Minaret Camping Trip 2012

this year's trip 

to minaret falls campground

was one of our best.

the weather was great,

the river was at a perfect level

for playing in, and the

kids had so much fun,

and were never 

bored (zero video games)

... yay!

here are a ton of pictures 

(both iphone and camera)

from the trip.

 it's a long drive...

  but once we are there

the long drive is so worth it!

  once camp was all set up we headed out to explore

  grant takes a picture with this same tree every year

the tree is clearly growing faster than he is

  it was so HOT that we spent the first day playing in the river

 i think if i had to choose

i'd choose this over sandy beaches and ocean

  and of course we ended day one (and every day after) with s'mores

 

day two began with a hike to minaret falls

last year there was SO MUCH water that we could barely get near the falls. this year it was more like a normal year and we were able to climb up on the rocks and play in the falls.

 the second half of the day we spent fishing 

and playing in the river again

 day three began with a hike to Rainbow Falls

 and again due to the high water level last year we were not able to hike to the bottom of rainbow falls...

but this year we went all the way to the bottom and then got as close as we could so we could be soaked with mist

 and like the day before, we spent the second half of our day

playing in the river back at our campground.

don't let the pictures fool you... the water is COLD.

snow melt cold.  but the temp was in the high 80s

so it felt refreshing... once you were used to it.

 the kids did some more fishing on our last evening there.

they didn't catch a single fish... but had lots of fun trying!

it wasn't until we were driving home and i was looking at my

iphone pictures from the trip, that i saw this one of avery fishing, 

and couldn't help but cry.  i did really good during our trip... "good"

meaning i wasn't overwhelmed and saddened by missing my dad.  

we had such a wonderful time, and kept so busy,

 and had so much fun that i truly just enjoyed 

this amazing place this year.

enjoyed making new memories with our family of four... 

well, five if we count lu dog... which of course we should!

but, this picture did indeed make me miss my dad.  

not just miss him... but actually crave for him to be alive again.  

i wanted so badly for him to be seeing this with his own eyes.  

to physically be there and experience it.  

for me to get to see his eyes light up at witnessing his grandkids fish.

bryan was amazing with helping the kids with their poles, tieing knots, 

adding weights, baiting hooks, and being patient with them as they

repeatedly got caught on rocks and in the willows.  

i am so blessed by this man.

as bryan struggled with the first few fishing line knots he said, 

"this is probably something your dad could do in the dark with his eyes closed."

bryan is probably right.  reality is, i'll never stop missing my dad.  

and i don't think i'll ever stop wishing that he wasn't missing out on the

 things that he so greatly had looked forward to.

the smell of those gooey red salmon eggs

on this river take me back to fun times as a kid.

as i pushed three of them onto avery's hook

i was instantly reminded of the many hours of fun i had fishing in this same place with my dad.

 it brings me so much joy that my family loves this place too.

that we get to make this a tradition of our own now.

that my kids are making all sorts of memories that

one day they can share with their kids.

 we perfected our marshmallow roasting this year

we enjoyed another year of sleeping in a tent

hot cocoa on cold mornings

camp style cooking

 no work, no school, no laundry, no errands, no nothing... but each other 

the kids were amazing.  

never bored, very little whining, and almost no arguing... it was great. i caught these gems with my telephoto lens without them knowing. they were down by the river together looking for "cool rocks".

i am constantly amazed at their love for one another.

being an only child i was convinced i was the 

lucky one and that all siblings did was fight.

i am beyond thankful for the way that these two care for each other.

another trip to add to the many years of memories.

it was a good trip full of great memories to add.

it was a much needed get-a-way for this family

and i am more than thankful for 

each and every moment of it.