Guys' Campout

David and the boys have been involved with a father and son character training program called Alert Cadet for several years. They work through handbooks, attend meetings, participate in service projects, and work at camps away from home on occasion. 

The handbook they are currently completing requires them to go on a wilderness camp out together. David and the boys planned, prepped, shopped, and packed up for an overnight of fun and skill building.

 

 

 

 

Along with setting up camp and getting creative with preparing meals, they also hiked from their camp site, about 4 miles away, loaded with gear, back home.  It was an adventurous hike but they were glad to be home again after an overnight of very low temps in the tent.

 

 

It sure is wonderful to see our boys learning so many useful and noble skills in this program. But, what we value most is the time they are spending with David, connecting, sharing, and growing together in the scriptures and pursuing godly pursuits in life.

 

Wilderness camping day two

We did not make it to Umbagog state park that evening because it was getting dark and the gps had us traveling on some rather bumpy roads. We pulled off at a rest area up past Fryeburg, ME and spent the night there. We were up early and to our surprise we had a wonderfull view of the Saco river just outside out window. After a short walk along the side of the Saco we boarded our coach and headed to Umbagog. The journey was short, just under an hour from were we had spent the night. Arriving we found our site and plugged in the rig. Our first order of business was to find out when the camp office opened for the day. You see we could not find a way to attach the canoe to the camper. So we would have to rent one from the campground. The boys went to scope things out. First the water, and docks, then the camp office. When they saw that the office was open they ran back to the camper were I was preparing breakfast. After eating some of the food that the girls had sent along we went to rent the canoe. Upon paying $ 40.00/day rental for the canoe I was informed that I would have to return it before five that evening. This was a disappointment to all of us as we had hoped to fish that evenig and again in the morning. Later the campground attendant let us take it overnight and return it in the morning.

With the canoe in possesion we loaded our equipment. Our equipment consisted of three life jackets, ores, poles, worms, and fishing gear. We began our fishing along the shore just to the left of the campground. This was a small alcove just past the boat launch. We did fairly well here catching over a dozen fish. They were all yellow perch, but fish non the less. After an hour or so I was getting greedy and wanted to catch some bigger fish. We decided to make our way around the lake to the left. This did not work out so well. We spent a lot of time paddeling and not much time catching. Each place we tried we had nothing. Tired from roeing we decided to head back to shore and take a break. The sun was high when we brought the fish back to the camper. We set up a fish cutting station on the picnic table, which we dragged under the canopy to stay out of the sun. I knew it would take some time to clean up the fish and since many of the fish were small I wanted the boys to help out. Benjamin was excited about the prospect. I did a few to show him how it is done. Then he tried one, starting with the smallest because he did not want to screw up a big one. He was doing really good but there were a lot of little fish. I found another knife that I could use to help him out and we were both working on it for a while. Meanwhile Joshua was trying to brake open some mussell that he had gathered from the beech. When all was complete we had a pound of fish and a hand full of mussells. We cleaned it all up with the spicket and put the fish in a clear zip lock.

With that big project complete I wanted to take a break. The boys wanted to play on the beach with the canoe. I set up a chair down by the beach and had a little time to video tape them and read a book. I was reading the Three Weavers Daughters and the bible. The boys spent the time playing with the canoe. They tied it to a rope which prevented it from drifting out too far into the lake. Then they would take turns pushing each other out into the water. Once out in the water they would paddle as fast as they could back to shore. A couple of times they would come ashore with an ore in hand and dig with it. It sounded like they were pretending to bury or unbury a treasure. They did this for several hours it seemed.

Having found all the treasures on this beach they wanted to do a little fishing. I let them fish the spot that we had good luck with that morning. This was just fiffty feet from the boat dock, so I setup a chair by the docks and watched them from shore. I had walkie talkie's with me so I could talk with them from time to time. They caught some of the world's smallest fish of record. We thought to keep them for bait, but we had worms gilore so we put them back. They did this for another hour or so and then decided to come back ashore.

For dinner we cooked over an open fire. We had some packages that the girls had prepared that consisted of potatoes, keibasa, and onion wrapped in tin foil seasoned with butter and salt. It was an excellent meal and we thank them for that. Then we hit the lake again, this time in another alcove that was directly across the lake to the right. The sun was setting and we figured the fish would be bitting. Ben was the first to get some bites. He pulled in the largest yellow perch yet. Josh was a little bummed but wanted to check out Ben's spot since he had not yet landed a fish. Shortly after I caught a nice sized Smelt. I didn't know what it was at the time, but it looked good for eating. The last fish we caught hooked Josh's line and it was a large mouth bass. We got a few other little yellow perch, but we did not keep them. The sun was setting by this time so we decided to head back toward camp before we couldn't see anymore. When we had made it back to the other side we fished the alcove just to the right of were the campground is. Not much action there and we worked our way back to the boat landing. On shore we had three more fish to carve up.

With no daylight left we had to cut the fish by flashlight. Josh was in bed before I was all cleaned up from that little project. He had played hard this day. I took a shower and did a little reading before bed. That evening I was awaken to a beautifull display of God's creation. A storm passed through that evening and it was amazing. The sky would be completely dark and in an instant would light up with lightning. I got out of bed to enjoy it for some thirty minutes or so.

