Summer is amazing

There is no way I could possibly summarize our last 4 weeks! I have hundreds of photos and thousands of memories. I am sitting in an RV park tonight in Baker city so I have Wi-Fi for the first time in 4 weeks. Since I last posted, we have backpacked into our favorite Eagle Cap Wilderness (12 mile trek), camped at our favorite Wallowa State Park for 2 weeks where the kiddos proudly became Jr. Rangers with our favorite Ranger - Ranger Lou!! , met up with some great friends along the way...we've also:

• gone to the Joseph Days Pro Rodeo. I thankfully wear sunglasses to events like this because I always find myself tearing up as I see the cowboys get bucked around like a dead rag doll and the animals flailing around. Wasn't meant to be a cowgirl. Of the 2000 plus people there, our seat was the winning seat for the big package give-a-way. We get to go to a resort near Pendelton sometime in the next year - free lodging, food, and 2 rounds of golf! :)
• done tons of lake swimming and local pool swimming (kids are so cute when they are wet)
• gone boating a bunch
• CONSTANT little moments together - we sleep in our trailer or tent each night so we are always going to sleep and waking up together. Every meal is together. What I love is how often I get to be holding either SH or one of the sprout's hands.
• a day at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. Those Pioneers were hardy folk! 1986 miles of walking! 25% of the ladies were pregnant.
• day hiked a lot (Little Princess sprout has done 2 different day hikes of over 9 miles each...smiling and singing the whole way. She has amazed us for sure! Her constant happy spirit lifts all of ours.)
• lots of fishing. Wildman Sprout caught at least 18 Trout over the last 2 days at Anthony Lake - a most gorgeous high alpine lake, perched around 7100 feet high surrounded by granite and huge rugged peaks
• discovered Anthonly Lakes Basin - a beautiful new looking campground sitting at 7100 feet. We never got into our truck for 3 days. We could walk to the lake to fish and swim and from our campsite were in walking distance of incredible day hikes into high alpine trails.
• Wildman Sprout fell in love with fishing. He is finally hooked. He fished all evening and then would wake up and go back and fish all morning until lunch.

The theme this summer has been the Oregon Trail. The kids did a one week Oregon Trail camp in Tumalo, the evening programs by Ranger Lou were all about the oregon Trail, then we went to Baker City and spent an entire day at the Oregon Trail interpretive center, and finally Bekah and I made a Cornhusk doll together (I'll post all about how we did that some time). I got a nifty new cookbook with great old remedies from the trail, recipes, and tips for life. I'll have fun posting some of that too.

We plan to explore the history here in Baker City tomorrow...then we are off to do a 10 mile day hike into the Strawberry Wilderness to conclude our vacation together before SH and I get a week to ourselves with the Sprouts heading to Grandparent's house for the last week of the summer.

Can't wait to hear about all of your adventures this summer!