Camping

Last thursday night we took off for a campground just North of Mount Rainier Park, the Dalles. We had a great spot right on the White River. View from our campsite. The sound of the river was so soothing at night.
The girls jumped around shouting with joy for the first half hour, they were SO EXCITED to be camping. Ada's I'm-jumping-off-a-rock-so-I'm-so-brave smile

Odessa loved gathering firewood like Curious George does when he goes camping

That night while we slept, it started to rain and didn't stop all day Friday! Ok, so most of the time it was just a drizzle and it quit briefly for us to take a few little jaunts into the woods, but no way was I cooking outside in that "downpour"! I told him if he wanted a hot dinner, we had better get in the car and drive back to Enumclaw. Stephen took the tarp from under our tents and rigged it over the table so I could cook. I think he felt like quite a mountain man considering he had to climb a branchless tree and he didn't take off his camo outfit the entire time we were there since it's so much better in the rain than other clothes. He also can start a fire when it's been raining for hours- I don't know how he managed it. I think he should start a company- one you can call if it's raining and you want to give up and go home (like me). He can come in and break camp in the rain for you and deliver your stuff later. Should be a big hit out here in the Pacific Northwest. I was so NOT excited about the thought of packing up wet and dirty things. Thank goodness it stopped raining Friday night and we dried out enough Saturday before coming home. While it rained on Friday, we drove around Mount Rainier National Park and checked out a couple of hikes from our books, even played in the snow remaining in the passes. That pink spot in the picture is Ada, digging in the dirt behind a fallen tree, her favorite past-time.Stephen fashioned garbage bag ponchos for the girls that made them look like little Ku-klux-klan girls. Campers came out of their campsites to take pictures of them, they looked so comical.
There was some whining involved with the wet weather, but Stephen and the girls did their best to ignore it and enjoy themselves.

Ada's I've-got-hot-chocolate smile Pretty view from the drive around Mount Rainier