summer trip #4 - camping...

Camping was on our want-to-do list this summer.  With a baby on the way we knew it would be out of the question for next summer, so we really wanted to get out a couple times while we could!  Then the weather was icky and sticky for most of the summer, and this pregnant lady was NOT going to go out in that.  Luckily there was a bit of a reprieve in August, so we decided to make reservations.  We made them with S's folks at Sibley State Park, near S's hometown, so that if it was really icky, I could go and stay at S's parents' house...well, we all could if necessary!  Turns out we had a fabulous weekend for camping, much cooler, only a little rain, and a great state park to camp in and explore!

Being that we hadn't been out camping yet this summer, we hadn't updated our camping gear which meant we only had a tiny "four" person tent in our possession.  Rather than us purchasing one at the end of the season when selection is not great, S's parents offered their old family tent which we gratefully accepted.  Best part was they set it up for us before we got to the campsite!  The tent gets its own picture here because it was pretty famous over the weekend as we had a family stop and ask to take a picture of it because it looks like Darth Vader.  We told Mom and Dad B that when they are ready to get rid of Darth Vader tent they will have to sell it for a mint on ebay...=)

*Soon after we arrived Friday noon, the kids were ready for an "adventure", so we headed out to the nearby interpretive center and for a hike around the pond. 

*family photo! (thanks, dad B)

The pond is surrounded by native prairie, so we enjoyed the wildflowers that were in bloom and saw quite a few monarch butterflies too.

 

The kids' favorite spot was a footbridge about halfway around the pond.  Here they looked for shells and snails and probably would have stayed here all day if they could have!

snails!

It was only a little over a mile and a half hike, and the kids did pretty well with it.  They were excited to be with Aahma and Papa, so that helped a lot. 

butterfly weed (we have some of this in our backyard)

After finishing our hike through the prairie and oak savanna, it was back to the campsite for supper...hot dogs over the fire and fresh green beans on the camp stove.

Part of camping, to me at least, is hanging around the campsite and fire in camp chairs.  So I found these used kids camp chairs on craigslist from a very nice lady, and the kids LOVED them.

Roasting marshmallows...

...and of course, s'mores!

After light rain through most of Friday night, Saturday dawned bright and clear and we were ready to go.  We visited the interpretive center for a kids program on animal tracks, and then did the shortened version of the Mt. Tom hike (highest point in Kandiyohi county) before lunch.  Kids were tickled that the mountain had the same name as Papa (we really should have taken his picture by the sign)!

The park has a nice lake with a swimming beach, so despite the chilly breeze in the air, and only because we knew the delight our children would have, S and I put on swimsuits with the kids and headed for the beach.  We thought enough in advance (luckily!) to bring buckets and shovels for the kids, so they were very content to play by the water's edge for quite a while.  Could we get lucky enough that they wouldn't want to go in all the way?

*another family photo!  (thanks again, dad B)

Nope!  They wanted to go all the way in.  Notice the lack of an Aahma or Papa in the photo?  They came to the lake conveniently "forgetting" to put their swimsuits on. =)  The water temp wasn't awful and fun was had by all, so we were glad we ventured out.  We were even more glad to put jeans and long sleeves on when we got back to camp and warm up by the fire with tonka toasters and campfire pies for supper!

There was more light rain Saturday night, but we all stayed dry in the Darth Vader tent!

Sunday morning arrived with more beautiful weather.  We went to "camp church" at the interpretive center, and then came back to cook bacon and blueberry pancakes on our ringer-washer lid fry pan (thanks Merlin and Avis for that!).  Then it was time to pack up and go...

...after a group photo. Thanks for a great weekend Aahma and Papa!

(for something fun, make sure you are on our actual blog site - not Google Reader - and run your mouse over the last photo! =)