April 2018 - Sealander Park

Eleanor and Lydia had a great time at Sealander Park. 

Ellie and Lydia in the "Cave"

We cooked up some tasty Indian Food for dinner (including homemade Naan bread). 

Num Nums

Butter Chicken and Naan

The next morning we checked out some of the critters at the Idaho Falls Zoo.

Ellie and her peacock friends

Ellie and her Otter Buddy

Say "Cheese"

March 2018 - Kelly Mountain Ski Hut

With weird winter weather we wondered if we would actually be able to make it up to the Kelly Mountain Ski Hut, but we were #blessed with warm wonderful sunshine on the trek in and a winter squall on our way out.

Mountain Momma

Eleanor and I stayed plenty busy singing John Denver songs whilst skiing uphill to the Y-junction and then along the road back to the hut.  

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy...

Once encamped we had a great meal of Ramen-o-rama™, followed by a surprise showing of one of our favorite shows - Mythbusters.  It was only appropriate that we watched the "Cabin Fever" episode :).

See the sunlight through the pines...

With the help of our little wood burning stove we stayed snug all night and in the morning awoke to lightly falling snow that quickly turned into quite the squall.  We were glad to be heading downhill on our way out, but the wind in our faces made for a tricky descent!

Shadows from the starlight are softer than a lullaby..

February 2018 - Green Canyon Hot Springs

February is a great month to bring along a one pot Dutch Oven meal, start some coals and let dinner cook while soaking in the hot pool.  And such it was for us.  A local Boy Scout troop had taken our designated campsite, but we quickly adjusted to a new spot and got our tent up while the charcoal heated up.  After a nice dip in the hot water at Green Canyon, we brought our dinner inside for a wonderful meal: Sausage Bomb, potatoes and (not quite) Summer Squash.

That a Bacon Bob-omb!

After a night of light snowfall we awoke to a much quieter campground.  The boy scouts had broken camp at dawn.  Our Hilleberg tent kept us cozy, and Ellie had no trouble sleeping through the departure of our neighbors.  

The Hilleberg Winter Cocoon

We had a delicious breakfast of Huevos Rancheros before striking camp and heading home.

Chef Eleanor in her kitchen

Happy Campers

January 2018 - YW Planning at Hancock Cabin

After a year of camping the girls decided to stay inside for a change.  Ellie was happy to join her comrades indoors at the cabin, so...

No Camping pictures :(

December 2017 - Harriman State Park

Another winter wonderland year at Harriman State Park Yurts.  David and Grace joined us for a wonderful night of gaming (Salem!) and the next day spent kicking a trail up to the Railroad Ranch along the river and back.  Stephanie, Oliver and Charlotte kept warm in the second yurt, and did join us for the witch trials and the ski tour.  While at the ranch parking area we admired the kiosk signs illustrated and installed by Grace's grandfather.

Cleaning up our mess before the witch trials can begin

Ski Prep

Snowgazing

November 2017 - Moody Meadows

Ellie and I headed up into the hills with the intention of camping out and getting our family Christmas Tree.  We found the Table Rock campground closed for the season, so headed up the Long Hollow road to an area I'd been eyeing throughout the year as I made circuits of the area on my gravel bike.

We ended up setting up camp by headlight and headlamp, but had a great meal before tackling some Tangram challenges.

Dutch Oven Nachos!

The "Award" Tangram; we got better or they got easier as the night went on.

It snowed all night but we were plenty warm in our Hilleberg and awoke to a winter wonderland.  We enjoyed eggs and sausage for breakfast.

Hilleberg 1, Kitchen Tent 0

Watching Steam Rise from Breakfast Cleanup

Once camp was packed up we walked ten yards to find the perfect tree, and made it home without ever spinning a tire.

Leave No Trace (except footprints)

Lumberjill Ellie

October 2017 - Heise Hot Springs

Ellie and I headed up to Heise for their last open weekend of the season.  We flirted with the idea of running the zip lines in the morning, but good thing we didn't...

Candlelier Dinner for two (notice the green grass)

The pizza/calzone slipped while we were soaking in the hot pools

Morning breaks on 4 inches of snow

Thank goodness for Hilleberg Tents!

Breakfast of "Christmas Morning"