For labor day weekend, we took our second family camping trip. This time, we were joined by our good friends and neighbors, the Farmers! We headed north to
Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
Our trip started on Friday around noon as we headed north towards San Francisco.
Seeing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time was definitely a highlight for me (Justin had already seen it - that worked out nicely since I was panicking and he was able to convince me of the bridge's stability shortly before we crossed :o)
After we crossed the bridge, we stopped at the vista point to take it all in...
After a
looooonngg drive due to heavy traffic (what was supposed to be a 5.5-6 hr drive became an 8 hour + drive) Because of that we ended up having to set up camp in the dark, and I didn't get any pictures of setup - bummer!
Saturday morning, we unzipped the tent to find ourselves under the shade of the magnificent redwood trees.
Later that morning, Amanda had a great snack/activity for the kids. Raisins for the stones, shredded coconut for the kindling, pretzels for firewood, and red and orange m&
m's for the hot coals..... cutest campfire ever!
The kids had a great time running around the campsite for the rest of the afternoon checking out hollowed redwood trees.
On Saturday afternoon we hit the trails and went walking through the redwood forest. (ps - all weekend I had 'This Land is Your Land' in my head.....)
Hydrating:
Dads and boys:
After the hike, the kids turned their river rocks into pet rocks:
On
Saturday Justin and I had dinner duty - we made kielbasa sausage, green peppers, and red onions in foil packets with some garlic and herb rice on the side.
Tip of the day: camping with an Eagle scout is incredibly handy - this man knows his way around a foil meal!
After breakfast on Sunday morning, we went in search of a drive-through tree. We found one, but due to our car top carrier, our jeep was too tall to fit. So we parked and checked things out on foot.
Hunter checking out a redwood tree house:
We made our way over to the drive through tree and found this brave (or stupid?) guy trying to fit his Chevy
Silverado pickup through the tree...
He made it through without a scratch.... it took awhile, and drew a large crowd of
gawkers, but it was funny to watch :o)
Justin, Hunter, and Charley in another tree:
Hunter, Kaitlyn, and Brandon inside the redwood tree house:
Another trip highlight for me - lovin' the sparkle on those dishes guys :o)
Sunday night the kids happened upon a treasure map!
They followed the map and collected gold nuggets....
Finally - 'X' marks the spot in the hallowed out redwood!
Hunter, Kaitlyn, and Brandon each got their own treasure bag full of goodies:
We broke camp before the sun came up on Monday in an attempt to beat traffic as both Justin and Ed had homework to do and school early on Tuesday. We made it home safe and sound in about 6 hours. This trip was another great camping success! Everyone had a great time, and the whole weekend was made even more special because of the wonderful friends who joined us!
