Family Travels

Date of Trip August 9 – August 14th

Flight Day

We awoke at 4 AM to arrive at the airport for a 7:05 AM flight. Who planned this vacation anyway? A huge part of the excitement of this vacation is just flying on an airplane. Our youngest doesn’t remember flying at four years old, which was four years ago. We experienced it all; checkin, security, takeoff, landing, and lost luggage. Apparently, 90% of lost luggage comes in on the next flight. Our bag went to Orange County and was returned to us in Carlsbad, California about 14 hours after landing.

San Diego

After arriving in San Diego, our plan was to hang out a bit and drive up the coast to Carlsbad, California, home of Legoland. So, we followed Dad’s plan of stopping at Busy Bee bagels in La Jolla, grabbed fresh squeezed OJ and bagels to go, and headed up to Mt. Soledad. The term Mountain is used loosely here. The view of the ocean was amazing up there. We also checked out the Easter Cross Veterans Memorial on the Hilltop.

Carlsbad, California

In Carlsbad, we stayed in the Grand Pacific Palisades which is minutes from Legoland. By the time we arrived there, we were ready for naps. The children’s pool is very cute, so we hung out there until dinner. The hotel also had an Olympic sized lap pool which was awesome for a morning workout. This was our splurge hotel, but we really didn’t have the time or energy to take advantage of all the activities offered.

Legoland

The next morning we headed for Legoland. Having an eight year old Lego enthusiast in the family, this destination has been looked forward to for a long time. We all enjoyed the park, but felt the bulk of the park was designed for children eight and under. So, we were happy to be there with an eight year old. We spent two full days experiencing Legoland. Our family favorite was the Dragon ride which we rode approximately 11 times. Other favorites included Miniland USA with Lego replicas of Washington DC, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and many other interesting destinations. We proudly found the only minature toilet in the park, but failed to find the smallest replica of a bird in the Chinatown exhibit. Other less dazzling attractions we picked as favorites were the Enchanted Walk, and the Adventure’s Club. The food was a bit pricey, but surprisingly good.

Back to San Diego

The next three nights we would stay at a less expensive hotel in Old Town San Diego. We wanted to try seafood, so we walked to Mexican at the Coyotee Cafe. The tortillas were awesome and the Mariachi Band was great. By our request, we were serenaded with “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” by Freddy Fender.

San Diego Zoo

The next day was unplanned, but the kids really wanted to check out the zoo. In San Diego, that seemed like a good plan. We have spent many, many hours in the Denver Zoo, so we weren’t sure about visiting another zoo. The San Diego Zoo really is an amazing place. With such temperate weather, the San Diego Zoo serves as a Botanical Garden, and Wildlife Refuge as well as a zoo. It was huge and somewhat overwhelming for us beginners. The double decker bus tour at the beginning of the day was so educational and helped us get an overview of the zoo which really helped. Mid day we needed a nap and a break from the heat. That night we came back to see three excellent shows which included Animal Ambassadors, Elephant Food Toss, and Splash. We interacted with two zookeepers and three animals (Serval, Binturong, and Pacarana) in the Animal Ambassadors program. The Elephant Food toss was an interesting talk about the three elephants on display while they ate. Splash, was an artist painting animals with his hands which was really neat.

Sea World

Our final tourist day was spent at Sea World. We didn’t know what to expect, but we did know we would need to spend lots of time with the penguins. Our penguin lover, really loved that. The penguin exhibit mimicked the Antarctic with dark lighting in the summer. We have approximately 50 photographs of penguins mostly the Magellanic Penguins which were on display outside in the daylight. Favorite shows were Shamu Dream, Cirque Del La Mer, and Clyde and Seamore’s Risky Rescue. Favorite exhibits were the Penguin Encounter, Manatee Rescue, and Shark Encounter.

The Ride Home

You couldn’t miss us as we dropped off our rental car, a bright blue PT Cruiser, on the final day. We checked in our luggage 8 minutes before the deadline and had little time to spare on our way to the airplane. School starts tomorrow for our sixth grader, so as the pace of life changes, we look forward to being home. But we do hope to find our way to another family vacation soon.

Date of Trip June 28th – July 6th

Trips between CO and MN

On the way to Minnesota, we stayed at the Fairfield Marriott in Lincoln, NE. Then, on the way home we camped at Mormon Island State Recreation Center near Grand Island, Nebraska. Camping instead of hoteling saved us about the cost of one tank of gas, which is considerable at this time. Mormon Island is a great location for travelers, just off of I-80 at exit 340 North (see photo below). People seemed especially helpful and friendly. We felt really lucky to avoid the thunderstorms in the distance. Watching fireflies was a treat. The Maggiolina sleepers were more effected by the campground noise and sticky weather than the van sleepers.

