In late June we went camping. June 24 and June 25, to be exact.
It was rainy and cold. Not what I was expecting in June. And I almost cried because I was so disappointed. I had spent weeks preparing for the trip, with excitement and anticipation building as the day grew closer.
We hunted for the perfect new "family tent." An upgrade from our old tried-and-true 3 person North Face. (5 would be quite an uncomfortable squeeze in there!)
After lots of research, pro-con lists, and excel tables, we settled on a Marmot, with extra large front and back vestibules, and pre-bent poles for more head space. I also bought the kids new self-inflating sleeping pads. As my total expenditures for new equipment came close to $500, I decided to save the sleeping bags for a future excursion. We could get by with blankets for now!
We spent all day Saturday packing. And packing. And packing. Seems there wasn't much left in the actual house once we got the van filled with our "gear." Playpen, bicycles, grill, bubbles, training potties, hammocks, chairs, canopy, pillows, cooler, alcohol, more alcohol. OMG - you name it, we had it!
As we headed up into the canyon Sunday morning, the rain fell. And fell hard. At one point I got very nervous about flash flooding. The rain was coming down aggressively and quickly. And the temperature was dropping. Eventually the rain stopped - so my heart beat could finally slow down. But the temperature hung in the 50's - and I hand't though to pack gloves and hats.
But I had a choice. To be grumpy. Or to press on.
And I'm happy to say that as the day progressed, we slowly warmed up. And the next day was really warm. And on the day we left - it was almost 90! That's Colorado for you!
My sweetheart Sage picked me some wildflowers shortly after setting up our mountain home.
Our site was tucked up against the mountainside. And kids had all sorts of fun climbing, hiding, and collecting rocks.
First camping trip at 9 months! He's got us all beat!
A magnetic camping fan and a big bottle of bubbles is tons of fun. Until a moody 3-year-old dumps the bottle on purpose, with no remorse.
We brought avocados with us on the trip, and made ourselves some guacamole.
Time for a hike and some river exploration.
Now that seems like a great spot for a stroller nap.
I'm glad I let Sage eat all those chocolate teddy grahams right before taking all these precious nature photos. The dark brown goatee really works for him!
Day #2 at Mountain Park in the Poudre Canyon.
We began with a blueberry pancakes breakfast!
And french pressed coffee.
Chase the Ace has become one of our family's favorite card games.
When we camp, we cook gourmet.
It was a lot of work for just 2 nights. A lot of packing up. A lot of setting up. A lot of tearing down. A lot of washing upon our return to the city.
But I would do it again in a heart beat....next year!
