Stinkerton Joins the Camping Crew

Last weekend we took the opportunity to introduce Stinkerton to the joys of camping. Lost Creek State Park was the destination since it's so ridiculously close.

So full of pride, or full of something anyway. That child's cot sure is handy for stowing gear and baby wipes when the eldest-born isn't sleeping in it. 

Figuring, like we did, that the park would be busy given the holiday and all, our campmates A and B (above) came early in the morning to stake out a couple spots. We needn't've worried, it turned out; would you believe that we were the only campers there? Unbelievable. Thanks for snagging the spots though, A.

Antics.

Stinkerton is rubbing it in that Melissa temporarily can't eat chocolate.

I think it's about 1200 feet of canyon wall above Ludwig and the aspens there. Let me check...nope, closer to 1400 feet.

B found an abandoned birds' nest, made mostly of deer hair, it looked like.

The park includes a very short, very tame hike to a waterfall--probably more accurate to call it a walk, not a hike. The second day we took a different, longer hike into the woods and also to this cliff perched above the waterfall.

We were determined (well, I'm not so sure E was particularly determined) to make it further along the longer hike than we ever had before and succeeded. E thought this fir sapling was "cute".

Once we got to this parked car I knew it wasn't far to a run-down cabin and the ruin of a waterwheel and stamp mill. We got there, but that's as far as we got. Yes, the white stuff you see in these pictures is snow.

Back at camp for lunch, I decided to crack open a beer. Hey, if I can't drink one beer in the early afternoon on Memorial Day Sunday, the terrorists have won. I thought the picture on the label vaguely resembled the local scenery (it's probably actually supposed to be the Chinese Wall, I'll bet).

Spring runoff in full effect.

An angle showing it well was hard to come by, but at some point that tree broke that rock clean in two, just by growing its own self.

While breaking camp, Melissa spotted a Syncro Vanagon Westy coming around the loop. We exchanged waves as they went past to a site a little further down. Given that we were just about to leave, we walked down and offered them our spot (#17), which I personally regard as the best in the park (though none are truly bad). Karen and Chuck from Santa Cruz on their way to Yellowstone and points South accepted, and we ended our camping trip chatting them up. Have a great trip in Westy Girl, you two.

Excepting for a few ticks, a flawless trip. Stinkerton seemed to agree.

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