The Camping Trip from HE double hockey stick!

It was one of those camping trips, the kind you wish you never had gone on. We had been planning on going camping with our BFFs for a few weeks over the 24th of July holiday. Our friends scouted out some first come, first served camping grounds and the plan was for me and Jennifer to leave early thurs. morning with the kids and the husbands would drive up together that night. Jen and I were going to get camp set up and play with the kids. So that was the way it was supposed to go.

Here is the way it went....

We left as planed and drove up towards Logan and then towards Preston, Idaho, to a little lake called Oneida (which I must say is the best wakeboarding lake I have ever seen, not many people and smooth as glass all day long, now all we need is a wakeboard boat). We turned off the highway and headed up toward the 2 campgrounds up that way. The first camp ground was full so we headed to the upper one. It too was full. Some people that camp there regularly said there was some BLM land up a bit further that people use. So we keep going. About a mile later it happened...

a flat tire.

So there we are, in the middle of no where, no cell service, no men and no one around to help. So it is Me, Kellene, my best and incredibly pregnant friend and her boy Paul. Luckily there was a lady in a near by house that came by and offered for Jen and the kids to go and sit in the air conditioning. So then it's just me and the tire. Luckily when I lived with my Grandad in Montana after high school on his ranch, he made me the designated tire changer and when you are building houses in the hills of Montana, flat tires are plentiful, although the one advantage I had is that my jack was a backhoe. Grandad would simply put the front bucket under the hitch of the car and lift it up in 2 seconds. No such luck here. I had to take both kids car seats out of the back to reach my jack and tools. It was near 100 degrees out and no shade to be found. I pull out the owners manual to the truck and read the part on the tire. My favorite line was "make sure jack is on flat smooth surface". We should all be so lucky to decide where we get flat tires. After I laughed at that, I put the jack under the designated spot and loosened the lug nuts to the tire and started to crank the truck up. The other fun picture showed putting wheel blocks behind the 3 good tires, again another laugh because I always carry wheel blocks in the truck. So after 2 capri suns, and a can of lemonade and 15 min of cranking on the slow hand jack, the truck was up and the tire was off. A small victory.
Next comes lowering the tire from its hibernating spot up under the bed of the truck. I get the tool and lower it down. By now the lady in the house had come out to see if she could help and I am glad she did because the tire was not light! It took both of us and about 3 attempts to lift the tire a mere inch of the ground into place. The lug nuts go quickly back on and the tire is tightened. She went back to the house and I lowered the truck with took 1/4 of the time as it did to raise it. With the truck once again on firm ground, I removed the imaginary wheel blocks and took the jack off its flat smooth surface of the slightly inclined gravel road. I tightened the lug nuts the rest of the way, reinstalled both car seats and we were back on our way about 2 hours later.
Back to looking for a camp sight, and as luck would continue it was 2:30 in the afternoon and everything was taken. Don't you people work? So we made our way back to the highway and regrouped. Jen's aunt and uncle lived in Logan so we headed back that way and on our way we passed a sign for another camp ground about 10 miles from where we were originally looking. On a wing and a prayer I turned and we headed up another gravel road, goodie! Luckily this road was much better maintained and no more tire problems. So all the way up the canyon we find a camp ground. It was all first come as well. We drove around and found an empty sight and we got all excited until we saw the sign taped to the ladder, "camp site closed do to bee's nest". Bugger, so we kept on, and finally a brake the very last campsite was open. It wasn't the best site but beggars can't be choosers, so we grabbed it. We started to set up camp, it was not 7 p.m and the husbands showed up and all we had to show for our all day adventure was a flat tire and a camp site with no tents of anything set up. The kids were beyond tired and we all worked together to get our beds ready, gave the kids a spit bath and into bed. Kellene ended up way over tired and had to sleep between us where she woke up ever hour all night long crying until I woke up and put my hand on her. To make matters worse, our mexican neighbors who didn't speak any english were up till about 4 am loud and talking.