Grandma and Grandpa

As always, one of the highlights is eating Grandma’s meals. This time, we had loads of strawberries we picked at Pine Tree Farms in White Bear Lake to eat (see photo below). Grandpa fixed up Uncle’s “antique” Schwinn bikes for riding. Also, he engineered the removal of the canoe from the garage. Finally, Grandma detected and Grandpa re-attached a piece of plastic to the bottom of our van. We feel so fortunate for all their special treatment.

Event to Remember

• picking 12 lbs. of strawberries at Pine Tree Farms in White Bear Lake
• snail shell gathering and swimming at Snail Lake Beach
• riding bikes to Ken’s Market for treats and just riding through the neighborhood
• canoeing at Lake Johanna
• playing our keyboard and visiting the neighbors and performing a “concert”
• new Nickelodeon theme at Mall of America
• Anniversary date of Thai food and a movie
• Hot dogs, corn on the cob, and s’mores cooked on an open grill in the backyard
• Wall-E movie
• watching the Williams sisters dominate Wimbeldon
• playing tennis at Mounds View High School and at the park off of New Brighton along the power line path
• Watching fireworks with Grandpa over White Bear Lake with an awesome finale

Leaving

After saying farewell to Grandma and Grandpa, the van was filled with complaints of leaving too early. Just another sign that this trip was very special and memorable.

Date of Trip June 20th – 22nd, 2008

2nd Annual Camping Trip

Thanks to the organizing efforts of our friends, the reservations, cooking, and food worked great. We are so fortunate to spend a weekend a year sharing an outdoor experience. Our group of 15 made for some exciting times.

Crazy Weather and No Bears!

The weather worsened as we headed to Jackson Lake. Dark skies, high winds, tumble weeds rolling, and hail. We even spent about 20 minutes under a bridge hiding from the hail in hopes to prevent hail damage. When we arrived, the huge lake was white-capped from the wind. Reports of tornadoes were in the area. On the bright side, the may fly type bugs weren’t swarming, yet. Also, no bears to contend with at Jackson Lake! After analyzing a burrito that was accidently left out the next night, we decided few scavengers were living in the area.

Campsites

We occupied Lakeside sites 58, 60, and 62. Of these sites, 62 was our favorite due to the row of trees for shade and the closeness to the bath house. Coin operated showers were nice after swimming.

Beach Day

The second day the weather was beautiful. The highlight of Jackson Lake is the South beach. The huge cottonwood trees tower over the beach giving protection from the sun. Plenty of frogs and snails kept the kids busy. We brought life vests for the kids expecting deeper water at the beach. With high water levels, the beach area didn’t get any deeper than about 4 ft. Canoe rides, on our friend’s canoe, around the beach and into an inlet East of the beach were really neat. Dogs aren’t allowed on the beach, so you may need to plan ahead. The short walk in camping sites near the secluded North beach looked really fun. The North beach didn’t look as sheltered from the sun as the South beach. Since one toiletry bag was left under a laundry basket at home, it was nice to be able to go to the Marina at the park to pick up a toothbrush and even a contact lens case and solution.

Date of Trip March 26th – 29th, 2008

Something New

After six ski seasons of trekking up to Eldora Resort for daily ski lessons, we reached a family goal this weekend. We vacationed in the mountains on a multi-day ski vacation. Since we had four days, we chose to drive a while and explore something we couldn’t see over a weekend. Dad had visited Crested Butte 18 years ago, so it seemed like a nice, familiar choice. We checked out vrbo.com for condo rentals. Their prices were comparable to Elevation Spa and Resort. So, we just went with the hotel. The location is awesome. To get to the slopes in the morning, you check your skis out of the “ski valet”, walk out the door, and ski about a city block up to the Red Lady Express lift. Right next to Red Lady Express, is the Silver Queen which services the harder terrain. We tried the Silver Queen exactly once. Mom felt a little queasy with the Blue run tight turns, so we decided to stick with the Red Lady Express after that. Our favorite lift was Paradise, which was much fancier than we were used to with maps and speed changes. Overhearing skiers talk about “Paradise” made for some interesting listening.

