A Week of Solo Camping

I spent the last five days solo camping at my very favorite campsite and it was so much fun!  Kristine and Trent bought a new springbar tent and they let me field test it before they use it this weekend.  I was really impressed with it because it has a lot of room inside (I am very tall and I could stand upright in it) and it is very sturdy.

The temperature was very pleasant during the day but it cooled down at night so I built a fire every evening and every morning to keep myself warm.  I really love sitting by a campfire because it is so mesmerizing!

I spent some time exploring the area.  The North fork of the Duschesne River runs in between the Aspen campground (where I was staying) and the Iron Mine campground and there are some beautiful views.  I also had to take yet another picture of "Old Stoneface" because I think it is so cool.  The campground was so quiet at night and I could hear the river as I went to sleep which was very relaxing (I slept really well because I went to bed when it got dark and woke up naturally when it got light).

I took a day trip to Moon Lake (it is a beautiful drive) and I had the beach all to myself for several hours!

It was so wonderful to have nothing to do and nowhere to be (with limited wi-fi).  I loved making and eating every meal outside because I think everything tastes so much better outside and I also loved reading (I finished two books) in my camp chair under a large pine tree while chipmunks and hummingbirds entertained me (I didn't see any deer which I sometimes do at this campground).  This was an incredible experience in so many ways and I am kind of proud of myself (Trent called me a bad ass and I like the sound of that).  I have camped this long by myself before but it was always in the trailer and now I know that I can rough it!

Fourth of July Weekend at the Property

My family owns property near Tabiona in Duchesne county and it is one of my favorite places on Earth.  I hadn't been up there in well over a year so I was really happy to go back over the long holiday weekend with Kristine and Trent.  I had the best time!

We drove up early Friday morning and it was so beautiful there with cool temperatures.  Kristine immediately built a fire and I spent most of the afternoon reading.  In the early evening it rained a bit so I moved to the trailer to continue reading (I loved listening to the rain hit the roof of the trailer and I loved the smell of the trees after the rain).  In the evening we had dinner and then I made my traditional flag cake.  Trent doesn't like sweets, especially cake, but he really likes this and even asks for seconds every time I make it!

We spent the rest of the evening sitting by the fire and then I went to bed in the trailer and slept better than I have in a long time!  Saturday morning Kristine and Trent made breakfast on the grill and it was delicious (one of my favorite things about camping is breakfast because I almost never eat it at home and everything tastes better outside).  Afterwards we went on a drive for most of the day and ended up in nearby Yellowstone Canyon with beautiful views of the rivers and reservoir.

On the way back we saw a large plume of smoke that looked really close to the property.  We eventually learned that there was a large fire on Tabby Mountain less than half a mile from us.  We were a bit nervous so we evacuated to a safer spot and watched about six fire trucks go by to fight it.  We also saw a small plane fly overhead and then a helicopter started dropping water on it (which was seriously cool to see).  After about two hours the fire was pretty much contained so we felt safe enough to go back to the property.  We had dinner and then built a fire (which we monitored carefully after all of the excitement!).

  When it got dark we were able to watch the Tabiona city fireworks.  We sat on the tailgate of the truck at the edge of the property and we had a great view.  It was a much more elaborate show than I was expecting!  Sunday morning, after another great breakfast cooked outside, we completed some projects around the property (when I say "we" I mean that I tried to stay out of the way while Trent and Kristine completed some projects) and then packed up to go.  It was a wonderful long weekend (even with the fire) and I hope it was for you, too!

Memorial Day Weekend at Lava Hot Springs

Marilyn and I decided to spend the long Memorial Day weekend in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho (a two hour drive north from where I live) at a KOA campground.  We stayed in a cabin located near the bank of the Portneuf River (a tributary of the Snake River) with trees and mountains all around us and it was beautiful.  The cabin was very comfortable with two beds, a table and chairs, a kitchen (with a mini fridge, microwave, and a sink with running water) and a full bathroom.  We spent the majority of our time outside on our patio which had a fire pit, two Adirondack chairs, a metal table and chairs, and a barbecue.  The weather was absolutely perfect so I really enjoyed reading outside during the day and sitting by the fire in the evening (my favorite part of camping).  We made tin foil dinners in the fire on Saturday night and burgers on the barbecue on Sunday night and we ate outside (everything tastes so much better outside).  Marilyn's dog Reese loved it because everyone (in the other cabins next to us and the RVs across from us) was so friendly and would talk to us and pet her.

This quick trip was so relaxing and we had a great time!  We were sad to leave yesterday but we have decided that we want to come back (we have even scoped out a cabin in another area of the campground that we want to reserve next time).  I highly recommend this KOA (go here to reserve RV hookups, cabins, and tent sites) because there are a lot of different activities available and the staff is extremely helpful and friendly.