Oh, What Do You Do In The Summertime?

This post has evolved over the day. So if you managed to catch it in its first or second stage read it again and watch the video because it took forever. I don't understand how I can share things on my blog from Picasa. I don't understand why Picasa video messed up the music. I'm tired of trying to fix it. Maybe uploading it to YouTube and embedding it will work ... nope. This will have to do for now. Mute it if it gets skippy because the pictures are fun, though they are saved at low quality. I'll have to fix that. Anyway....

We enjoyed a week traveling to Wyoming and seeing the sights of Jackson Hole, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park. We mostly camped, except for July 4 when we stayed in The Hostel in Teton Village, (and on the ends when we stayed with my grandma in Meridian, ID and one of Kim's friends in Rigby, ID.) which wasn't fancy at all, but the cost felt like it should have been at least on par with a Comfort Inn. I guess it comes down to location, location, location - and they have it! Anyway, I liked the social feeling of the place even if we weren't real social. Oh well, as dingy and campy as it was, it was nice to have our own bathroom and shower ... and because hardly anyone else was down in the basement, a pool table, ping-pong table, shuffle board, foosball, library, den, video game room, board game room, freezer, refrigerator, retired phone booth, and ski wax station ... to ourselves for one night.

One afternoon the boys and I went white water rafting and the boys jumped in to go swimming during one of the calm parts. I was impressed. Two boys from Holland the same ages as Ethan and Myles jumped in with their dad. I didn't do it, but I already know what swimming in a cold river is like. They did it all on their own. They didn't need me in the river with them. I was proud of them. Ethan will gladly tell you the temperature of the water. I don't know how long the pictures will be there, but you can go to http://snakeriver.elevationimaging.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=799644 to see 8 pictures of us skillfully raging through a major rapid.

The fireworks in Teton Village were fun. We took our blankets and sleeping bags from the car and laid them on the grass right in front of The Hostel. It was great that we were already in the thick of if it so we didn't have to drive in and out of the thick of it. It was a great show, but the enjoyment from the kids was the best part. Myles said, "I'm gonna remember this forever!" That night and throughout the next couple days they would swing things around as fast as they could to create the impression of flashing fireworks and talk about inventing their own fireworks.

On our way up to Yellowstone we drove through Grand Teton and took a beautiful and easy hike to a place called Taggart Lake. Those mountains are something else. The Grand Teton area is where we saw our first big game. Take a drive along Moose Creek Road, and sure enough you'll see a moose.

Yellowstone is simply amazing. And we only had time to do a portion of the things around the lower half. Before arriving I was pretty sure we would see bison and elk and some neat geological features. We saw hundreds of bison, herds of elk, a black bear, various birds, and more amazing geological features than I could have imagined. There are so many details. You just have to go and experience it for yourself. I do hope all my kids remember this forever.

Family Backpacking Trip #2

(Last year we went on our first family backpacking trip. It was just a one nighter and the kids were ages 6, 4, and almost 2. We went with my parents and a nephew who was 5. It was a couple miles in and a couple miles out.)

NOTE: pictures are more or less in chronological order and may or may not relate to text which is near it. I'm not sure I like the publishing features of Blogger, or I don't know how to use them. So, I guess this is a game - match the captions to the pictures!
- weigh in
- trail head
- on the trail still looking clean and happy
- skinny dipping in glacier pond near summit
- family photo on summit
- S. Sister from base camp at Moraine Lake

This year we had bigger things in mind. We just got home from spending 2 nights at Moraine Lake at the base of South Sister in the Cascade Mountain range in central Oregon.

This time everyone was a year older and my sister was able to come along with her son (the nephew). Again, it was a short hike in, about 2.5 miles. The boys had their own backpacking packs and carried their own sleeping gear, clothes, food, and water. Myles actually borrowed the same pack that my youngest brother used 21? years ago when he was about the same age for his first backpacking trip, which my mother held on to for some unknown reason. Cedar was too big for the kid carrier pack this year so we brought the jogger and it actually worked out great. Though, carrying 40 lbs. and pushing 40 lbs. was difficult at times. Highlights of the first day were sliding down and playing on snow patches, splashing around in the lake and creek, and cheesy potato soup with slices of hot dog. Why my mom thought to bring and add barbecued hot dogs to the soup is beyond me, but it was surprisingly tasty and a real hit with the kids. Unfortunately, the kids didn't want anything to do with the macaroni and cheese that was prepared for them. It's a good thing the adults weren't picky eaters.