The Terrain

The ski mountain in Crested Butte is gorgeous! We weren’t used to seeing aspen groves mixed with the pine forests. The Crested Butte “peak” was always a fascination. According to the maps, Crested Butte has the greatest amount of extreme terrain on the continent. We saw ski tracks up on the “peak” and found out you can hike to the peak and ski up there. We we couldn’t imagine anyone being able to do that!

Skiing

As a family, we managed to stick together enough not to get lost. Our group is a mix. We have conservative gentle slope enthusiasts, tree skiers, jump seekers, super pipe skiers, and terrain park lovers. We have fast skiers and slow skiers. Fortunately, we all managed to ski our own style and ride the lifts together. Christy’s Sports is at the base of the hill next to the Elevation Hotel. We made one stop there to get ski readjusted. One of our skier kept losing his ski mostly during jumps. So it was really nice to get a free binding adjustment before heading to lunch in our hotel room.

Tubing

The last evening of our stay, we bought $5 tickets to the tubing hill for the kids. They enjoyed tubing, but the hill closed early and the fun lasted less than an hour. Tubing had no lift which was a major complaint after hauling those large tubes of the hill half a dozen times.

Check-in

When we first arrive at the Elevation, we could barely pull up to the hotel to check in. They didn’t have a room for us. We unloaded our things onto a cart and left it with the Bell Service. With free drink coupons in hand, we headed to the Atmosphere’s Restaurant off the lobby. They were to call us when our room was ready. We sipped for awhile and then decided to order dinner. The grilled cheese was not a hit nor the remaining entrees. After getting our bill, we decided to take the free shuttle downtown to the grocery store and find some real food. This worked great for us. We ate breakfast and lunch out of our little kitchen setup in the hotel. Then, we took the free “town shuttle” downtown to try some local restaurants in the evening.

Restaurants

After reading restaurant reviews, we chose the following restaurants in downtown Crested Butte. Each choice was a winner. The first night, we visited, Slogar, known for southern comfort American cooking. We sat in the parlor to wait for our dinner. Dinner is served family style starting with a relish plate. The main course includes fried chicken, mashed potatoes with chicken gravy, corn, and biscuits. The decor and food felt like another generation and place in time. The next night, we ate pizza at the ,The Secret Stash, which had a Indian type theme. Luckily, we only had to wait about 20 minutes for a table and 45 minutes for our food. Most larger parties were waiting longer. Despite the waiting, we had a very nice evening. The decor was interesting, the pizza was great, and the conversation was fun. Finally, on our way out of town we stopped for breakfast at Paradise Cafe. This is known as the “best breakfast” place in town and the food was great!

Date of Trip December 22nd – 31st, 2007

We spent the holidays at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s House with 6 cousins, aunts, uncles, and all our family.

Adventures included:

Date of Trip Sept 1st – 3rd, 2007

Wonderful Weather

The weather this trip has been great. Last night the temperature was perfect for sleeping. We had a beautiful sunny morning. Right now, I am writing this inside the van in the middle of a thunderstorm. We see lightning. We hear thunder. The rain is heavy. This little storm will test the Maggiolina. We left the Maggiolina tent up on our van. We left the changing room up. Due to the lightning, no one is up in the Maggiolina tent above the van.

Larkspur

Saturday morning we left the house at 9:40 AM and arrived at our friends in Larkspur, CO at about 11:30 AM. We were surprised to be in stop and go traffic before driving by Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium. Then, more traffic between Castle Rock and Larkspur. Thanks to our friends for a yummy lunch with an excellent Amaretto Pudding cake. We really enjoyed our fun chat with them.

Larkspur to Painted Rock Campground

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Thanks to our friends’ advice, we took an interesting route from Larkspur to Painted Rock Campground. Painted Rock is 8 miles north of Woodland Park, Colorado. As the crow flies, the two locales are reasonably close. But those mountains get in the way. So we winded our way down some blacktop, some dirt road, and many tight turns. Finally, we were in Deckers, Colorado driving on flat blacktop heading straight toward Painted Rock Campground.

Camping at Painted Rock

Painted Rock campground is a bit rustic, but listed as one of the 100 best campgrounds in Colorado. Check out my post on the book Colorado Campgrounds: The 100 Best and All the Rest. Even though there are no perks at Painted Rock, the vaulted bathrooms were clean. The campsites seem the perfect distance apart, not too close, not too secluded. The rocks dispersed through the campground are fun to look at and climb. Luckily, we ended up in one of our favorite sites, number 14. We like the site because it is close to the bathroom, has a rock view, and has shade above the picnic table. Also, site 18 looks fun with a rock in the site and plenty of shade. Our next round of choices would be site 13 or site 15. At site 13, we would need a canopy to protect us from the sun. Site 15 had a slight hill with a rock to play on beyond the hill.

