We drove up early Friday, set up camp, and relaxed all afternoon waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to arrive. We really couldn't do much else, as they had all of the food with them. Well... We did have SOME food, but they also had my kitchen box so while we had a stove, we had no pots and pans. We had sandwich stuff, but no bread. We had cereal but no milk. You see where I'm going with this?
They finally arrived around shortly after 8pm, having turned the 3 hour drive into a four and a half hour drive. It seems they didn't account for holiday traffic when trying to get out of the house. It turned out okay. They set up their tent while I hustled to get dinner on the table and B ran back and forth between the two jobs helping where he could.
Saturday morning the kids played with Grandpa and Grandma as well as with the friends they'd met in the campground (There were about 8 running around between the various campsites...) while I showered and Grandma got ready and breakfast was cooked (Not by me... They insisted I not cook since it was my birthday!) and I relaxed.
We hardly made it through breakfast before the kids started planning their trip to the Bigfoot store so once the breakfast dishes were done and the camp was cleaned up (Once again, not by me...) we headed up the road to the Bigfoot store so the kids could check out all of the 'treasures' then headed back down the road the other way to 'get a treat'. After treats we went back to camp to enjoy some more play time, nap time, rest time, reading time, you name it...
When we were up at Richardson Grove last time we'd found a yummy pizza restaurant in the nearby town of Garberville so we went to dinner there Saturday night. My mom surprised me with my favorite birthday dessert, Frozen Chocolate Pie. You might be wondering how one keeps a pie frozen while camping... Mom made a valiant effort and the pie tasted the same but this year it was more like Chocolate Mousse Pie. Thanks, Mom!
After dinner we hurried back to camp in order to attend the group campfire where we learned about bobcats, lynx and mountain lions. The kids enjoyed the program with two of their new friends and glow sticks galore then we headed back to camp and turned in for the night.
Sunday turned out to be another beautiful day. Big A and I attended the Junior Ranger program where we learned map skills while Little A and B took naps. Grandpa isn't one for sitting around relaxing and enjoying nature so when we all gathered back at camp he decided we needed to figure out something to do and we headed off to Confusion Hill. We rode the train, checked out the old logging equipment and then Grandpa and B headed through the Gravity House while Grandma and the kids and I played at the playground.
Playing hard all day in the fresh air will certainly tire you out. By the time dinner was finished the kids could barely keep their eyes open for s'mores. Camping is about the only time that I find my kids ASKING to go to bed. Maybe we should camp more often!
Monday morning we packed up at a leisurely pace and said goodbye to Richardson Grove. We had decided we'd stop at the Drive Through Tree on the way home and then eat lunch at Lumberjacks Restaurant (aka "Where The Big Boys Eat") in Willits.
We arrived home around 5:30pm leaving us just enough time to unpack, shower, eat a bowl of cereal and head to bed so that we could get up this morning and get back to the real world. It's sad that this trip seems to officially mark 'The End of Summer', but I've promised the kids that while summer may end, our camping season has not. I'm looking forward to AT LEAST one more trip this fall (but thinking two is more like it!)!Happy Birthday weekend to me, and Happy Fall!
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