We ended up camping at a national park on Rimrock Lake, southeast of Mt. Rainier. Overall we had a wonderful time, but with four small children...it was an adventure.
I took a few photos on my big camera but most of these are from our cell phones:
The maiden voyage of our camper!
(Thank you to Grandma Karrie for lending us her truck. Our Honda only has 5 seats.)
The drive there was gorgeous and enjoyable–until the end. We took a wrong turn and drove 33 miles in the wrong direction putting us 60 miles from our destination when we thought we were arriving–and then Esmé vomited. It was a classic laugh-or-cry situation that threatened to, but thankfully did not, ruin or first day.
This picture sums up the back seat nicely.
Our angel baby.
Home sweet home.
Site #31 was amazing.
A short trail to the lake from our site.
We spent plenty of time at the lake.
(Check out Esmé's pants. Potty-training while camping is no fun.)
There were so many of these little frogs on the shore you could just reach down and scoop up a handful. We had to step carefully not to crush them.
We always love to bring Bradley's hammock from Venezuela.
The main activity of the trip was bike riding! Besides a large paved loop, there were countless little trails through the wilderness that were easy enough for the children to ride on.
Allen was in heaven. He wore a whistle around his neck so he could ride anywhere in the campground and let us know his location when I blew my whistle. He enjoyed the freedom and our system of signals.
Brig loved pulling his sisters. It's all he wanted to do.
We spent an entire afternoon exploring this island.
Bradley took a couple solo trips with Allen on more difficult trails.
Bradley and the boys had fun riding at night with glow sticks.
Esmé and I wore them as jewelry.
The children wanted to eat marshmallows with every meal. Unfortunately there was a burn-ban and we weren't aloud to have a single fire. We ended up roasting A LOT of marshmallows over the stove in our camper (for which I was very grateful).
We rowed out to the island with all 6 of us in our little raft. :)
A scavenger hunt for our little scout-to-be.
It's blurry but I love how playful she's becoming.
Angry Birds Uno was the game of the trip. :)
This picture sums up the back seat nicely.
Our angel baby.
Home sweet home.
Site #31 was amazing.
A short trail to the lake from our site.
We spent plenty of time at the lake.
(Check out Esmé's pants. Potty-training while camping is no fun.)
There were so many of these little frogs on the shore you could just reach down and scoop up a handful. We had to step carefully not to crush them.
We always love to bring Bradley's hammock from Venezuela.
The main activity of the trip was bike riding! Besides a large paved loop, there were countless little trails through the wilderness that were easy enough for the children to ride on.
Allen was in heaven. He wore a whistle around his neck so he could ride anywhere in the campground and let us know his location when I blew my whistle. He enjoyed the freedom and our system of signals.
Brig loved pulling his sisters. It's all he wanted to do.
We spent an entire afternoon exploring this island.
Bradley took a couple solo trips with Allen on more difficult trails.
Bradley and the boys had fun riding at night with glow sticks.
Esmé and I wore them as jewelry.
The children wanted to eat marshmallows with every meal. Unfortunately there was a burn-ban and we weren't aloud to have a single fire. We ended up roasting A LOT of marshmallows over the stove in our camper (for which I was very grateful).
Our day on the island:
We rowed out to the island with all 6 of us in our little raft. :)
A scavenger hunt for our little scout-to-be.
It's blurry but I love how playful she's becoming.
Angry Birds Uno was the game of the trip. :)
Our view on the way home:
One of our many potty-breaks:
I'm still having a difficult time deciding if this trip was worth the effort. It was a total blast but so much work!
I certainly don't regret going but I can't say that I'm looking forward to it again soon. With all the meal planning/shopping, packing, wrangling 4 children in the wilderness (including naptime & potty training), traveling, unpacking, and the mounds of laundry afterwards...
Maybe we'll be ready by next summer for another camping adventure. :)
The following is simply for our remembrance. I'm recording some fun facts and our schedule I kept note of (not sure why, but maybe some day the children will think it's cool).
Positives/Fun Facts:
-Esmé called the man in the adjacent campsite Jesus because he was wearing a bathrobe and had long hair and beard.
-Brig called the hand sanitizer, "hanatizer" and it stuck. We called it that the entire trip.
-We also ate a lot of "buh-bannas."
-Site #31 was awesome! It was roomy, on the lake with a private trail, plenty of trees for the hammock, near a water spicket, dumpster, and not too far from the restroom.
-Indispensable items: diaper and Clorox wipes, portable toilet for the camper.
Day 1:
Pack-up
Travel
Setup camp
Dinner: veggie burgers, fixins, chips, pickles
Roasted marshmallows on the stove
Bed
Day 2:
Hot chocolate (almond milk, cocoa, sugar)
Breakfast: hashbrowns and veg sausage on the cast iron skillet
Scripture and prayer
Family bike ride
Walk on the beach, Allen's bike stuck in the mud, Brig in mud up to his ankles–so long tennis shoes
Lunch: veggies and fruit, smores
Hung Hammock, read Harry Potter aloud
Children meltdown, nap time
Allen and Daddy go on long bike ride
Got boat ready, paddle to island
Hike all over island, swim
Dinner: veg chili over brown rice
Family bike ride
Angry Birds Uno
Smores
Clean up
Girls to bed, boys go play & ride bikes with glow sticks
Bed 10pm, exhausted!
Day 3:
Hot chocolate
Breakfast: veg sausage and hashbrowns again (because the children begged)
Daddy hung hammock for Mommy and then took the older 3 for a long bike ride
Lunch: chickpea salad, chips, veggies & fruit
Angry Birds Uno
Family bike ride around adjacent campground
Long hike along shores of the lake (Daddy carried Neva & Esmé)
Mommy got a migraine
Allen hit his shin and completely melted down while we made dinner...tried to calm him down with essential oils which he rubbed in his eye and screamed bloody murder!
Dinner: grilled potatoes and onions, corn on the cob, veggie brats, smores
Angry Birds Uno
Daddy read in hammock with all 4 children, some bat watching
Chaos getting ready for bead
Day 4:
Hot chocolate
Breakfast: oatmeal & fruit
Angry Birds Uno
Family bike ride
Break down camp for 3+ hours
Drive home
Bathe exhausted, stinky children
Unpack truck to return the next day
Fall into bed
I adore this post. I love, love, love the pictures. Neva's little expressions kill me and the one of Esme' crouching down makes her look so little. My favorite part is the break-down of the days. I SO know what you mean about camping only sort of being worth it at this stage...
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful Grandma. Thank you Bonnie.
ReplyDelete