The legendary annual gathering in the camping world, where families roll out the grass mats together and stargaze!

Text & Photos /McKay Bump

When registration opened this May, we were incredibly LUCKY to secure a spot at this legendary annual event. It’s said you need to first get a sticker from the TAIWAN Camping Club to qualify, and then silently repeat “I love TW Club” 100 times... In the end, the moment registration opened, we clicked that button. By then, it all depended on whether you’d been virtuous—like praying often, helping old ladies cross the street, or giving up your seat on the bus. After all those hurdles, fate smiled upon our family and granted us the chance to attend this grand meetup!

Months passed, and finally, it was the night before the event. Worried about the crowds the next day, we opted to arrive early. That meant setting up camp in the cooler evening air—but wow, everyone else was just as fired up too—so many tents already pitched the night before!

Another goal that night was to celebrate our friend Dada’s birthday.

The moment the lights went out, what happened next was simply wild.

When the lights came back on, everyone moved so fast I couldn’t even capture it on camera.

I had no idea what was going on.

Turns out, my little sister was protesting—everyone else got two marshmallows, why did she only get one? But... she was quickly caught red-handed by her mommy!

Eventually, we couldn’t say no and let her grab an entire bag of marshmallows herself, leaving her sisters absolutely stunned.

After the lively and fun birthday celebration, we stepped out to find plenty of tents already set up in our Zone B. Everyone must’ve been too excited to sleep tonight!

Waking up to such a blue sky made our hearts soar with joy!

The tree on the hill became the kids’ favorite playground over these two days.

Not only was there plenty of grassy space to run around,

but also shady trees for cover.

What a blast!

At noon that day, my dear wife prepared a super fragrant pot of beef noodle soup. Using a pressure cooker to simmer it helped keep the meat tender and the broth rich and sweet. After cooling and freezing, it turned into the perfect natural cooler in the ice bucket.

Once we arrived at the campsite, we just reheated and thawed it, added freshly cooked noodles, and instantly had a bowl of rich, delicious beef noodles. Paired with some okonomiyaki, wow—we ate like royalty!

After lunch, we immediately put up our event door sign and took a commemorative group photo. This photo is so meaningful, and my wife even helped decorate it beautifully, making our campsite feel more and more like home.

The little orange maple tree stood out brilliantly under the blue sky.

After the meal, we naturally went to explore the campsite. We originally planned to pitch our tent in the wooded area, but worried about sandflies, so we followed the organizer’s advice and chose a spot closer to the front.

There was an old, abandoned large birdcage here.

Seems like it’s being used as storage now.

Just be extra careful in this area.

Going further down, this area is fantastic—flat terrain with plenty of shade.

Plus, the view is amazing!

See that? The awning here is so convenient—with tables, chairs, and even power outlets nearby. We’ll definitely consider this spot next time.

The ground here was covered with fallen white flowers—absolutely gorgeous.

The little ones spotted the flowers all over the ground and immediately gathered around to pick them up, using them as props for their pretend play.

The little girls really do love flowers more............. DuoDuo in the back on the scooter agrees.

This next area could be called the premium zone of the whole campsite—absolutely eye-catching!! There are bear tents everywhere, so majestic and impressive!!

Too bad we were too awestruck and could only quietly ride past them.

No need for excessive decoration—the presence alone is overwhelmingly cool.

Each tent exudes such understated luxury.

Wow, Halloween is here!!

This afternoon, the club also organized a bunch of activities, but we only chose to roast quail eggs—what can we say, we’re just foodies!! Thanks to the club for providing two boxes of about 2000–2200 quail eggs, that’s super generous!!

It had both kids and adults having a blast, personally experiencing cutting open the eggshells with special scissors.

Then pour them onto the baking tray, and before you know it, you’ve got rich, savory little fried eggs Up!!

Under the huge canopy, it was still packed with people trying it out—really grateful to the club for organizing such a lively event.

Besides the quail eggs, something even more amazing came along—roast suckling pig!!

It was the first time I’d ever seen roast suckling pig up close!! Especially watching the lard drip onto the charcoal and release that aroma—it’s something photos just can’t capture. Huge thanks again to TW Camping Club.

Over these three days, the hardworking camp announcer system tirelessly reminded everyone to join activities and pay attention to guidelines, making us feel the club’s warmth. Joining this big family was truly the right choice.

After being overwhelmed by such a rich array of camping activities earlier, we quickly took the little ones back to the tent for a short rest.

But....... how come the little ones seem to have endless energy?!

They’re not tired at all!!

I was almost eaten alive by them.

Luckily I moved fast and just took photos from the side—thanks for the hard work, DuoDuo’s dad.

I’m really glad that the adults and kids in our group aren’t heavy users of electronics.

Just lay out a blanket, and the kids will naturally gather together, rolling around on the ground, laughing, running, and jumping—they have a blast!!

A day at the campsite always feels like it goes by way too fast~~

The sky at dusk has a very special charm~~

Nighttime is when everyone throws the party!!

Sneaking back to Area A from the daytime.

The bear tents located in this area really have a healing effect.

Why does it get dark so fast? Tonight, which tent is your home?

On the last morning, make the most of the remaining time!!

Ride the scooter!!

Run!!

Let’s keep going!

Playing house under the shade of trees.

Dancing, laughing.

Even though time flies by so fast and we’re a little reluctant to leave, the camping journey doesn’t stop here—on the contrary, we’re stepping forward with big strides. Let’s Up for the 30th Camping Meetup!

Finally, we’d like to thank TAIWAN Camping Club for organizing such a vibrant and enthusiastic grand gathering. See you all again next year.

Lao Guandao Leisure Farm
Price: 1,300 (gathering price, includes early entry the night before)
Address: No. 12-1, Lane 5, Xinkai, Dahu Township, Miaoli County
Coordinates: N24 20 50.3 E120 49 55.0 (WGS84)
Elevation: Around 400 meters
Dates: 2015/10/16-10/18

Mack bump
Not at home today, taking the kids on an escape adventure out of the house~ A parent-child nature diary

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