CAMPING!

It seems that summer is so full of activities that it is hard to fit everything that we like to do into the schedule. We finally fit camping in the 3rd week of August. (yes, we almost missed it this year) But of course by the time we started planning, most everything was already booked. I really love camping at the coast! The two fit together great for me!!! But nothing was available! So, along with our friends the Buttars we decided to try something new! Blake found a place that was 'first come first serve'. It was up the Gorge across the river from The Dalles, and had a part of the river blocked off (a dike with the train running on it) to make a lake, 'Horsetheif Lake'. My requirement was that we had to have water to play in. With my requirements met, it was a go!
Tree Breaks at the Camp Ground(they need a few thousand more to do the job)

Grace using the wheel barrow at the camp ground!!!
Well, it was a great camp ground! New flushing toilets and free showers! Lake to play, we could see from our campsite. We noticed it was a bit windy when we got there. We did great that first day and evening. We had to be right next to each other to hear anything. I don't think I yelled for any kids to be quite, it was just to windy to hear them being noisy! After dinner, it was too windy to play games, so we all just went to our tents. That's when the fun started for me. I think I maybe slept for 5 min at a stretch. It was soooooo windy! Flap, Flap, Flap, Flap went the tent. One side of our little 'room' off the tent even came unstaked and flapped around some more. Seriously, the worst night sleep(maybe I shouldn't even say sleep) I have ever had! Worse than being 9 months pregnant and trying to sleep type of sleep!
Grace in the windy wind!

The beautiful sun set~
The next morning it was a bit breezy, but we headed for the lake. Much less wind there (lots of tree breaks to slow the wind down). The kids had a great time playing in the lake that went out forever without getting too deep! Blake, Shaffer and Carson took the Canoe out to try some fishing! We headed back with the kids to get some lunch, but the guys were still out in the canoe. It was so windy back at the campsite I made lunch in out tent (thank goodness for large tents) and there we ate! Blake came back with the guys after a bit. He said "I'm putting up the White Flag" (yes, camping man was surrendering, the wind was too much for even him!) Turns out they got across the lake no problem, but trying to get back against that wind nearly killed them all!

So, after much talk we decided to pack up camp and try another 'first come first serve' campground. We made it to Beacon Rock State Park and found two great sites right next to each other. Funny thing was we could hear each other!!!!! That night we did lots of s'mores, marshmallows, and games! It was amazing how quite it was!!! The next morning we did the Rodney and Hardy falls hike (Beautiful!!! We'd just done it on the 4th of July with the Reids, but we enjoyed it again!!! I think I could do that hike weekly just to see the falls and watch my kids play in the water trying to catch frogs!!!)
Ryan relaxing at the campfire! AHHH, NO WIND!!!!

Spencer and his DIRTY FEET!

Grace with Shaffer after a big trouble! She fell down and got so dirty we had to take a picture!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Camping, . . . but guess what? We had so much fun and made so many memories! Isn't it funny that things that seem like hard times, are what you remember the most, and produce the funniest stories! We all had a GREAT time! Even if Caleb threw up on the way home!!! OHHH, THE STORIES WE HAVE FROM THIS CAMPING TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!