As soon as Wade got home from school on Friday, we piled into the truck and headed to Chimney Creek for a family overnighter campout. The drive through Nine-Mile Canyon is a little crazy, and the dogs sure didn't like the bumpy road to the campsite, but once we got there, we had a fantastic time. It was maybe an hour's drive, tops. So close and such a change of scenery!
Chimney Creek was NOT crowded. There was one other camper next to us, but we couldn't hear them at all (unfortunately they probably heard US a lot). Normally when we've camped we have been surrounded by lots of other campers. Maybe because this is a very rustic site (no water), it's not as popular. We liked having the place to ourselves! We brought water and firewood with us, and there was a "bathroom," so we did just fine.
Our camping menu included:
--hamburgers, chips, fruit, and veggies with dip for dinner
--campfire dessert was roasted Starburst and a different take on s'mores (put a roasted marshmallow between two Fudge Stripe cookies; I loved that it was less messy, but the family preferred the old-school version)
--For breakfast we had Smokies sausages, pancakes, and fruit.
We used the campfire to cook our desserts and used the wonderful RoadTrip grill to cook everything else. Love that thing!!!
Rhiannon and Wade had a blast climbing the rocks around the campsite and taking TONS of pictures together. We could hear them giggling and having a great time. Wade got a small injury on his head from hitting a branch, but he was fine.
Probably one of our favorite things was the night sky, filled with stars. The absolute stillness of the campsite sure added to the majestic atmosphere. The only thing I heard besides ourselves was a couple of birds in the morning--it was THAT quiet. It was fun playing card games in the tent at bedtime, too.
Camping with the dogs was interesting. Overall, we think they did well. It was ALL new to them, so they were hyper and edgy and on full alert the whole time, especially Oscar. We probably need to camp with them more often so they chill out a bit!
If we did this campout all over again, the only things I'd change would be to bring more warm bedding for the dogs--it got pretty cold when the sun went down, and I'd pack bug spray! We were fine once the sun went down, but the rest of the time there were lots of little pesky bugs flying around.
What a blast! Hurray for family camping trips!
Many thanks to Rhiannon who took these wonderful pictures!
The dogs whimpered and whined most of the drive there. They were FINE on the way home, though! :)
We're not in the desert anymore!
Thank you, Daddy, for the perfect campfires!
One of MANY sibling selfie shots taken up on the rocks
Dogs are a lot like toddlers on camping trips. They are under foot and don't want you to be out of their sight for an instant, or they freak out.
Cute boy!
Watch Dogs
Trip Photographer--what a cutie!
Fun! Loved camping with this girl!
Peace!
Hiking boot selfie
Yay! We got Dad in a picture!
Rhiannon called this "Twinners." Glad we could make memories together and have a great time camping at Chimney Creek!
