Ryan's mom and dad have a tradition that they started way back when. Just after or just before they got married. This tradition involes camping at a secret little lake in Central Oregon somewhere between Detroit Lake and Sisters. It's such a big deal that 6 months prior to this camping trip every year the day is marked on the calender of when they can call to make the reservation. 4 camp sites, 2 motorhomes, 1 5th wheeler, 3 tents, 7 quads, 1 boat, 2 jet skies.....and a whole lot of family fun.
I have been lucky enough to go with ryan on this camping adventrue every year for 3 years now. Its turning into our own special tradition. It also just so happens that the parents are always camping over the 4th of July and my Birthday weekend so its always a choice which weekend we will spend camping. This year we choose to go the 4th. Ryan's good buddy Ross and his lady Myra came up with us as well. The weather started out pretty crappy....per par for the course, it is Oregon after all. We left home as soon as i got done working on Thursday. The drive up wasn't so bad except for the crap-tastic traffic. Apparetnly the entire state was headed South Bound on I-5 thrusday evening.
It started to get pretty couldy and rained on us about 3/4 of the drive up. By the time we got to the camp ground everyone had already turned in for the night to escape the rain so we made our rounds to say hello and unpacked the truck and off to bed we went. Sleep was a little hard to come by as the wind rocked the trailer just a tad....and the rain made for great bedtime music. Friday was pretty rainy and cold. Overcast most of the day. We spent most of the day inside the trailor playing card games with Don and Donaly and reading stories with Dawson, Ryan's nephew. Ryan and I took and epic 2 hour nap later that evening.
The couldy rainy lake, and Mt Washington
Ross and Myra showed up friday night and we had a good time freezing to death around the fire.
Saturday was beautiful. Sunny and a lot warmer than the previous day. After breakfast we went on a 4wheeler ride up Cash mountain to the old Forest tower. Even though it had been raining for days the trails were super dusty and we came back from the ride very dusty and dirty. The guys had a great time.
The picture is dark but there is a great dirt line across Ross's forhead.
The 4 of us after the morning ride.
What a better way to clean up and cool down after a ride than to go jump in the lake? We changed cloths and spent the rest of the day on the boat in the lake. We attempted to teach 5 year old Dawson how to water ski, almost successfully. He did such a good job. He only gave it one try but he was up for about 15 yards before he got a face full of water. I was the lucky volunteer to stand chest deep in water and keep Dawson straight and floating before the boat could pull him up. I should have just stayed in the water at that point. Ryan did a great lap around the lake on the skies and even did the "look mom, no hands" thing. to bad i was driving the boat and didn't get a picture of it.
Ry and Ross enjoying the sunshinny afternoon.
Myra doesn't make her own body heat and froze to death even in the sunshine. But if you look behind her and see all the snow still on the mountain...i guess i can understand.
Awe...look how cute.
The lake on Saturday afternoon.
Attempting to take a family picture. Harley was not cooperating very well. You get her better side....
Sun in the face. And Harley girl. Can't wait until she is to big for this kind of thing.
We had a great day Saturday, sun shine, good friends, lots of fun things to do. We packed up sunday morning and drove home in time to do some laundry, shower and leave again. We headed to St. Paul for the annual 4th of July Rodeo and fireworks.
Happy 4th of July friends!!!
