Ward Campout

The ward campout was July 23-24 at Stubb Stewart State Park by Vernonia (meaning on the east side of the Coastal Range). We borrowed Rachel and Josh's tent, as usual, and, after a too-long detour to buy the girls sleeping bags from a Craigslister, we reached the park and pitched our tent.


Kip made a fabulous dutch-oven dinner of sausage, potatoes and eggs.


The kids enjoyed playing in the field and on the play structure with all the other ward kids.

That night the wind blew like it was trying to carry us away in our tents. I stayed awake listening to it tear at our tent until Kip finally got up around 3:30 and took off the rain fly. Sometime after that I slept and the next thing I knew Becca was laughing and poking me in the face and the hot sun was shining down through the uncovered top of the tent. Aaah, morning. No hot-chocolate for us - our friends who had planned on making it couldn't keep their camp stove lit in the wind. And it wasn't cold enough to want it anyway.

 

After a wonderful breakfast provided by the activities committee, we decided to go for a hike.


We found some interesting trail markers - little printed foot images taped to Popsicle sticks and placed along the trails. We followed them and found a bucket full of white poker chips. We let the kids each take one, hoping there were so many there they wouldn't be missed. The kids were thrilled.


Later we discovered that the poker chips were the end of a scavenger hunt put together by the people at the Cowboy Days festival. We drove up to check it out before heading home and the kids got to learn about fancy western horse riding. Becca especially loved it and was cute riding her horse. It wasn't always right-side-up, but she still enjoyed it and got a lot of laughs from other festival attendees.

Ward Campout 2008

Our ward campout was the 25th of July. We borrowed Rachel and Josh's tent, as usual, and drove out to Kilchis River Park by Tillamook, OR. We got there pretty late and started setting up camp. Rebecca watched from her blanket.


In the morning we enjoyed the ward breakfast and then played at the river. It was very cold - in the 50s - and raining lightly. The kids didn't mind; throwing rocks in the water was just as fun in the rain as in the sun. Some of the heartier ward teens braved the water in spite of the chill. They were very impressive.



Rebecca had a hard night. She fell asleep in my arms but every time I laid her down she snapped awake and cried at me. Eventually I put her in my air bed to sleep with me and Anna, who refused a sleeping bag of her own in favor of kicking me all night. In the warmer air of morning, Becca slept just fine snuggled up under all my blankets.


While Becca napped, we burned the rest of our wood and broke camp. When she woke we headed home.

Yurt Camping with Intel-ites

Kip and his coworkers wanted to go camping all summer. They finally scheduled it for the weekend of September 15th. It was supposed to be cool and rainy, but luckily they got some yurts for us to stay in at Fort Stevens on the coast. We got there Friday night and built a fire and ate dinner together. The next morning we went on a walk and played in the lake, then went to the beach. Anna really liked the lake water, in spite of the chill. Neither of the kids liked the beach because the waves were too loud slamming right on the sand instead of breaking farther out and rolling slowly in like at the other beaches we usually go to.

Anna checks out the yurt.


Anna and William, Kip, Chandra and his daughter play bocci in the sand by the yurts.


Anna in the water at the lake.


Playing with kites on a sadly windless beach.

Ward Campout

July 27-28 was the ward Campout. We went to a little campground outside of Tillamook Oregon. It was almost a 2 hour drive, but the area was beautiful so that made up for it. The campground was bordered by a small river, the Kilchis, in which the kids all played and got wet Saturday morning. We arrived late Friday evening and quickly set up camp. The site next to us had the Bug Family, with two kids close to William's age with whom he quickly made friends. Anna was swooped off by one of her Young Women's friends, Sarah, for most of the trip. It was pretty nice. We had a good time talking with people in the ward and getting to know them better.


Here, Anna has tasted something she apparently doesn't like.


Thanks for the loan of the tent, Rach and Josh (as usual).


William and his friend Ashley in the sand.


William, Kip, and Anna on our little walk in the woods.