Jacob family campout

Last weekend was the Jacob family campout. We did this once two years ago at a campground in Springville Canyon, this year we went a little further out of the way and headed down to the Forks of Huntington campground in Fairview/Huntington Canyon. The drive down was absolutely gorgeous. Fortunately Robyn's dad lent us their Chevy Avalanche to haul our family and gear... there's no way we would have made it in our car.

A good time was had for most of the time... more on this later. First, some photos.



There were cowpies everywhere at the campsite, necessitating the use of a shovel before we had enough clear space to set up our tent. We soon discovered the source of said deposits. Apparently local ranchers let their cows wander the canyons and graze on anything they can find... like big grassy group campsites.



This of course requires real cowboys to ride around and round them up from time to time. He was nice enough to let Haley pet his horse.


But he really did his job, rounding the cows up and sending them on their way, so they have to put this sign out by the road...


Once the cows were gone, the kids could play in the river...


Including this big kid...

Sometimes you wonder how little boys can get so dirty, then you see pictures like this...


Then the kids look like this...

... makes you glad there's a nearby river to wash off in.

Or to fish in. I don't know if he ate it or not.


Lots of cute kids at this campout.





Will: "What's this stump for?"
Candace: "Jump off of it!"
Will: "Okay!"
Me: "Wait! I have to grab my camera!"


Mmmm.... Dutch oven cobbler. Twice.


It was rainy when we got there, but once the clouds parted I was able to get this nice shot. You can almost hear the angels singing.

All kinds of fun pasttimes are to be had while camping... like painting rocks.


There's nothing like camping to get one to appreciate certain conveniences we all take for granted, such as:

Hot and cold running water
Dishwashers
Dumpsters
Refrigerators
A healthy distance between relatives
Showers
Electricity
A mattress not filled with air
Swamp coolers
Doors that don't zip
... and lots of other modern-day conveniences.

Not that I don't enjoy camping, but there are modern conveniences you don't take for granted quite as much once you've been out there for a couple of days. I'm sure kids not sleeping well through the night and toddlers sharing a sleeping bag with parents probably had something to do with it.

I'm sure in a year or two I'll be up for another one.