Great Basin National Park

Whittacre Camping Trip 2013

We ventured out into the wilderness for our summer vacation this year. It is challenging with 5 children 10, 9,6, 3, and 2 but we had a blast. We forgot a few important items like jackets and a broom but we survived because Nathan decided to throw in a huge tub of blankets because we were short one sleeping bag. I told Nathan that I had slept once with just blankets in the mountains and that I was freezing so that I would sleep that way because I wanted to make sure the kids were warm. He was sweet and offered to do it. I told him that really I didn't mind I would be fine but he insisted...and he paid the price...needless to say even with many blankets his feet were cold. August refused to sleep by himself so he crawled in with me (and we were TOASTY) in the middle of the night when Nathan had to take the two girls to the bathroom I told him that August was with me and that if he wanted the sleeping bag he could take it.  Finally about 5 am it got too much for me so I crawled out of my bag carefully not to wake the "Goose" and crawled into his sleeping bag since Nathan didn't take me up on it. That morning I had an epiphany to zip two sleeping bags together and sleep with both August and Sophia that night in one huge sleeping bag. Natali LOVED that idea because then she got the air mattress I had been on. I will say it worked out much better and Nathan stayed warm the next night.  So on to some pictures and events.

 Nathan was the "pit boss" he was in charge of the fire pit and cooking. I LOVE me a man who can cook over an open flame. I love "fire" food!  He tended to the fire while I made sure the kids were good.

 Our dessert the first night. Peach cobbler...YES PLEASE! Yum...but there was so much left over we thought about taking it to our neighbor campers. Who wants to join us our next camping trip so we can all share in the wonderful "grub" we had more food than what we could all eat with the recipes provided. It was enough to feed an army.

 We went to the Lehman cave. It was very fun and interesting. They gave jackets to the kids to borrow because the cave is at 50 degrees year round. I actually found it to be warmer than I expected and quite comfortable. The kids would have complained though.  The entire time Sophia kept asking if we were going home yet. (I tried to keep her happy) When told her "no,"  she would ask if we were going back to "family camp" she had asked when we first found our camping site if we were at girls camp (Nathan just went to girls camp with our ward a couple weeks ago so that was fresh in her head) I told her that no were not at girls camp but we were at family camp. It stuck! LOL...

 Here we are roasting our turkey dogs over the fire for lunch. Natali couldn't wait to roast them

So I had to share this picture because Noah and Natali were deathly afraid of any flying insect. This was actually the second camping site. The first one as we were getting our sandwiches together for lunch and Nathan was putting up the tent we were swarmed with bees. So we up and moved sites even after the tent was half up. That is how bad the bees were there. The remainder of camping though even if just a fly as even came close to them they reacted like you see in the picture. It was actually quite annoying yet humorous all at the same time

 We decided to try pigs in a blanket. Nathan got his perfect...mine were unfortunately not quite done but were still tasty. 

 Our tent

 The three youngest kids in front of the field across from the bathrooms. Every morning we were greeted by a family of deer grazing in the field. LOVED it!!!! Obviously this was later in the afternoon after the family of deer left. But it was great.

 Sophia was our brave girl. She was so incredibly adorable on this trip. Our first trip to the outhouse the older girls needed to go. I was trying to explain to her the "bathrooms" in the wilderness and that they are not like the toilets at home. They don't flush and that it is just a big hole in the ground. She looked in it and of course freaked out. I told her that it does look scary and the bathroom stinks but that I would hold her every time she had to go. She said, "then I will be brave" I asked her if she wanted to try and she said not now but later. So when she did finally have to go she told me she had to go and for EVERY Outhouse trip that time and every time after that this is how the conversation would go.

Sophia: "I have to go to bathroom"

Me: "Okay, sweetie, let's go."

Sophia:"What kind of bathroom is it?"
Me: "An Outhouse"
Sophia: "With a big hole in the ground?"
Me: "Yes"
Sophia: "And you will hold me?"
Me: "Yes, every time!"
Sophia: "Every time?"
Me: "Yes, every time!"
Sophia: "okay, I will be brave!"
She was brave and actually woke up dry and made it to the out house both times without getting her pull up wet. Better than at home. 

Two of our deer out of the family of four we had in our campground. We also enjoyed many squirrels and chipmunks. The second night  we enjoyed a campfire lesson by a ranger about Mountain Lions...I thought for sure it would scare the kids but they loved it (all except the youngest two who fell asleep) LOL

Our trip to the old Steam Engine train in Ely. We had hoped to ride it but it was sold out. So we just took a picture and toured the grounds and came home.

My sexy husband and his 5 o'clock shadow from camping. I call this his "mug shot" but really it's just no shaving for 3 days and hat head. LOL...I actually LOVE this but I don't like the full on beard he likes to grow out every now again. I like this for a few days to a week then I am ready for him to shave. I like a clean shaven man. Love this man! HE IS my man!