps. Camp Skyline is apart of an organization called Camp Owners and Directors Association and we get the privilege to come together with other camp professionals a few times during the year to collaborate and talk about camp. We were so excited to get back to the fall tour of camps since we’ve been unable to have it the last few years due to covid.

Our trip began at the Atlanta park and fly where we actually ran into one of the original camp boys. It was so fun catching up with Ben who now lives in Rome, GA with his wife and two year old little boy.

We flew from Atlanta to Minnesota where we boarded a charter bus with all of our camp friends and rode to Wisconsin. The leaves had already started to change there and the drive was so beautiful. That evening we started our camp tours with Chippewa Ranch Camp, where we were able to walk around and see how they run their programs for the girls who go there. We ended our evening there with a delicious dinner and sitting around the campfire looking out over the stars lighting up the lake.

Our second day was busy and full touring 3 camps. We started the morning off at a YMCA, which was different then we would normally do since YMCA camps are non profit. This camp had great things and was super unique due to all of the trips they took off campus and began most of them canoeing from their lake into different areas. We enjoyed lunch at a boys camp and then ended the camp tours that afternoon at a co-ed camp. I think one of the most beneficial things we get to do on these trips is to sit and just talk with other camp professionals, talk about things they did that summer or programs we both have and how we run them.

The last day we drove a little ways and visited the last three camps, learning about new activities that one day we may bring to Skyline or learning about new ways a certain camp trains staff. Sharing information with each other is the biggest take away from the tours we’ve been on with CODA.

We ended the tour with a fish fry and the famous Wisconsin cheese curds, we loved them so much that Larry had some shipped to camp for us to eat once we got back!

The week the four of us were able to spend together with other camp owners and directors was such a fun time!