Morning at Manitou Lake

About 10 AM Sunday morning, we packed up our water bottles and started jogging the biking trails down highway 67 toward Manitou Lake. After about 25 minutes we arrived at the lake without our park pass. The camp host had instructed us that our camping pass was good at Manitou Lake. The attendants were nice enough to let us in without the fee. I think they figured we didn’t look crazy enough to have run all the way from Woodland Park. The lake was busy with fishermen that did not appreciate rocks dropped in their water. We learned this the hard way. We watched the fish and ducks navigate the spillway and enjoyed a distant view of Pikes Peak.

Labor Day in Colorado Springs

At some point before day break, we heard coyotes howling. At least that is what we think we heard. Just a little reminder we were sleeping in the wild. The morning broke sunny, but cold. We ate breakfast, packed up camp, and headed into Woodland Park. In Woodland Park, we stopped at Java Junction to make a Bookcrossing book release. Next, we drove a bit toward Colorado Springs and made plans to meet friends at Chilis. They agreed to meet us even though we hadn’t bathed for over two days. It was great catching up on everyone’s activities and families. Of course seeing how the children have grown is always a treat. Finally, we wandered around Chapel Hills Mall looking for a blouse for school picture day. We were basically lost in this mall that used to be very familiar when we lived here over ten years ago. Off for home, we drove through some beautiful scenery and experienced another thunderstorm.

Following is a photo tour of our camping setup with the Maggiolina Airland. The US distributor has some more photos at their website autohomeUS.com.

Why did we choose the Maggiolina Airland?

There are many rooftop tents to choose from including both hard and soft shell tops. Also, small, medium, and large sized tents can accommodate up to 4 people. We bought the hard shell two person sized Maggiolina Airland. We wanted to be sure we could drive it into our garage when it is closed down. The larger model probably would have fit, but we wanted to be sure. Also, we are certain the smaller two person size will fit on our Subaru Outback if needed.

Awning Changing Room Attachment

We bought the changing room attachment which is the little triangle tent that attaches to the main tent. This is handy if we decide to drive into town to get ice and we need a place to leave things at our campsite. When leaving, we just detached it from the van and drive off. Coming back, we carefully parked the van in the same place. During a rainstorm, we thought the changing room attachment would keep us dry while moving between the van and the Maggiolina. However, last rain storm involved lightning and being above the van didn’t seem like a good place to be with lightning about. We did change clothes in the changing room. Changing in the Maggiolina or van is a little more tricky. The changing room may be nice to use with a portable toilet, when we aren’t in bear country.

Ceiling Lift

Also, we purchased the ceiling lift for storing the Maggiolina during the winter. During the summer we will most likely just leave it attached to the van. It looks similar to the storage containers many mini-vans have attached to their tops. The photo show us launching the Maggiolina into its winter storage area using the ceiling lift.

Winter Hood

So, we weren’t crazy enough to buy this yet. The Winter Hood if a reflective insulating cover for the Maggiolina. On those winter road trips to Minnesota or ski trips to the mountains, would it be fun to sleep in the Maggiolina? Just think all the money for hotels we could save….

Where do Mom and Dad sleep?

We have a custom foam mattress inside the van. The area is roomy with the back seats folded into the floor and the middle seats folded up. With the remote start, we can control the temperature by starting up the van with the air conditioning or heat on. Then, the remote start will turn off the van after about 10 minutes. For safety, we do have a carbon monoxide detector in the Maggiolina and in the van.

We have enjoyed the book, Colorado Campgrounds: The 100 Best and All the Rest, for the last couple of camping seasons. Not only is the title catchy, but it is very useful for navigating the multitude of camping choices in Colorado. Although we have only found our way to two campgrounds which made the 100 best list, we have high hopes of visiting many more. The book describes a total of 434 public campgrounds and contains many beautiful scenic photographs. The information is very helpful for planning. I thought it would be fun to have each family member pick a “100 Best” campground to visit during the summer.

Date of Trip: July 27th – August 4th, 2007

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To Ellis

So, the plan was to leave for Ellis, Kansas late afternoon on Friday July 27th. We didn’t get out the door until around 7 PM. On the way to Ellis, we drove on the edge of a powerful thunderstorm. We arrived at 1:30 AM the next morning.

