Camping week-end in Huntington

In my "summer recap" blog I forgot to post our fun camping week-end in the Huntington area. We went with Rachel's family from Friday, August 22nd until Sunday morning and we all wished that we could have spent a couple more days. It was so beautiful there in the Manti LaSal mountain area. Reva (Rachel's mom) and I went on a four wheeler ride with Reva in the lead. Put her on ANY motorized vehicle or watercraft and she knows NO FEAR! I'm kind of a weenie when it comes to that stuff so I was a little nervous but it was so fun and Reva was great to show me how to gear down and brake properly so that I didn't plunge to my death! The ATV trails that we went on took us through some beautiful terrain . . . pine trees, wild flowers and mountain reservoirs.

I also enjoyed just sitting at camp and reading and chilling. Everyone else did some fishing, shooting, canoeing and biking. Laura and Jordan came up for one night but Laura wasn't feeling great, so after a game of Rook and some lunch they headed back home. Scott brought up all the stuff for a game of "cricket" so we played a round. Because it involves running, throwing and some degree of athleticism, I pretty much contributed by yelling and screaming "where do I throw the ball?!!!!" Actually, I scored once or twice . . . a proud moment or two in my life.

We really enjoyed being around the campfire at night (it got pretty chilly up there) making banana boats and s'mores, telling stories (Brent was in rare form), and gazing at the stars (which were amazingly clear and beautiful). We reluctantly packed up on Sunday morning after a breakfast of foil cooked trout (which Craig and Amelia had caught the day before), cereal and fruit and we were home in time for our church meetings and responsibilities. We'll definitely do this again . . . thanks Scott and Rachel for putting together such an awesome camping trip.

Speaking of beautiful places, we hadn't been up to Brent's dad's mountain property above Morgan this entire year, so Laura and Jordan suggested that we do FHE up there, last Monday night. We (Brent, Sandra, Jordan, Laura, Scott, Rachel) took up some hot dog fixings, stuff for s'mores and corn on the cob and headed up. We got a nice fire going and then did a little exploring. The big log bridge had collapsed (sad) but everything else looked pretty much the same. The stream that runs through the property is so pretty . . . I remember more than once dragging a camp chair down there and reading a book with my toes in the water! Brent got some great pictures with his new camera and I'll post some of those when he puts them on the computer. The picture below is down at the entrance gate on Deep Creek Road. When the kids were little, they loved hopping on this gate while Brent swung it open. It gave them a great ride!Anyway, the guys had fun shooting guns, Brent enjoyed shooting pictures and we ate some great campfire cooked food and I enjoyed shooting the breeze with my family around the campfire. I'm loving the cooler fallish weather we're having since the big Labor Day week-end storm roared through. Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE the fall and I plan on getting up to the mountains more than once.

Now, I wouldn't want anyone to go away thinking that all I do is play! I actually have spent hours in my yard, this summer (when home) pulling weeds, fertilizing, replanting, pruning, etc. and I'm going to end this with a picture of some of the fruit of my labors!