The next day we went on a very popular, yet challenging hike. Ethan, Myles, and Kim strapped on day packs and I strapped on Cedar. I actually improvised carrying her with 2 neon green strips of rubber exercise bands that I used to strap my sleeping bag to my pack. Thanks to my sister, Cedar had a reasonably comfortable ride; a ride that lasted approximately half the day. Yes, literally. Well, 9:30 am to 9:30 pm is, yep, as in 12 hours. The terrain was too steep and loose for most of the way for Cedar to walk so she just stayed on my back. Thankfully my sister took a turn on the way up so I could take a break.

So, in our minds we were flexible with what would become of the day hike because we were hiking with kids. In our hearts we were determined to summit (10, 300 ft) and get a family picture and the bragging rights that go along with having 3 generations age 62 down to almost 3 on top of a mountain where we gained 4,000 feet in 3.7 miles. I don't think we broke any records and it wasn't Everest or even McKinley, but it was challenging, even a little dangerous, and I'm looking forward to more backpacking with my family. Maybe in 30 years Kim and I will be backpacking with our grandchildren.

Highlights of day 3: walking back over the log bridge and Dairy Queen in Madras on the way home.

JUMP!?

Okay, they say that if you verbalize and tell other people of your goals then you are more likely to accomplish them. Well, while saving for a trip to Puerto Rico or Mexico is still in the back of our minds it is a long ways down the road and therefore has been difficult to put $100 or more away every month.

Here is another goal that is more likely to happen. This is a special year. Kim and I will be celebrating 10 years of marriage. And what better way to celebrate 10 years of happiness and struggle than to jump out of an airplane! AAAHHHH!

Nothing is official, but I would like to go with Skydive Oregon out of Molalla. A group of six would get a $20 discount per person if paid in cash. WHO WANTS TO CELEBRATE!? Goodness gracious, my heart is racing just thinking about it.

I've Heard of Urban Hiking ...

... but, is there such a thing as rural hiking? I've never heard of it, but if there is such a thing I think we just did it. Background info - Last Christmas Ethan got a kid-sized backpacking backpack from his backpacking enthusiast Grandma. (Myles would have gotten one too, but they don't really make them that small. Though, he did get a very special backpack for such adventures.) So, they boys got to test out their new equipment on our first backpacking trip of the year.

Friday afternoon Ethan, Myles, and I set out the front door with our gear and ventured off through our town to join our church ward's annual father-and-son camp out. We hiked a mile or two over to the river and slept over night at the campground. Though, the minute we started hiking the boys began panting. They were being silly of course, but they didn't realize it. They carried their sleeping bag, clothes, water, and stuffed animals. They certainly were not packed down like pack animals, so the panting was definitely a child's dramatic interpretation of what backpacking is supposed to look like. There was only one minor flesh wound after Myles misstepped while "practicing balancing for kindergarten" on a section of curb between the City Hall and grocery store. We rested at the library. A little while later we stopped at the hamburger joint and had dinner. They loved it, especially the cream-filled chocolate covered donut for dessert. Then we went into the gas station to buy some candy to eat later that night in the tent. We slept great. In the morning we enjoyed breakfast, which was provided by the Bishop and his councilors. We headed home at about 11:00 am. The funniest part on the way home was when I got down to tie Ethan's shoe in front of Banner Bank. He had been a bit grumpy from the get-go, and keep in mind we were on the main road, which was surprisingly busy. I tied his shoe, got up, and started walking with Myles on our merry way. Next thing I know Ethan was screaming and yelling while down on the sidewalk, "I can't get up! I CAN'T GET UP!" He was lying face up, fists clenched, and eyes shut tight to block the blinding sun, unable to get up as he was weighted down by his backpack. I know he was mad, but I laughed. Stopping at the grocery store to get candy and cold drinks helped make things better. We sat down in the shade at the front of the store and watched dozens of volunteers spread bark mulch while we relaxed. I was kind of glad I forgot about the city clean-up day. We eventually made it home. Even though I'm sure we looked rather odd walking around our little town, across the freeway to the river and back, I'm glad we did it. Lot's of waves and friendly smiles from passing cars. I can't wait to go "real" backpacking this summer.

P.S. - I thought the fuzzy center of this picture looked familiar. Alas, a fingerprint on the camera lens that I will blame on my little budding photographers. Just looking at the previous picture from Spring S'mores I thought it was the smoke creating that hazy effect. Come to think of it, it looks just like the computer and TV screens. Oh well.