Flaming Gorge Vacation

Our vacation started with somewhat of a miracle. Tom visited his cousin Suzy and got his long locks cut off. I could not stop staring at him. He looked normal again. Suzy also did some touchups on Becca and Isaac's hair.

Down the road from Suzy's salon is Tom's sister Stephanie. The kids got some good cousin time and Tom and I got our last few moments of alone adult time before we ventured into the wild with our kids. Thanks Steph and Clay for dinner.

Friday night we made our first camp. The campsite we wanted was full so we would end up breaking camp the next morning. We chowed down on some delicious brats and watermelon for our first dinner and in the morning Tom cooked up some pancakes and sausage. I love camping. Tom does all the camping and I love camp food. I know it's crazy. But give me a hot dog a little on the charred side and a good old steaming pot of dutch oven food followed by smores and I am in heaven.

Our first campsite.

Our second campsite had this challenging climb down to the lake. We made a couple trips where I literally held onto Lia's shirtails so she would not slip into the deep waters. There was a small shelf of rocks under the water that allowed for limited wading. But I was still wary.

My favorite view. Flaming Gorge really is beautiful and huge. We spent a lot of time sight seeing and Tom practically put skid marks on the road as he turned off at every view point with a sign. He has a thing for viewpoints. The topography of this region is amazing and diverse. One moment you are on the lake staring at towering red or limestone cliffs and the next you are in rolling green hills or staring at the backs of birds high on the cliffs surrounded by pinetrees.

One of these photos is going to end up as a painting I think.

On Sunday we spent a restful day in the tent after three agonizing hours of church in the little town of Dutch John. I know it is a terrible attitude but Becca and I were exhausted. Neither one of us had slept much Saturday night. I was so excited for a nap back in the tent as the rain pattered on the roof tent and the wind gusted at the expertly tied tent. Tom is an awesome camper. This picture of Becca is from Monday when we rented a ski boat. From the moment we got on that boat to the moment we got off three hours later, Becca was in heaven. It's as if she was made to play on lakes.

The view from the boat.

We are all smiles. This day was so fun.

Becca is brave enough to try the knee board. She did this for a good 30 minutes. She held on for about ten minutes at one time. I could barely hold on for five. It was dang difficult to hold on to the rope. But she just kept going and going. I told you she was a lake girl.

Isaac was the only one of us (Tom didn't try. He was afraid of my boat driving skills) to get himself up on his knees. He didn't do so well with the skis but he is excellent on this board.

Lia got to drive the boat.
Tom really was in his element. He was so happy on that lake, just driving that boat.

On Tuesday and Wednesday Tom had client meetings. We stayed in a hotel Monday and Wednesday night. Honestly, three nights of camping was our limit. There were a lot of good times but there was a great deal of whining as well. Wednesday we headed to the dinosaur museum in Vernal. My kids were positively gleeful in this place.

We were not supposed to touch these outdoor models. But you just try and stop these kids.

It was a great week. But I was so grateful for my own bed where I finally got a chance to sleep in.