The last link of our trip was a little more hurried. As the terrain changed and became more familiar, I think a lot of the family were getting anxious to be home. The weather also took a dive.  Traveling in the RV when it's cold and raining every day isn't so fun.  We meant to spend more time in KY than we did, but in the end, the Lord worked out the timing just right. David had some jobs that needed tending at home and our very last leg of the journey, from PA to NH left us with a broken brake master cylinder. (I don't exactly know what that means, but I DO know it was a scary drive home!)   Most of what we saw was from the windshield. Good thing it gives such a great view!

View from our campsite in the Ozarks

Crossing the Mississippi. You'd think a girl who grew up on the Mississip' wouldn't be taking pics of barges, lol! But, it was exciting to see them after all the years I've been away from the midwest.

We made one last stop in PA to enjoy meeting yet another family I've met through my internet connections. We were so blessed to spend Sunday morning (and all day!) in worship and fellowship with these new and dear friends.  No pics of our visit, but we did get one of an Amish buggy driving down their street. That was a treat for Elizabeth, especially, since she longed to see and visit the Amish communities on our way.

And the drive home. We made it a straight shot from PA through the night. Praying all along the way that our brakes would hold. I only wish I'd have gotten a pic of the children's faces when they woke up to see we were parked in our own driveway. It was PRICELESS!! We crawled into our luxurious, big beds and crashed.  The next day felt like Christmas as we all relaxed in our pj's and savored the feeling of living in such a "castle" as we do. At least, that's what it felt like after over a month in the RV. Thanks for sharing our trip with us!

FREEZING in Texas!!!!!

I have no pics for this one. My fingers are too numb to push the trigger!! Honestly, I just had to post about the frigid temps here because there is no way this can be normal! When we were travelling today we couldn't believe the temps were in the 30's. Now, tonite I am shivering as I finishing up this long list of blog posts because the temps are plummeting down to the mid 20's!!! Now, we love Texas. But really, this isn't Friendly at all!  I saw that it will be back to normal...mid 70's by midweek...but we'll be Long Gone by then Y'all!

Still, we love the hospitality of this great state and are enjoying seeing the panhandle, as we missed it in our travels last year. We found a great RV park with an indoor pool, laundry and game room. We also were invited to sit in on a Cowboy Roundup and enjoyed some fun fiddlin', pickin' and harmonica playing mixed with the great cowboy wit.

We still love ya, Texas. Even if y'all are FREEZING us tonite. :-D

A Refreshing Surprise from the Lord!

While traveling through Nevada, we planned a visit in Las Vegas with a friend David had in high school. We enjoyed a fun evening with their family of pizza, play and conversation. We left that evening unsure of where we would camp for the night. The original plan would leave us backtracking an hour and there were only two options that kept us from the "strip" of Sin City. 

Okay, so a crazy thing happened on our way to the campground...you'll laugh at this story for sure!!

We called one RV park while driving and asked for availablity and pricing. We've learned along the way to be sure and ask if there is an extra charge per child, as some parks will charge up to $5 per child extra. (Frustrating...but ANYWAYS!)  When David asked this question, he got the usual reply, "Well, how many kids do you have?!"  He told her six and she exclaimed, "What?! Well, we can't legally rent to you! It's Nevada law that each child have their own room, ya' know!"  Needless to say, David was speechless.  That was a new one for us, and we've heard quite a few! I'm still convinced this woman didn't really understand the law and how to communicate it clearly. It would be nearly impossible to have a separate room for every child while camping, no matter what size of the family!! LOL!! At any rate, we drove on, hoping to find something more friendly along the way.

As we headed out of town, we noticed the Lake Mead Rec Area and that there was a campground indicated on the map. We rolled into the park well after closing.  The RV area looked safe and comfy in the dark, so we quietly pulled in to a vacant site and hunkered down for the night. David did the after hours check-in and we zonked.

When the sun was coming up that morning, I peeked out the window to see a gorgeous lake of beautiful blue reflecting the sunrise.  I immediately put on my shoes and hopped out to see just what kind of treasure the Lord had led us to.

It was Lake Mead. A true oasis in the desert. After a quick walk, we decided to drive to the beach for breakfast. What a treat! We laid out the bagels and bananas on a big blanket and enjoyed our meal while watching the sun come up over the hills. Afterwards, the boys quickly jumped in and enjoyed some wave surfing, as the winds were quickly picking up. I could never have planned such a lovely stop. Once again, I learned the truth to the proverb that "A man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."  I'm so grateful for His guidance and provision.

After breakfast, we stopped in at the visitor center. Great gardens there and a fantastic Touch and Learn center all about the desert, Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam. (Our next stop...but that's another post.)

Joshua and the Joshua Tree

A few days of rest

While David attended the conference, the children and I enjoyed a few days of "housekeeping" at our campsite at Cheyenne Mountain State Park. What a gorgeous view we had overlooking the city of Colorado Springs and the army base, Fort Carson. I have to say, I loved waking each morning at 6:30am to the sound of the bugle. Along with cleaning up our little home and several loads of laundry, we relaxed at the playground, trails and campsite.  The sunrises and sunsets were breathtaking.

A Short Trip

We took a week to camp a bit in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We love to travel in the RV, but the rain made the time at the campgrounds not as much fun. We cut our trip short and headed home to spend our second week on some projects.  We still enjoyed a nice break away from home and having David rest from such a busy workload.