Audio books and good snacks alleviated some of the pain of the long drive. It's nice to have reached the point where three of the four kids are entertained by the former, and four out of four enjoy the latter! (We mainly listened to Eleanor Estes' The Moffats--a good one!--and some Librivox recordings of Thornton Burgess' animal stories.)
Josiah desperately wanted to join the neighboring campers' kids in all their games;
he stalked them every chance he got
We arrived at the campground, scoped out spots, and chose one by mid-afternoon. Our spot bordered a wash that was filled with long grass, wildflowers, and butterflies. I loved that the kids could scamper down the hill and wander the wash but still be in sight. They had lots of fun exploring, and Lydia devised a game she played with the purple butterflies each evening.
We drove over to check out the Blue Ridge Reservoir itself and were disappointed in its very limited access. Jeremy didn't realize it was basically a canyon filled with water when he had researched camping places before we went. It looked like a fun place to take canoes and kayaks and bigger kids--but not non-swimmers with no boats.
Pa and Grandma came later on Friday evening and upped the fun factor. :)
L on left, A on right
On Saturday we visited a nearby pond that some people said might make for decent fishing. It was right by the highway, but a pretty spot nonetheless, with a path you could take around it. The kids enjoyed trying their hands at fishing, and Josiah was the most successful--he caught three crayfish! Poor Jeremy got pretty discouraged with his ill luck, though.
Josiah insisted on being a gentleman and carrying my pack . . .
as long as it was only for short distances
Abby
Grandma and Lydia
Lydia
Clara got antsy on my back while everyone else "fished," and the narrow path along the steep bank of the pond wasn't a great place to let her roam. So I took her up a wider track that left the pond and road and headed back into the forest. It was a pretty walk, though warm.
We hung out in the shade awhile after getting back to the campground. That weekend in Phoenix the highs were 118-120, so we were glad to be up the Mogollon Rim--but it was still warm midday!
After lunch and a break, we attempted a hike along the Arizona Trail, which bordered our campground. We saw some alligator junipers amidst the ponderosas:
All the kids were dragging a bit by this point, but Lydia lagged and complained and cried and whined the worst. Grandma told her a story about a monster who tooted to cheer her up--and it did send her into gales of laughter (at least for the family pictures above!). Grandma's snacks helped motivate everyone, though Josiah and Abby also added their complaints to the chorus.
Pa set up hammocks near the campsite . . .
This was Clara's second camping trip. Last year was challenging--she was mobile (army crawling/on the brink of actual crawling) and wanted to get off whatever mat or blanket we tried to contain her on. This year she wanted to be in the thick of the action and accompany the big kids in all their play! Of course, she got plenty dirty . . .
Doing buckles is basically her favorite activity
She liked trying out the new camp stools (not always this successfully)
She was not thrilled to be put to bed before the other kids--see her peeking out there?
Although our tent is a behemoth, I'm thankful for the room to put a pack'n'play for Clara and a cot for me! It allows for more sleep than would otherwise happen for any of us. Lydia and Abby alternated nights in Pa and Grandma's tent, but Josiah wanted to stay with us.
Abby
I tried to keep meals fairly simple but varied and filling enough for the hungry hordes. The first night we did chicken sausages on buns and broccoli, asparagus, and corn on the cob grilled in foil packets. Jeremy manned the grill, and Grandma Neuman's gloves were a great help to him!
Grandma and Pa brought their campfire popcorn maker. We all enjoyed a good snack of popcorn around the fire as the evening wore on . . .
. . . and of course, we had to do s'mores! We ended the night with some sticky kids.
Lydia
Abby
Pa roasts marshmallows beautifully
For breakfasts we did French toast one morning, pancakes and bacon the next, and then a quick cold one (bagels) the third as we packed up. The pancakes fried in bacon grease were tasty and filling. (I made up a mix beforehand; we just had to add eggs, milk, and oil that morning.)
On Father's Day we visited a fire tower a few miles away. I'd never been to one before--it was a fun experience for all of us except Jeremy, whose fear of heights caused him some trepidation as he climbed up the metal steps and felt that wind pick up. But he made it all the way up!
The lady who mans (womans?) the fire tower was friendly and informative. She described being up in the tower when it was struck by lightning--it sounded terrifying and, well, electrifying! We could easily see the smoke from the nearby fire (see pictures below) which had caused some closures of forest roads and surrounding areas. She gave the kids lots of freebies--Smokey the Bear pins, coloring books, shoelaces, pencils, etc. Josiah even got the prize of a Smokey baseball.
Josiah willing the fire away
Lydia (left) and Abby (r) on our way down the stairs
Back at the campsite, we ate lunch (burritos) and hung out in the shade (it was hotter that day), and then Justin, Anna, and their girls arrived for a few hours of fun with the cousins. Kezzie and our kids piled into Uncle Justin's big hammock together:
Pa and Grandma decided to leave in time to do a little canoeing at the reservoir on the way back to Flagstaff. They had previously proposed taking one of the girls along to stay a few nights with them on her own, since Dortha was coming down to Phoenix to fly out for work later in the week. Lydia has long been talking about visiting Pa and Grandma all on her own, so we thought she'd be thrilled at the prospect. Well, she got cold feet and got weepy about leaving us. But Abby surprised us by piping right up and volunteering to go. She cheerfully got ready and shed nary a tear when she drove off, enthroned in the truck with a bag of snacks and her backpack of essentials.
Once the idea that Abby was going sunk in with Lydia, she regretted saying no. "It's hard to be away from my twin!" she wailed. She wanted to go along too, now that Abby would be with Pa and Grandma. Aunt Anna and Uncle Justin saved the day by squishing Lydia's car seat in the back of their Subaru with Willow's and Kez's. Lydia spent a glorious night at their house (and apparently stayed up til 11 p.m. chatting with Kezzie). Then she went to Grandma's the next day to stay out the rest of the time with her favorite twin.
Abby's face fell when she heard Lydia would be going along after all. She had hoped to have Pa and Grandma all to herself! I think she was pacified by the idea of having at least one night with them all alone.
The girls kept busy with hikes, cousin adventures, late nights, and all sorts of fun. Grandma brought them home late Wednesday night and then flew out Thursday for her work meetings.
The campsite felt pretty lonely Sunday night and Monday morning, with just four of us! We cleaned up, packed some, and slept--and then finished up and headed out by mid-morning on Monday. Clara slept on the drive home, and Josiah enjoyed audio books. The camping aftermath (unloading, cleaning, laundry, etc.) was less chaotic with just two children.
In fact, this was the first time I've had two children for a lengthier period--and the dynamic is certainly different than with four. I thought Josiah would pine for his playmates, but he enjoyed the quiet, I think. He listened to audio books, played Legos, read stories with me, played some with Clara, etc. We went on a few special outings--one to Half Price Books, where he got a coupon for their reading program and picked out a Lego building book. We also went out to eat at a Mongolian BBQ place that was on the low end of mediocre, but impressed Josiah with its soft-serve ice cream machine!
She's just about the cutest ever!
Camping tires ya out!
So . . . there's an epic of a post about our camping trip. We hope to do another this year, but it does feel like a whale of an effort to accomplish (preparation and clean-up being more than half the game). I think it was worth it, though, especially with Pa and Grandma there to help and make it more fun!
