Summer Lovin'

Just some fun pictures of our crazy summer days!

The Hiawatha

Before we moved, everyone told us...when you get there you have to ride the Hiawatha trail! So, we decided to go and see what all the fuss was about...well - the fuss was legitimate. The trail was amazing - it is about 15 miles long - has at least 9 tunnels (one is 1.5 miles long), 5 bridges, beautiful scenery, animal life (we saw a moose), plus, at the end you get a great bus ride up to the top! The boys did great in the trailer, until CJ had to go potty...what do you do on top of a bridge and you have to go potty? Do you find the nearest tree or bush? Heavens NO, you pee off the side - this was the highlight of CJ's trip....goodness...he talked about it for days! Preston liked to throw rocks off the bridge and watch them fall down. Poor Preston got to close to a little stream at the end of the trail and got covered in mud...we had to strip him down. All in all...great trip - highly recommend it to all who come to the area!

All in the Family

We loved our time with family! It was so fun to let loose and be silly! This was Preston's first trip where he remembered the ditch (water!), the dog, and the four wheeler. He was on one of those three things the whole time! CJ loved Grandma, Papa and the cousins! While we were in Idaho, we were able to spend time with Shane, who is working with Stan and Amy on the farm for the summer. Extra family to see! Plus, Brett and Kathy came from Rexburg and stopped in - we took them to the crater, had a barbecue, and sat and chatted..it was nice to see the newlyweds!

The Cave

Out in the desert lies a cave....this cave! On our last night in Idaho, the three of us, Clay, Laura and Shane took the four wheelers and headed off to the cave at sunset. It was a fun, yet uneventful ride until we headed back to the four wheelers to go home....we happened upon a rattlesnake! We were within a foot or two of it....Laura wanted to just let the thing alone and go (yes, quite a girl - think safety first, adventure second)...however, she was outnumbered 2 to 1, and the boys wanted to try and kill it (adventure first, safety second)...goodness BOYS! Thank goodness, no one got bit - and NO they didn't kill the snake either...just the adrenaline rush I guess....BOYS! (sorry, no pictures of the snake...didn't think about it, until the thing was scared off!)

Papa's Secret Adult Rope Swing

Somewhere up in the mountains of Idaho (sorry, sworn to secrecy as to the exact location)....lies this amazing and yet quite dangerous swing. Papa took his family on a drive through the mountains in search of the infamous rope swing; When we finally found the correct mud puddle and broken cabin - and then up a dirt path walaaaa rope swing like you have never seen. No faint hearts here.... There was a high platform that you could climb up to and jump off that would give you an extreme thrill ride (Clay, Joslyn, Janie, Stan and Shane all ventured for this platform)...Laura however, decided to take it low and jumped off the stump, which gave quite the ride as it was....Poor Amy, was trying to talk some sense and reason into us, but without any avail...Luckily, we all walked out of the woods - with only minor cuts and bruises (a few people happened to hit trees!.) Fun times!

Camping at Redfish

In the four days we breathed in that fresh Idaho mountain air, we packed in as much fun as we could.... we slept in tents (except Mom and Dad..they live in luxury with the trailer!), went boating, tubing, skiing, wake boarding, hiking, chasing children (and dogs), swimming, playing heated games of Aggravation and Mad Gab, and of course the making of smores....awe. It was GREAT! The boys were in heaven...dirt, dirt and more dirt..and when the dirt wore out, there was the sand! Yes, we ALL had a great time in the mountains...but we were also glad to get back home to our running water and showers.