At long last we took a camping trip! It was a beautiful, sunny weekend at Hermit Park, and we stayed in the rustic Aspen Cabin. We blew the dust and spiders off the camping gear in the basement and packed up Merida (the new blue Highlander) for the weekend.
I think the only thing of note that I forgot this time was butter, but a quick stop at Safeway in Estes Park fixed that. I also grabbed a bag of intensely stale marshmallows out of the back of the cupboard. But Alex swore that he liked them that way, even eating one raw.
The kids had a great time all weekend collecting "crystals" (all the bits of quartz rock they could find). Everyone loved the bunk beds in the cabin, and the private pit toilet next to the cabin was immaculate! Dana and I even had a few brief opportunities to relax and enjoy the mountain air, in between frantically getting food ready, keeping kids safe and happy, and sleeping.
On Saturday we stopped into town to swim at the indoor Estes Park pool, which was all but deserted. It was like a giant bathtub, warm and full of water toys. The much-needed hot shower afterwards was an added bonus.
Now my mind turns towards how could we do this sort of thing more often? How could we have more fun, with less effort, and in more seclusion?
