So we went to play with one of our favorite couples over the 26th and 27th in beautiful Lava Hot Springs and as always it proved to be an unforgettable adventure! We look forward to our annual camping trip with Nate and Kayla every year and as summer seemed to be slipping away, so did the opportunity for our yearly event but we were determined to make it happen and happen it did. We decided to try Lava again this year despite last years craziness (if you haven't read that entry its worth a review but in short we spent the night with a million mosquitoes, in an open field, next to railroad tracks that just happened to have a gigantic train on them which decided to stop across the access road for and eternity and Nate was on call and they had to leave at the rear end crack of dawn!) mostly because it just happens to be located nearly half way between our homes. This year, we vowed to get an amazing camping spot, however, due to being responsible adults who work full time jobs, we were unable to leave our places of residence until 4:30 (nate and kayla) and 6 (mel and kel) and sadly by the time Nate and Kayla arrived, there was very little in way of decent camp sites. When Kel and I arrived Nate had left Kayla up a ravine, filled with mosquitoes, setting up the tent and had come down to meet us. We could tell by Nates expression that they were feeling a little discouraged a defeated and I think all of us had the thought that this was going to be another camping trip we would have to make the best of. Luckily Kel remembered that he had a friend who own property somewhere in the vicinity and had talked about what a beautiful area it was- so he called while Nate went to retrieve Kayla. The friend gave us some pretty sketchy directions and so as the sun set behind the mountains we headed off on what I anticipated could be a wild goose chase. . . and I ended up being right. . luckily though, the goose was not impossible to catch. We drove up the mountain on steep dirt roads for over 20 minutes drifting in and out of cell phone service and praying that we could find the right piece of property. We came to a gate with a large sign that stated "No trespassing, only property owners and their guests beyond this point. Any others found in violation of this ordinance will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law." Nate must have had the same panic strike the pit of his stomach as I had because he stopped and yelled out the window "we aren't going to get prosecuted to the full extent of the law are we?" Finally after much tribulation, trespassing, and trial and error, we found the spot. . in the pitch black. It did turn out to be beautiful with all the amenities you could ask of back woods camp area. Once we got camp set up we started a fire and dove into the large pile of junk food we had spread across our camp table while catching up on all the things we had missed out on since our last expedition. I guess I should elaborate a little about our camp site setup just for the sake of indulging in our new found camping style. After much deliberation (and I mean MUCH: changing his mind every day since April), Kel decided that he wanted to purchase a SMALL, OLD camp trailer that a friend of his owned and had gutted and modified to be a glorified tent on wheels. This trip happened to be it's maiden voyage and I must admit that as someone who had been anti camper trailer, the setup, cleanup, and comfort was well worth the $200 bucks. We just pulled in, parked and were ready to go.
This was the next morning :).
The best part of this trip was that neither of us had to rush back Saturday morning so were were able to sleep in knowing that we had another fun filled day to look forward to! We woke up and Nate and Kayla prepared and AMAZING dutch oven breakfast pizza for us (which we devoured). After breakfast, the light of day revealed the true amenities of this new found camping spot: an outdoor toilet, basketball hoop, swing, and. . . . a zip line! Nate was the only brave soul and I missed his first attempt, but here is his second (we're glad he's still alive)!
After Nate's death defying stunts we decided to pack up camp and head into town to float the river. Kel and I had never heard about much less participated in this apparently well know and loved activity and the prospect seemed quite exciting. We each rented a tube from a little stand and then proceeded to walk through town and up a steep hill to the put in location. Luckily Nate and Kayla were not new to this thrill ride and were able to inform us that there are several "put in" locations all of varying degrees of risk ranging from mild encounters with white water, bumps, and curves (much like rattle snake rapids at Lagoon) to near death defying drops off a series of waterfalls into jagged rocks. We started out with a mild run to "break ourselves in" and it proved to be way worth the tube rental fee. Once we survived the mild run, the boys decided it was time to challenge the bigger obstacles and drug the girls along with them. It turned out to be a pretty wild ride and while Kayla, Nate, and I escaped relatively unscathed, Kel wasn't so lucky. His tube took an alternate route the ping ponged him through the waterfalls dumping him head over feet in the tumbling current. When he surfaced, he had lost his glassed and knocked his head and his leg of several large rocks. Despite his battle wounds, as always, he had a smile on his face and was ready to go as soon as her retrieved his tube. We all made a few more runs, opting out of the waterfall section following Kel's misfortune but overall everyone seemed to really enjoy the adventure.
We decided to grab burgers and shakes before heading back in our respective directions back to the lives that were waiting for us back home. The food was good, but the time spent with such valued friends was priceless. Thanks Nate and Kayla for another great adventure! We can't wait til next year.
The next weekend Dusty called and told us that he planned to ask his girlfriend Caytlyn to marry him when they all came down to Utah for Labor day. I'll spare the details but his original idea was something a guys
would come up with so with a little help we constructed an interesting proposal environment in Logan Canyon. I spent hours cutting out peace signs and flowers for the decor and Kel lovingly helped me set everything up so that the scene would be set when they arrived from the burg. Here are a few pictures. . . oh, and she did say yes:).
We're SO excited for them! LOVe you guys!
Then, this last weekend Mom, Dad, Dusty, and Caytlyn came down Thursday night and hung out and then we all went down to the Rascal Flatts concert at the Usana Amphatheater in SLC. The openers were Justin Moore and Sarah Evans and it was a GREAT show. Jason and Arianne (some of our really close friends) met us there and despite a freak thunderstorm and downpour right before the start time, the weather cleared and the evening was beautiful. Dusty, Caytlyn, Kel, and I drove back to Logan after the concert and turned around the next morning and went back to farmington to join Mom, Dad, and Uncle Ted at Lagoon. It was a wonderful weekend and we had a great two days. Kel even rode some of the crazy rides- which he never does. We have been so blessed to have such great opportunities and such wonderful people in our lives. Hopefully the next entry will cover the moments in the last 2 months that couldn't be shared here yet.
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