I spent Saturday after our Friday return from Yellowstone doing prep, and we were able to leave Monday morning. Heber Valley Camp is only about an hour away, and the facilities are lovely. We stayed in a three cabin camp with a small pavilion, food prep area, and a fire pit. Our camp was surrounded by trees and wonderfully quiet and serene. Well, as quiet and serene as it could be with lots of small people running around.
Upon arrival, the kids divided into girls and boys, hunkered down in separate cabins, and began eating all the treats they could get their hands on while climbing around on the bunk bed (boys) and applying nail polish (girls). Adults worked on getting sleeping arrangements sorted out, vehicles unpacked, and food put away. We talked and laughed and began making lunch. We had divided meals by families, but everyone was good about helping prepare food, whether in actually making food or in keeping children out from underfoot.
Here is Brandt in our magnolia tree,
entertaining himself while I am packing up the car.
He was super excited to be going.
Blake with arms on Crew, Luke, Makenna, Eugene, Katherine holding Brick (in a life jacket for babies), Sharea, Will Knight (family friend in town from Washington), Tysen (with prego belly poking out), Christopher holding Lyla.
Down in front: Blythe, Griffin, Brandt, Mikayla, Ava, Collin, and Grandma Sue
Kent and Guy weren't there because they worked during the day and came up by dinner.
Funny Miss Lyla
Pulling out the sand toys to play with while we wait.
Brick is ready for the water,
but alas, he had to wait until the next day.
We got back to our camp just before the heavens opened and it began pouring rain. We hunkered down in cabins and played games, but the storm passed quickly, the sky cleared, and we were back outside before too long. The kids had a fair amount of pent-up energy, and when a deer walked through the tall grass close to our camp and right by a hiking trail, I rounded up small people and we followed the deer at the beginning of a hike.
This picture was taken just after the rain stopped.
Isn't Brick sweet snuggled up with his mom?
The whole area of Heber Valley Camp is so beautiful. It is used during the summer for young women camps, but on weekends and late in August and into September, families can use the faciliities. There are lots of aspen and pine trees, deer and other animals roam about seemingly unafraid, and there is a wonderful feeling of safety and peace, even though out in the wilderness.
Our hike was fun. The children poked about with sticks and threw rocks, they were good to walk and talk, and everything smelled fresh and clean after the rain. After a short distance, I realized I knew where we were, and I led the kids up to a lookout point where we could see out over the whole landscape. It was a good hike for the kids, a bit tough for the little bodies, but our hikers were troopers who made it all the way to the top. The view was spectacular, and they all agreed that it was worth the hike.
Deer right by our camp
Launching off after the deer.
The back side of Brandt, Griffin, and Blythe
Having a rest.
Crew, Luke, Brandt, Griffin, Makenna, Blythe
Collin, Sharae, and Grandma Sue were with us too.
Collin did well until we got to the hill, then Sharae and Grandma Sue turned back with him.
The view from the top of Overlook Hill
Super hikers!
The lake in the background is where we went for waterfront.
When we got back from our hike, it was about time to start dinner. It was Monday night, so we were going to have family home evening, and I volunteered to make dessert--dutch oven apple crisp with ice cream (which we brought). The little boys were ecstatic about making a fire, and although it wasn't really cold at all, every camp out needs a fire. Each boy wanted to help start the fire, so I gave them each a match and let them light a corner of the newspaper. What fun! After it was going, they were very diligent about adding logs when we needed them.
Here is the apple crisp baking away.
It smelled delicious!
Christopher was convinced that it wouldn't work.
He has never had anything baked in a dutch oven that actually worked,
so he was certain it wouldn't be edible.
He was wrong!
Even the smoke didn't keep these boys away.
Apparently Lyla is low on iron.
She was sucking on this rock.
Blythe was interested in the fire, but not enthralled like the boys
I really, really, really wish this picture was in focus.
These next three pictures are of the camp. We had three cabins, each with 16 bunk bed platforms, two tables, and eight chairs. They also had electricity. Christopher and Tysen slept in one cabin with the boys, Eugene and Sharae slept in a cabin with the girls, and Kent and I, Mikayla and Guy, and Grandma Sue slept in the third. While the idea of sleeping with the boys appealed to Brandt, when it came right down to it, we had our kids come sleep with us so they might actually sleep. They did, but I'm not sure anyone else did. As Kent said, "Camping is the triumph of hope over experience." I developed a terrible back ache early in the night, so I didn't get much sleep, and although Kent and I both had earplugs, we heard Brick. Oh well.
This is the pavilion with the food prep area. There is a large room inside with two fridges, shelves for food and gear, plus two camp stoves, a sink with hot and cold water, and a large counter for food prep. On the other side, there are showers and bathrooms.
Our fire pit with log seating.
The facilities are really great.
Tuesday morning we went back down to the lake for waterfront. There are either paddleboats or canoes, and we used both. The kids had a rough time with the paddleboats, but they worked hard together and even made a train with several tied together. Blythe wasn't quite tall enough to really help with the pedals in the boat she shared with Makenna, but they did alright. Eventually they all paddled back to shore and hopped into canoes.
Brandt and Luke
Blake and Crew
Makenna and Blythe
Eugene and Sharae with Collin in the back riding
Sue, Mikayla holding Brick (he didn't love canoeing), Guy
Griffin, Lyla, and Christopher
I am in the front of the canoe taking the picture
Blake and Crew were in the front of the train,
then Brandt and Luke
and then Makenna and Blythe
The full train
Here is Will in a canoe.
Before anyone else was had even gotten into a watercraft,
Will had gotten into a smaller, lighter, narrower canoe and flipped himself into the water.
Here are Blythe, Makenna, and Brandt in the canoe with me.
Christopher and Sue
Blake, Luke, Griffin, and Guy
They were trying to ram us.
The view of the lake
Tysen and Ava began waterfront on the rescue boat that motored around the lake.
Eventually all the kids ended up on the boat because how cool is a rescue boat?
Super cool.
They got to blow the horn and float around the lake.
It's the Mik e Mouse canoe
We all loved being at waterfront.
We returned from waterfront in time to do lunch. As soon as we were done, we began packing and cleanup. One night is really not enough time to stay camping. It is a lot of work and all that effort deserves more than one night. But after loading up stuff, Grandma Sue and I took kids for another hike. They took turns being the leader because, quite frankly, everyone wants to be first in line. We walked through a field of tall grass along a frog pond, and through the trees. It wasn't difficult and the kids were good about taking turns.
In the afternoon, before we left, we went to do a ropes course with a big swing. To ride, you don a helmet, get strapped into a harness, and are then pulled way up high and released to swing really high back and forth. It was fantastically fun. Everyone wanted a swing, although Collin was not super happy. It is really quite breath-taking when you initially release and begin the first descent. It is a rush!
Ava, Makenna, Crew, Luke, Griffin
Miss B is without a shoe because one of the missionaries grabbed it as she flew though.
Look Mom! No hands!
And a high five to the shoe snatching missionary.
The shoe snatching missionary is trying to get my shoe.
Mikayla
Grandma Sue
The muscle.
Christopher, Eugene, and Will pulled all us swingers up.
As there was a 250 pound limit to the cables,
of these three big guys, only Christopher got to swing.
They were all work and no reward.
It was really wonderful to be together, to enjoy time away from our other responsibilities, to play and laugh together, and to be in such a beautiful spot. I hope we do this camping thing again next year, and that we stay longer than one night.
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