Ellis Arrival

Tired and ready for bed, we drove slowly down main street Ellis, Kansas. We were amazed by the Ellis Travel Plaza which featured an indoor play area through a large window. The Plaza sits on the edge of the lot where the “station” sat. My grandparents and aunt/uncle owned the “station”, a Mobile Gas Station, during my childhood.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

So at 1:30 AM, I opened up the envelope with the key for the Ellis home. There was no key there! We wrestled through the carpets, the car seats, the garbage, and everywhere else we could think of. At that point, I was wishing I had put the key on my key ring earlier.

Plan B: Ellis City Park

We headed down to Big Creek to check out the camping situation. At that time of night there were many RVs and tents with sleeping campers. We couldn’t be sure if there were any empty spots. The mosquitos were swarming us. We were tired. We had over an eight hour drive tomorrow. It was time for Plan C.

Plan C: Hotel in Hays, Kansas

So, we headed down the Highway to Hays, Kansas looking for a hotel at 1:30 AM. We were optimistic. Hays is a large city. Unless there was a big event going on, we should be able to find something. We stopped at the Fairfield Inn. We were told a Shriners’ convention was in town. No hotel rooms could be found until Abilene, KS which is 120 miles away. It was time for Plan D.

Plan D: Walmart Parking Lot: Hays, Kansas

At this point it was about 2:00 AM and we were getting desperate. We had read about boondocking in Walmart parking lots. About 10 RVs and pop up tents were already parked in the Hays Walmart parking lot. I had read on the web two philosophies of doing it. One theory was just do it and ask forgiveness if they kick you out. The other theory was to ask the manager. Since we really didn’t want to be kicked out after setting up, we decided to go in and ask. We talked to an employee who was very welcoming. She told us her manager keeps both doors open for campers, it is safe because the security cameras are on, and her trucker husband does it all the time. Without many choices at this point, we set up camp in the Walmart parking lot.

On our Way to Oklahoma City

The next morning we were gone by 8:00 AM. I had read that it is good etiquette to leave Walmart Parking lots early. So we did. We went in and bought a few items, including sunglass covers for my glasses. I looked pretty beat up with a mosquito bite that swelled part of my right eye shut. I was afraid to put on my contacts and I needed to see in the sun.

Visiting Norman, Oklahoma

A certain family member who is an alumni from the University of Oklahoma had a couple of items on his list to check off. So we did a whirlwind tour of the campus, had dinner at Goldie’s restaurant, and checked out the state of the house he lived in while going to college. Unfortunately, the house was run down with weeds growing in the gutters on the roof of the house. We didn’t even think to take a photo .

Hoteling in Oklahoma City

The original plan was to camp outside of Oklahoma City. But we decided we needed to sleep well. We had with another full day of driving to Austin. So we swam, slept, and ate breakfast at the Marriott Fairfield Inn near Crossroads Mall in Oklahoma City.

Off to Austin, Texas

With all the driving excitement so far, I think we would all agree the drive between Oklahoma City and Austin was the hardest driving of the trip. On a Sunday, the traffic was non-stop all the way to Austin. We did drop off a Bookcrossing Book in Temple, Texas. To our excitement, a few days later we received news that our book had been caught. See the journal entry, for A Cry In the Night. This is our first bookcrossing release that has been caught!

Fun in Austin

We stayed in Austin for about three days and four nights. The best part of the stay was spending time with our relatives; Brother/Sister-In-Law (Uncle/Aunt), and Cousins. We had many fun and interesting chats. Also, we stayed in our Brother’s/Sister-In-Law’s beautiful new home which was a wonderful break from camping. We “helped” (as much as we help) with baby sitting our nephews/cousins. They are one year and three years old and growing fast! Swimming and being silly in the pool with our cousin was a highlight. Finally, our group broke into two and went to the movies to see “Ratatouille” and the “The Simpsons Movie”.

Food in Austin

Thanks for the yummy meals at home. Also, we were treated to some of the best food in Austin which included:

• Carino’s Italian Grill
• The Shady Grove
• Salt Lick Barbecue

A Day Trip to San Antonio

Thanks to our Brother/Uncle for taking us on a tour of San Antonio, Texas. First, we stopped at the San Antonio Zoo to feed the fish and watch the bears and flamingos. Then, we drove downtown to visit the Alamo. Finally, we had lunch on the River Walk at Rita’s on the River. Entertainment during the drive included DVDs in the car, music, and conversation.

