wabenho
Member
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2017
- Messages
- 138
I have been trying to get my boys out for a camping trip for a couple of weeks and it didn’t work out until Memorial weekend. I knew this had the potential to be a busy weekend at the campgrounds, so I decided to try a spot that is in a lesser visited area, near where my dad used to take me when I was a kid.
I skipped out of work a little early on Friday afternoon, picked up my 7-year-old from school and then grabbed my 4-year-old and all the gear from the house. The weather was looking great and we were excited to be getting out of town.
As we left the pavement and started getting closer we were treated to views of our general destination.
A little more driving on well maintained dirt roads and we arrived at our spot. It was a great site next to a nice little creek.
View from camp (looking north)
We set up camp and got dinner started. After cooking some dogs on the fire, we moved on to smores. My older son is already an expert smore maker but my younger son eats all the ingredients before I can get a marshmallow roasted for him
After smores we went for a walk. Here is the view looking south from camp
The creek seemed to be running pretty high, but since this was my first visit I had no frame of reference
After the walk, we did some more relaxing by the fire
I tried my luck fishing the creek and caught one small trout. When the water recedes later in the summer, I bet the creek has decent potential.
Camping with small children is a good excuse to turn in early. It was a pleasant evening and the sound of the creek lulled us to sleep.
The next morning was a little chilly. This was a bit of a shock to my boys who are a little too used to the controlled temperature at home. Just one of the many reasons I like to get them out on these trips.
After oatmeal and hot chocolate for breakfast, we decided to go on a hike. I have read that the trail leads to a nice cirque with a small lake. Since I had the kiddos, I knew it would be a tough ask to make it all the way, but we thought we would give it a shot.
Taking a break
After about 1.5 miles we came to a creek crossing that I didn’t really want to attempt with my current hiking partners, so we decided this would be a good spot to turn around.
Return hike
Typical terrain of the surrounding area
Selfie from the trail
More typical terrain of the area
After returning to the campground we broke camp and packed up.
I told the boys that there was a “train museum” on the way home. They seemed excited about this, so we diverted the trip a little and stopped at the Golden Spike National Historic Site. We arrived just in time to make a sandwich and head in for the re-enactment. It was a pretty cool place and held the kid’s attention for an hour or so. A few months ago, I read Ambrose’s “Nothing Like it in the World” about the building of the Transcontinental Railroad and it was interesting for me to see some of the exhibits.
After the history lesson we drove into town for some ice cream at the local shop to cap off the adventure. Ice cream is a favorite of all kids on this trip, both old and young.
Overall, it was a great trip. I like to make a point to get my boys out as often as I can, and I hope to increase the frequency and duration as they grow older. So far, they seem to enjoy it - hopefully that continues.
I skipped out of work a little early on Friday afternoon, picked up my 7-year-old from school and then grabbed my 4-year-old and all the gear from the house. The weather was looking great and we were excited to be getting out of town.
As we left the pavement and started getting closer we were treated to views of our general destination.
A little more driving on well maintained dirt roads and we arrived at our spot. It was a great site next to a nice little creek.
View from camp (looking north)
We set up camp and got dinner started. After cooking some dogs on the fire, we moved on to smores. My older son is already an expert smore maker but my younger son eats all the ingredients before I can get a marshmallow roasted for him
After smores we went for a walk. Here is the view looking south from camp
The creek seemed to be running pretty high, but since this was my first visit I had no frame of reference
After the walk, we did some more relaxing by the fire
I tried my luck fishing the creek and caught one small trout. When the water recedes later in the summer, I bet the creek has decent potential.
Camping with small children is a good excuse to turn in early. It was a pleasant evening and the sound of the creek lulled us to sleep.
The next morning was a little chilly. This was a bit of a shock to my boys who are a little too used to the controlled temperature at home. Just one of the many reasons I like to get them out on these trips.
After oatmeal and hot chocolate for breakfast, we decided to go on a hike. I have read that the trail leads to a nice cirque with a small lake. Since I had the kiddos, I knew it would be a tough ask to make it all the way, but we thought we would give it a shot.
Taking a break
After about 1.5 miles we came to a creek crossing that I didn’t really want to attempt with my current hiking partners, so we decided this would be a good spot to turn around.
Return hike
Typical terrain of the surrounding area
Selfie from the trail
More typical terrain of the area
After returning to the campground we broke camp and packed up.
I told the boys that there was a “train museum” on the way home. They seemed excited about this, so we diverted the trip a little and stopped at the Golden Spike National Historic Site. We arrived just in time to make a sandwich and head in for the re-enactment. It was a pretty cool place and held the kid’s attention for an hour or so. A few months ago, I read Ambrose’s “Nothing Like it in the World” about the building of the Transcontinental Railroad and it was interesting for me to see some of the exhibits.
After the history lesson we drove into town for some ice cream at the local shop to cap off the adventure. Ice cream is a favorite of all kids on this trip, both old and young.
Overall, it was a great trip. I like to make a point to get my boys out as often as I can, and I hope to increase the frequency and duration as they grow older. So far, they seem to enjoy it - hopefully that continues.
