We just got back from a whirl-wind camping trip to the Flaming Gorge in Utah with our friends Davis and Anna and their new baby Eden. It was five hours away and we stayed one eventful night. But good times were had and we can't wait for the next Wagner family adventure!
Each of our families had booked our own small, single tent site. They had tiny covers over the picnic tables that only provided minimal shade. So we went for a walk and saw the luxuriously shaded group sites that cost way more. The site director happened to be tidying up one of these group sites so we asked nicely "if there are any unclaimed group sites, can we use one?" And he said "sorry, no". Oh well never hurts to ask. Then a few minutes after we got back to our little sites he came by and said that the Wagners had left a day early and we could use their group site.
Ample shade cover, five picnic tables, and closer to the water. Score!
But some of our group site neighbors decided to stay up until 2am laughing it up! Then it started to rain, which would not have been a huge deal but the Newell family had decided to not put the rain fly on our tent so that we could see the stars. Blerg! Brian and I got out in the cold rain and slapped it on the tent without tying it down. It wasn't windy. Then one of our neighbors car alarm went off. Then again, and again, and again. Probably ten times. Then some other campers decided it would be helpful to yell profanity at them to turn it off. Charlie woke up. Then it got windy. Sweet Brian got all of the strings untangled to tie down the rain fly so that it didn't blow into the lake. Charlie and Brian fell asleep. Then Viola woke up. She had slept through the whole thing, and feeling well rested, was ready for conversation. She and I got out of the tent just in time for the sunrise.
Viola was delighted to see her "best of all friends" Anna and help with baby Eden.
We drove around the rest of the Flaming gorge looking for something impressive to see. The dam was something but not terribly impressive. These two were sorely disappointed not to get in the water.
Eden was glad that we didn't put her in the water.
Then some more driving through a pine forest (not impressive) we came around a bend and behold! Here are the flames that everybody was talking about.
Sadly Charlie and Eden were asleep so we only achieved partial family photos in front of the grandeur.
We ended our trip as we always do. Milkshakes!
And here we are, "The Wagners".
Moments after this happy scene Charlie got his fingers closed in the car door. There was quite a bit of screaming. We grabbed some ice and a paper towel and put some Charlie Brown on the phone to distract him. (A very special treat as we do not generally do videos in the car!) He calmed down but insisted that I sit next to him in the back seat. No problem. I'm only 6 months pregnant.
Good times.
