Summer of Camping

This summer has been full of camping trips. Compare it to last summers total of zero (because the whole forest was on fire) it has been a busy summer. It has been nice with me not working because I pack the truck on Friday and we can leave when Loren gets home.

The first camping trip we took was to Grandgean (150 miles from Boise). Loren and I went by ourselves. We stayed at a campground which included water and toilets. We spotted a young dear while on our hike in the Sawtooth Mountains. We also got to sit in the hot springs along the river bed. Loren enjoyed using his newly purchased bow saw to cut wood. Let me mention we found it at a pawn shop for $12 - what a great deal. But we had a lot of fun just being us.

The second camping trip we took was to Deadwood (120 miles from Boise). We went with our friends Matt and Kristina. We had gone to this camp site 2 years prior, and just loved it. Here there were no toilets, but a lot of privacy. I think the closest campers to us were across the lake. We were able to set up camp on the sandy beach next to the lake. Loren spent his day in the lake snorkeling, swimming, and fishing. I spent my days relaxing in the shade. We did find out that the neighboring chipmunks will eat anything including: butter, sausage gravy, bacon, hash browns, and anything else we threw at them.

The third camping trip we took was to Pine (100 miles from Boise). This was a trip planned by Loren's parents. We got out of town a little late waiting for his sister, but got up there in time to find a campsite. We didn't get to camp where we wanted to because of a fire, but found an OK spot. After the first night we moved to a different site that was next to the river. It was beautiful there right next to the river and mountains. Rene was taking picture the whole time, so I didn't take the time to take pictures. So until I get hers we won't have any of this trip. I got to try out my new waders and boots. They worked great and I got a great deal on them. The boots I got at a second hand store for $10 and the waders I got off craigslist for $25 each. From a store they would have been $50 and $180, so I did get a great deal. I didn't catch anything, but better luck next time. It was great to be with his family.

Camping has become a part of our summer itinerary. It's cheep and fun. We've got one trip left this year, but we will have many more camping trips in the future years.