Camping

We were able to meet up with Ricky Todd in Bridgeport, California to do a little camping and fishing for Labor Day weekend this year.  It was absolutley beautiful, but very cold at night!  The first night we were there, it got down to 34 degrees, a bit unexpected on our part. Even though we were prepared for cold, we struggled because the boys do not use blankets!  Luckily, Ricky brought some extra clothes that we were able to use the next couple of nights. 

The first night we arrived, we carefully selected a campsite from the two that were still available and set up for the night. We borrowed a tent trailer from our friends and it ended up working out pretty well. Although it didn't provide any extra warmth, it did provide comfort and a place to let the boys nap. Mike and I set it up while Andrew collected sticks and rocks around the campsite. Caleb loved the pine needles, but wasn't sure about the way they felt in his mouth (just a bit pokey). We ended up getting there just before sunset, so we moved straight to dinner time and a quick walk to pay for our campsite. We ran into a few deer on the way that Abby and Andrew loved watching. Then, we moved into the tent to stay warm, play, and start the bedtime routine.

On our way! Stopped for a bite to eat!

Campground hunting



Finding rocks

Dinner time



 The next morning, we made some oatmeal for breakfast and decided to move sites since Ricky, Anne, and a friend of Mike's, Chuck, would be joining us for the next two nights. The boys were content playing outside while we worked ~ Caleb was happy on his blanket and Andrew had two things to occupy his time, the door to the bear box and feeding Abby food one piece at a time.  Abby was a willing participant on that one!

 

 



It took the whole morning to move camps and then we were onto lunch and naptime! It was great to be outdoors camping! I just love it so much and always wish that we could go more often, but it is quite a bit of work!

After the boys napped, we hit up the lake for a little fishing.  Mike didn't have any luck but it was a nice short hike down to the water and beautiful.  The water was freezing, but of course we just had to swim!  Mike and I jumped in, and of course I was screaming from the cold.  Mike thought it was pretty funny!

 Mike only fished for a few minutes and then came over to join the boys and I who were playing on the shore.  Andrew was loving the big sticks and then even found a stick out in the middle that he threw rocks at.  Caleb was really enjoying the dirt and even got a taste of it as he mouthed dirt covered rocks.

 

That evening, Ricky, Anne, Chuck and his son arrived.  We had a great time visiting, hanging out by the campfire and celebrating Ricky's birthday with a steak dinner!  The boys had a great time digging in the dirt and playing with trucks.

 That night it was pretty cold!

 

 We warmed up with a nice scrambled egg breakfast and then we headed off to do some serious fishing!

More deer!

Pretty happy to be hiking

Fly fisherman, Ricky Todd

Andrew ate a whole Power Bar!

Mike crossed the pond to fish, but no luck!

 

We decided to move onto Mike's favorite fishing hole, the beaver ponds at Dogtown.  Mike loves this place because it is quiet, full of fish, and nobody else seems to know about it.  We all had luck there! Let's just say, we had enough fish for dinner that night and breakfast the next morning!

From there, we headed to Buckeye hot springs, a great little swimming hole where the thermal water cascades down the rocks and right into the river.  People created five or six little hot tubs for soaking and it is just the right temperature!  Caleb had a staph infection so he couldn't get in and Andrew was a little unsure at first, but warmed right up!!!

 

 We had another delicious dinner that night and we were all exhausted!  It was our best night of sleep the whole trip. The next morning, we enjoyed the great outdoors, did some last minute fishing, and had burgers before getting on the road.  It was a great camping trip with great people!!!

...off of a newspaper!

Eating plums for breakfast



Checking one another out

Helping Uncle Ricky brush his teeth