Group Camping at Rainbow Falls State Park

Last weekend was our annual family campout. For the first time ever we managed to secure a group camp site. It was so nice to have our own place. We were able to string lots of tables together for our dinner. The fire pit was huge... plenty of room for us to gather around.

And the group camp was even cheaper than normal camping. $2.00 per person per night plus the $25.00 booking fee. What a deal. No extra vehicle charges!

This group site has no hookups. That was fine for most of us. My Aunt and Uncle had some problems because their trailer batteries were dead.

Another issue: My parents weren't able to get their satellite to work because there were so many trees. Speaking of trees - they did stay upright at this family campout (see my post "When the Tree Fell" from April 19th).

The last major problem of the weekend - my niece's phone was in analog roam. You can't text message in analog roam. So so sad.

Anyway, despite all the minor inconveniences of camping we had a great time. Played a few games (Monopoly, Trouble, and Dominoes). Some people swam in the river. Dave and I went for a couple of bike rides. Mostly though, there was a lot of sitting and visiting around the fire.

Scene from our bike ride.

This calf lives right behind the group camp and was very friendly.

Saturday night was the Navajo Taco feast. Great fry bread with chili and cheese and onions and lettuce and tomatoes and sour cream and stuff. Then we had strawberries, angel food cake, and whipping cream for dessert. Followed a couple of hours later with smores.

My great-nephew got tired of having his picture taken.

Family Campout Trivia:

23 people stayed one or both nights
4 others came for a few hours on Saturday
1 Class C
1 Class A with slides
1 Tent trailer
1 Trailer
6 tents
20-30 picnic tables

Current Project - Snapping the Sheets

Our Class C has the cabover bed. That's where Dave and I sleep. It's fairly comfortable and very convenient to have our bed out of the way.

The worst thing about the cabover is making the bed. There's no room to maneuver. Plus, even if you can get the sheets and blankets tucked in they come untucked with alarming frequency. Every morning it's a hassle to get the top sheet and blanket retucked.

I searched online and found a possible solution. Put snaps at the bottom of the sheet and bedding and snap them to the frame. I've got the snaps on the sheet (added reinforcement patch) and now need to install the snaps on the frame. If this works I will be very happy, and will continue with the blanket and comforter. If it doesn't work I'll try velcro. Check back in for an update.

Holiday Weekend Camping

Usually we avoid camping on the long weekends. Our holiday plan was to go to Eastern Washington and visit family. We were taking 3 passengers - leaving Saturday morning and returning on Monday. Plans changed, however, and we ended up at Dosewallips State Park. I know, it's the opposite direction of our intended destination.

We lucked into a spot with power and some privacy. Although there did seem to be a shortcut right at the edge of our site.

It was nice to camp with company. Dave's brother and nephew joined us on Saturday. Sunday, Dave's sister joined us. Our nephew camped in a tent with friends (on the other side of the campground). So there were 4 of us sleeping in the RV Sunday night. Seemed to have plenty of room and luckily nobody snores loud.

It was a good weekend. A little crazy with kids riding bikes around the campground (there must have been a sale on training wheels somewhere). Anyway, we stuck with our original plan of heading out on Saturday and returning Monday. So holiday traffic wasn't too bad.

Sunday morning Dave and I did a short bike ride. The roads didn't seem too friendly so we headed back to the campground and took a short hike. It was great to be out in the woods and away from the noisy campground for awhile.

Dilemma: We just came from the campground and we were not done walking.

So we headed off to Maple Valley

It was a steep climb - the benches came in handy.

Then we turned around and checked out Trails End.

Some people drove up to Lake Cushman and went swimming.

Later Sunday some of the group went clamming and oyster harvesting on the canal. I was fortunate enough to avoid both of those activities. I did have to see some of the shellfish. Gross. Food should come from a grocery store. Neatly packaged and clean. Preferably pre-cooked.

Speaking of cooking - there was a fair amount of that going on this weekend. We usually bring easy meals. But this weekend we had to pull out the portable stove while my bro-in-law set up his propane grill. Geez. I had forgotten that camping can take so much work! I thought it was all about the relaxing and exploring.

Our next trip is the family campout. We'll be staying in a group site. Can't wait.