Traveling Summer 2008

"Camping" trips during the summer of 2008: (as of 9/2/08)

1 . Moab 5/23

2. Spruces in Big Cottonwood Canyon 6/29

3. Bear Lake 7/7

4. "The HUT" 7/11

5. Mirror Lake 8/17

6. "The HUT" 9/1

7. Timpooneke Campground 9/14

Timpooneke Campground is up American Fork Canyon. It is one of the most beautiful places. There were two bull moose fighting one morning out in the meadow, but we missed it. Brandon did get a picture of this bull and then came and got the kids to see. Diesel was growling at it, but then decided that we were safe.

This is a picture of Zach and Diesel after a long day of playing. They were both tuckered out! Zach always chooses the "mummy bag" and Diesel chooses where ever he wants. Always.

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For Labor Day we went to The Hut with ALL the Adair family. All of Grandpa Adair's siblings were there except 1 (tsk tsk LoriLee). Grandpa Great was there, snug as a bug in a rug. He was cold and wrapped up in a blanket all weekend. We didn't see much of the older kids this weekend. They were making a "little hut" with all the tree branches lying around. It looked like a tee-pee and was made so well that it even help up through all the rain. Lucy made a new best friend in Paisley. Clyde (the golden-retriever) was in hog heaven because all the kids would throw his stick as many times as he wanted. Poor Clyde and his O.C.D. He could really use some medication for his fetching issues.

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Brandon gets to go to Boy Scout camp once a year to the high Uintah's. He loves it here and was very excited to share this beautiful place with his family. We rented a canoe in Kamas that came with life jackets. The kids loved this!!! Madison and Zach were constantly competing to be the front oarsman. Lucy liked to hang over the edge, which made Madison and Zach both really mad because it would make the canoe tip to the side. Diesel even got to go in the canoe. The highlight for the kids was spotting golden eagles with fish in their talons.

The hut is what we call Grandma and Grandpa Adair's mountain property. It has a great little cabin that they have renovated. Grandpa added camping spots for everyone to be up there together. We ride the four-wheelers, play in the dirt, and then ride again. Lucy is always excited to go for a "wheeler" ride. Zach spends his whole time looking for more animal bones for his "collection". Madison likes to figure out what Grandpa has done new around the place.

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Bear Lake is hard to top. We love the beach and the clear water. We stayed at the KOA this year and the kids loved it. They do a great job there and I highly recommend paying their inflated price if you go with kids. They swam, jumped on the "jumping pillow", rode on a hayride, painted shirts, had scoops of ice-cream.... WOW! They said it was the best place to camp EVER!

Diesel loved swimming in the lake so much, he thinks he is a lab now. It didn't take much to coax him into the water. He did have a life jacket that I'm sure he felt really stupid in, but since he's a "sinker" and not a swimmer it was necessary. He would let Lucy hold onto his jacket handle's and then tow her into shore. He was a tugboat! The lake is crystal clear so you could see his legs working overtime doing the doggie-paddle. It was great!

Wouldn't you think that the beach would eventually run out of sea shells with the McDougald kids picking up as many as they do each trip? Not to mention all the other shell hunters out there. I remember there were shells when I was Lucy's age and would go hunting for them with my Grandpa Baggs. The kids do love to shell hunt, though, and play in the sand. We LOVE Bear Lake!!!

Fishing, fishing, and more fishing, but never a fish. This is our story. We go to Tony's Grove to fish and take in the scenery. It isn't far from Bear Lake, maybe 30 minutes. This place is so beautiful and peaceful. There is a man-made lake nestled in the rock at the summit of the mountain that you can walk around. Diesel did some fetching of wood, branches, and eventually trees there also. He is getting very confident in his swimming abilities. He still sinks.

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Spruces is always a favorite of our family. This year we were able to take all the bikes. We can't keep Zach off his bike since he learned how to ride it. Lucy took her tricycle and pedaled her little heart out to keep out. Brandon would have to carry the trike up the hills then she would go from there.

We love the hike to Donut falls. It is an easy hike for the kids that only takes about 30 minutes. There is nothing too treacherous to make them start whining, AND you get to walk through the river to get there which makes them feel all grown up and capable of climbing Mt. Everest even. Madison caught her first fish this trip. I have video of the catch but no picture. She's pretty upset about that.

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Moab was great. It was the inaugural trip for the new camper. For more information, see the post below.