So, friday arrives with plans to join Jen's family for a float down the bear river on inner tubes and a couple of canoes. We found Kellene a life jacket in Preston and we headed to the river. I don't have any pictures of the event because at the last minute we decided to leave the camera in the car instead of putting it in Jen and Rick's canoe. That would prove to be amoung the wisest decisions all day. So, about 15 of us head down the river. Very enjoyable and uneventful for the first hour, then all the so called "adventures start" Nate had Kellene with him and his tube went flat and both were dumped into the river and the flat tube floated away. Luckily I caught it and Nate gave me Kellene and made his way over to Jen's dad in his canoe where he had a pump, but there was a hole in is tube so he grabbed one of the extras. So he is on his way again. Next thing we know, we see a red canoe, Jen's dad's, floating upside down, down the river with her dad walking along the shore chasing it. Jen and Rick move their canoe and catch it and wait for her dad to come down. I made my way up to help since the canoe was full of water and Jen and Rick couldn't help from their position, plus they had their little boy Paul with them and Jen who is 7 and a half months pregnant. So, Jen's dad Keith and I dump the water out and get it to paddle to catch up with every one. Keith gave me a quick lesson on paddling and when to switch the side I was paddling on and we caught up. I jumped out and back into my tube to link up with my fam. Along we go for another 20 minutes or so and I look ahead in time to see Jen's mom and dad tip their canoe over and for Jen's mom to grab the side of their canoe and tip them over too. Was I glad that my camera was not on board as it would have floated down the river by itself at that point. All of this happened in strong current that wasn't very deep. Keith was across the current with his canoe while Jen, Rick, Paul and the Mom where struggling with the current. Rick pick up his canoe by himself and walks sideways across the current to put his canoe down next to Keith's. He then side steps back into the heavy current and grabs Paul who is 2 and walks him over to waiting grandpa. Then there is Jen and the Mom sitting in the water, the Mom blocking the current from her pregnant daughter. Rick hands of Paul and heads back for Jen. I reach them about now and lend a hand to jen's mom while she is there. Both Rick and Keith come back for her, she is very overweight and could not get up by her self, plus she had a bad knee. So I lay in the water in front of her to block the current and the boys help her up. The said they were good, so once again I head down the river. Every one had stopped not far down waiting. We sat there for quite a while and we saw no canoes. Fearing they had lost their ores, I climb out onto the shore and walk back up to them. Everything turned out to be fine, Jen's parents where stopping there and were going to wait till we reached the end and got one of the cars to pick them up. So, I make my way back to the river where I slip and bang my elbow bruising it pretty bad and I lost my Oakley sunglasses. :( Once we were all back together again we all started floating again. The next little while was uneventful until we came to a small water fall. Jen and Rick were stopped in their canoe above it waiting for someone to tell them witch way was best. It was quite fun to go down on a tube. Once all of the tubers were down we pointed the best way for them to go. We watched and waited, and sure enough, they tipped over again.
So, a cousin and I headed out of the water and walked back up to them once again. We got the boat emptied of water and on our way again. At this point we could see the end and the rest was uneventful.

On Sat. we decided to hang around the camp ground and chill. There was a beautiful stream that we went down with the kids and played by. The water was run off from mountain snow and was very cold, but that didn't stop the kids from playing and splashing around.

Nate, Kellene and Nikki

Rick, Jen, Paul and Alex in the tummy




When Kellene's feet got to cold, she wanted to be held

Nate continued his tradition of trying to build a dam on and flowing water!


The kids continue to play in and around the water




Standing one minute........

And sitting the next!



That is one dirty bottom!!!

A few pictures sitting around the camp ground


Kellene's cold water face


Luckily Sat. came and went with out and problems. We can't say the same for Sunday morning as we were getting packed up and ready to leave. Nate managed to lock the keys in his truck with the engine running. As always, no cell service. Jen and I go looking for the camp host to see if he has a phone. He told us he did and then I asked him if I could borrow it to make a quick call. He then says "NO!, but you can use it while I am there". I thought that is what I just asked, but I bit my tongue and didn't say anything. He suggested calling the sheriff's dept. We did and about an hour of so later then came up and got us in.
We all got in our cars and headed home. Nate and I decided that the hardest day at work would have been more relaxing than the weekend we just had! But hey, we made memories, right?.........