Well its been about 4 years since I made the trek to antelope and with all thats been going on I thought I'd like to try it again. Last time I went grandpa was still alive. I went without Chad and I didn't handle it too well...granted my kids were all 4 years younger!!!! So we loaded up and hit the road! Chad would be joining us later in the week.
We hit Pocatello for some lunch and I can't ever drive through there without telling the kids how we met. I decided, since we weren't in a hurry, to stop on Carter St. and take a picture. This is the corner where I saw Chad walking home from school and I just got the biggest feeling that came over me and I went and ran and hugged him so hard! Well he didn't know my name or who I was really...so he called me John Deere for weeks because I happened to be wearing a John Deere shirt. I don't think it was a coincidence that I hugged him on Carter street!
Anyway, once we got to camp and got things set up, a storm hit! I rained super hard. After the storm passed I realized I left the door of our tent OPEN and a big quilt out in the rain. So we started off with lots of soggy things. Bummer! But then the sun came out and I was able to dry some things out.
Each day at Antelope they celebrated a holiday. By the time we arrived Easter and V-day had already been celebrated and we were on to Halloween! Mom spent lots of time painting costumes for all the kids so they got to pick and then go trick or treating!
That night the sky turned the most beautiful blue and pink over the whole sky! It was lovely!
Ben led the kids in some night games!
The next days were filled with 4 wheeling, digging in the dirt, eating, playing with cousins, eating and more eating! The following day was Thanksgiving!
It was so fun watching my kids create relationships with new cousins they've never met!
The ladies did a thanksgiving craft.
Carter is starting to do a pretty good job on the 4wheeler. He took me on a ride once and got to drive all by himself to go on a ride with Emily.
This is where they ended up!
All the kids who wanted to catch a fish got to!
G&G Reed organized a turkey shoot! There were money in the balloons!
Nail painting went on and lots of games and swimming in the creek!
Friday was Christmas. We did a white elephant gift exchange at camp and there were some pretty epic gifts!
Later that day we had a special visitor....SANTA!!!! He greeted every person by name and handed out peppermints and stockings! The stockings were filled with our breakfast the following morning!
Some other highlights of the trip....Carter shooting an AR-15!!! YIKES!
I escaped for a bit to take a 4wheeler ride up to Bear Creek Summit. It was so pretty and we could see all the mountains around us!
Ben had hopes of finding a geocache but was dissapointed when we learned it was a hiking path and not a driving path. We explored for a bit while him and Carter and Lydia went in after it.
After a LONG walk...They found it!!! Carter pulled a golf ball from it and they left a key chain. Super cool.
They also signed their names in the book! We all had a good laugh when they explained it was right off another road!
We have some good times sitting around laughing and hanging out with fam. Sure love these guys!
As always, Friday night is for poems around the fire. It took me alot of years to appreciate this tradition but as years passed and I saw my grandparents age, it became even more dear to me. I learned that my grandpa was teaching us life lessons through his poetry and expressing his love for us in them too. As I listened to poems that have been said several times around the same campfire ring, I could hear his slow, deep steady voice with a little poem drawl speaking the words in my mind. I know my grandparents were there on this trip.
The last day was National Bingo and Sunglasses day! So we played some riveting games of bingo and everyone wore sunglasses! Even the pup! There were even prizes!
We ended the day with a stay in Arco so that we could attend Wren's baby blessing the following day. It sure is peaceful out there! And her flowers were huge and so beautiful! The weeds just about broke my heart knowing how hard Evelyn has worked to beautify their yard. But I know it'll be beautiful in the coming years.
All in all, it was a great trip. I found myself being a little bored but really trying to connect with people I haven't in a while. I was happy when Chad arrived and glad he was able to come. It sure made things easier on me. It may be another few years before we go back, who knows, but I'm grateful for the legacy that we have of camping at the same place for 90+ years!
