This past weekend and for part of this week, our family had planned a camping trip to go to a mountain lake that is in a highly sought after camping area. We had to make reservations clear back in January to get a spot in the campground near the lake. Unfortunately some changes in my husband's work schedule forced us to cancel the reservations and we weren't sure we'd get to do much of anything this weekend. We decided on Thursday, though, that we would, after all, be able to squeeze in a couple of days of camping, but we would just have to go someplace a little closer to home, and make it a shorter trip. We packed up and headed out Friday night after Chris got home from work, and even though we knew better, we were hopeful we'd find a campsite at a campground about 20 miles from our house. Of course, when we got to the campground, it was already after 8pm and it was full. We tried exploring some dirt roads around the campground where there are rustic, free camping areas, but even most of those areas were already occupied. We finally found a small spot with a fire pit, and just enough room to park our camp trailer. We didn't unpack anything, I just fed the kids something in the trailer, then we all went to bed. Early the next morning we hooked up and drove another 1 1/2 hours, through Soda Springs, to an area known as Diamond Creek. In the fall it is a popular place for hunters, since it is very mountainous, isolated and full of wildlife. Surprisingly, there weren't too many campers out this weekend, and we were able to find an AWESOME campsite, in the middle of nowhere! It was great, very private, quiet, and beautiful. We had so much fun exploring. We went on several hikes and drives where we saw lots of elk, deer, moose, snakes, animal tracks in the mud, and even some bear traces! The kids played in the creek, ran around with Zipper, played games and had a blast. Chris made walking sticks for everyone in the family with their names carved into them. The only drawback was the unbelievable amount of mosquitoes. We all got eaten alive, despite repeated applications of OFF! I think poor little Nick and Sophie both got the worst of it, with dozens of bites all over the place.
The first night, after the kids were in bed and Chris and I were enjoying the serenity and quiet, with the campfire going and the stars filling the sky, we heard rustling in the shrubs and turned on a flashlight to see a rabbit, or some kind of hare, had come right up to the trailer. Then there was another one, and the two of them jumped around within feet of us for a while before finally hopping away. On Saturday afternoon, we drove through a mountain pass to go to Afton, WY. It was a gorgeous drive: rolling, green hills in the foreground, snow capped mountains in the background. The best part of the trip was last night, around the campfire. Chris told the kids some stories, then we played Charades and had the kids (and us!) rolling with laughter. :) He is the best dad to our kids, and I love him so much for that. We spent Father's Day together as a family, out in nature, camping, breathing fresh pine air, and I know there's no where else Chris would have rather been.
Last weekend we enjoyed a really fun visit from my dad and his wife (aka: Grandpa and Grandma) who came to see us all the way from Michigan! We went to the hot springs in Lava on the first night, then the next day we went mini-golfing and then they spoiled us even more by taking us to see "Toy Story 3" in 3-D at the theater. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, the kids or the grown-ups! We had lots of fun and mostly just enjoyed getting to spend time together.
Just look at that crystal clear water...so pretty!