Trip to Carlsbad National Park in New Mexico

We left Austin around 7:40 AM and arrived in White’s City, New Mexico about 4:30 PM. After getting our bearings, we reserved a camping spot, ate dinner, and headed to Carlsbad National Park visitor center. Around 7:15 PM we arrived at the amphitheater to watch the bat flight show at the Natural Entrance to the Carlsbad Caverns Cave. The Park Ranger put on a very interesting talk about the bats. Then, about 7:58 PM, the bat detector went off. The crowd was silent. We watched approximately 300,000 Mexican Free Tail Bats fly out of the cave in circular tornado fashion. It was really amazing! No cameras were allowed because electronic gadgets interfere with the bat’s echolocation.

Camping

After returning from watching the bats, we were not very comfortable in the camping area in White’s City Resort. I will never think of the word “Resort” in quite the same way again. There was RVers in one section of the park but no campers in the tent part of the park. The bathrooms were run down, and it felt too secluded. So, we drove into the city of Carlsbad and spent our second night in a Walmart Parking Lot. At this point, we learned that we need to do a better job of researching campgrounds.

A Day of Caving

The rain started about 10 minutes before we finished packing up camp. We found breakfast at a gas station in Carlsbad, New Mexico and drove the 27 miles back to Carlsbad National Park. By 9:00 AM, we had our self guided tour radios and were heading into the cave. For the next four hours, we toured the Natural Entrance and Big Room. Carlsbad Caverns is known as one of the most highly decorated caves in the world. It was just beautiful! Dad had toured these caves as a youngster about 30 years ago and remembered several of the features. So, it was very exciting for him to see it again with his family.

Eating Lunch at Carlsbad Caverns National Park

The visitor center is being renovated at the park, so several temporary buildings were set up. We ate lunch in one of the temporary buildings. At the eating area, we released another book and registered it at Bookcrossing.com.

Heading for Home

At about 2 pm, we left Carlsbad Caverns National Park. This drive had very few gas stations or stopping places. After driving about 6 hours, we reached Vaughn, New Mexico. We needed to decide if we would continue on to Santa Fe and camp another night or head home. Rain clouds loomed in the distance. So we decided to head for home. We arrived home about 2:00 AM the next morning.

Date of Trip: July 13th – July 15th, 2007

Camping Group

Our camping group included 11 children and 8 adults. We camped two nights at the group campground loop of Glacier Basin at Rocky Mountain National Park. Friendship, group meals, and gear sharing are some of the highlights of camping together. Special thanks to our friends who invited us, reserved the camp site, and organized the meals.

The Maggiolina AirLand: A Roof Top Tent

For the last couple years we have considered buying a Maggiolina AirLand Roof Top Tent.
Finally, we did. Last year, we camped in the van with the kids sleeping in the front seats. But as they continue to grow, there is not enough room for them. We like the idea of traveling by car, avoiding hotels, visiting relatives, and camping a couple weeks a year. The Roof Top Tents are attractive because they are easy to set up, they have a ceiling lift to store at the top of the garage, and of course they are a little unusual.

Lessons Learned: Roof Top Tents are not considered Tents by Some

The kids did sleep the first night in the Roof Top Tent. The next day the camp host came by and noticed we had a ladder propped up against a tree. When asked, we assured him we were not climbing trees (which was against the rules). Then after some thought, he returned to ask if we were sleeping in our Roof Top Tent. We were asked not to sleep in the tent because this is a tent-only group campground. So after discussing whether we should put the tent on the ground, we decided to take an offer to sleep in a friend’s tent. In the future, we will verify we get the correct reservations when using our Maggiolina AirLand.

Sprague Lake Hike

Most of us hiked to Sprague Lake on Saturday Morning. We saw sun, clouds, and rain as is common in this country. Since the sole fishing pole we own is broken, it was very nice to have friends with fishing poles. We learned that sand walks were built into Sprague Lake so the fly fishermen can walk to the middle of the lake and fish. See the photo. The Park Ranger presented an interesting talk on beavers and showed us an abandoned beaver dam.

Castle, S’mores and Skits

The kids built an elaborate castle with rocks in our campsite. The adults were given tours of the courtyard, emperor’s and king’s quarters, knights’ quarters, wizard’s quarters, dining room, great hall, dungeon, kitchen, and more. S’mores and skits were a highlight each night. The final night skits were presented by all including “Important Papers”, “The Doctor’s Office”, “The Candy Shop”, “Echo Canyon”, and “Star Wars”.