More Campin' pictures...whether you wanted to see them or not!

Remember, yesterday, I mentioned the annual Hike/Fish the Snake River jaunt...This year, when we drove over to the Big Red Park, where we drop the guys off on the east side of the Snake River, we found that the road was washed out where the guys start their trip. We didn't talk to anyone, but we're just guessing that spring flooding washed out the road. We're thinking that beavers contributed to the damage. But, wow, what a mess. This photo is of the former road over the river with the flume--well, what's left of the flume. That kind of water power is a little beyond my flat-landers comprehension.

One of the games we like to play a lot at our house is Washers. It's kinda like horse shoes, but easier. The kids played many a game of Washers with we adults getting in on the action. Kevin is a wiz at Washers. Andy and Sharon were pretty good too. Miss Kat, alas, isn't good. The only part of washers she's good at is what we'll call...creative scoring. If you get a point, she gets two. somehow, even when she's losing, she wins. And don't even try arguing with the girl, cause she's a master at the art of argument. Not debate, just argument.

On our hike up to the Elkhorn Mine, we enjoyed lots of tree art. Not sure who etched this into the Aspen, but she's been there a while. I think she looks a lot like me...except for the ample chest, and my face is not quite as masculine. But, who looks at her face anyway?

We stopped at Vanderbilts in Colby and got Miss Kat new boots before the trip. she saved them for the campground, using her flip flops and tennis shoes for water adventures. Cute Ariat Fat Babies. She wore them all the time. Yes, with her shorts. With her long legs, and boots...cute, cute, cute. If boots make everyones legs look that good, I'm getting me a pair. Better yet, I'll steal Kat's. We wear the same size! (Kat's standing next to her Daddy. Sharon and Lynn Dale are in the background...with both dogs making an appearance.)

Every year, we set out a hummingbird feeder. This year, we had two birds utilize it. Kevin and Lynn mixed the food...but they didn't boil the sugar and water, nope, they just dumped some sugar into the water. Sharon and I told them and told them that you have to supersaturate the water, but dang it; the hummingbirds came anyway. Personally, I think the birds were planted by the guys--just so they'd win the argument... But, anyway, The hummingbirds gave us a lot of pleasure over the week. As we were breaking up camp on the last morning, this little guy kept zipping in, looking for his snack. Unfortunately, it had been packed already. But he was so cute because he kept zipping in and out, looking for that feeder.

This was our kitchen for the week. Have you ever seen a cast iron kettle (center, bottom on the grate)? I hadn't, but I got one at an auction earlier this summer. It was really rusty, but I scrubbed it and rubbed it with lard and we used it at camp. We didn't cook in it, but we used it to hold our bacon grease that we cooked with. We kept in on the fire, or near the fire so it stayed nice and hot all week. I cleaned it up and it's now nicely seasoned. Several years ago, Lynn and I bought the big Dutch Oven (top center). We hadn't used it much, but we did this year. It cooked our Taco Soup and our Goulash, and Gravy. When you're cooking for 9, and 6 of them are big eaters...you need a big pot.

The coffee pot is Kev's--the one we use in the house. I spent over 2 hours scrubbing the soot off it Sunday afternoon at home. I think he needs another one dedicated for camping because I don't want to make a habit of scrubbing soot off a coffeepot.

This is of my sweetie, Kev. He's just out looking at some of the dead trees. But I thought it was a nice picture. We had such a good time on our little adventure to the mountains.

Finally, a shot depicting a common activity all week...resting in chairs, under the trees. Sharon and Andy. Be surprised they aren't reading, because if they were sitting down--in camp, they had a book in hand. We all read a lot of books. But, that's the best part of vacation, relaxing, and doing something you enjoy.