We were packed up and ready to go around 2 pm on Thursday afternoon. Having a mini-van was good for camping; we could fit a lot of things in the back, middle, and front of that thing. Alas, we are a little crowded in the Pilot, but we make do. The skies were a little cloudy, so we hoped that it would not rain on us.
We got a little mixed up in detours around Golden but finally found a grocery store, picked up some milk and orange juice that we had forgotten, and arrived at the Golden Gate State Park. Because we were a little late in selecting our site (along with Burnham's) we were camping in a different location this year. The site itself was lovely. The pit toilet? Not so much.
Before leaving, the girls and I assembled "hobo" dinners with hamburgers, potatoes, onions, carrots and beans. After putting the tent up and getting bedding situated (we forgot the air pump and had to blow up the air mattress manually!), we got the fire going. Our children are all willing helpers when it comes to starting fires. Amy gets a little bossy when it comes to taking charge of the fire, however, our dinners were delightfully tasty.
Burnhams arrived late so we all pitched in to help them get their tent and supplies set up. After that, we were able to sit around the fire, roast marshmallows, and chat.
With older children, our mornings don't always get started quite so early. I thought it was funny though, when I ask Amy to get up in the morning on a normal day, it takes awhile for her to finally drag herself out of bed. This morning, I said to her, "Amy, do you want to start a fire?" She was up and out of bed in no time. I'm going to have to use that method another time!
Kristen, Estee, and Bridger spent the morning looking for worms. For a girl who is afraid of frogs, Kristen has absolutely no fear of worms. Odd. They named their worms, gave them lovely places to live, and took care of them most of the day. Ugggh. Just please wash your hands.
Chris, Amy, Misha and I along with Rafer and Ryker went shooting in the afternoon. Maria was kind enough to stay with the three younger kids so that I could have a chance to shoot. I decided that if I am going to get a handgun, it is going to have to be a smaller size to fit my hand and not have so much kickback. Didn't like that. I didn't like having that lack of control with a gun.
After dinner the adult's walked over to the "Dude's Fishing Hole" to walk off the yummy dinner I had made in the dutch ovens--tater tot casserole and peach cobbler.
Saturday morning dawned early enough. We had a quick breakfast and then pack began packing up camp. Not my favorite part, but we were on the road around 10 am.