Friday marked the last day of school before Spring Break and the first day of our camping trip (organized by some Aveson families). We shared campsites with the Bannings, Heffernans, and later the Brownsteins which was super fun. And we had the most amazing campsite ever. When we checked in, the Ranger said it was one of three sought-after campsites at the campground (the Borrego Palm Canyon Campground). Here’s one of the reasons why:
Check out that structure! There was even a fireplace in it. The rest of the site was enormous and the views were spectacular. We really lucked out.
The Heffs arrived first (being organized enough to leave right after school ended) and set up a tent for Lucy and Charlie.
Ezra made himself at home right away.
Finn was very helpful in setting up our tent.
After arriving kind of late (about 6:00), we spent the evening getting organized. The Bannings arrived about an hour after we did. We had dinner, the kids ran around like crazy people, the Heffs left for their hotel a few minutes away (Jerri is NOT sleeping in a tent!), and we all crashed. Finn was the lone exception in our tent; he needed some convincing that it was well past his bedtime and he needed to cooperate.
On Saturday morning we were up bright and early, of course. The morning sky was beautiful.
It was pretty warm already; the kids were in their element.
In the later morning hours, we were trying to get organized for an outing when the Brownsteins showed up. They’d lost their campsite as no-shows because they’d gotten out of Pasadena late, so we welcomed them into the fold. While they set up camp and had a late breakfast, we went on our day trip. We tried to hike to a calcite mine but didn’t quite make it. At one point we juggled cars to drive on the dirt road. Here are our passengers packed in. (Ezra’s checking his loose tooth.)
Here we are at the beginning of the hike.
Fearing mutiny, we decided to give up and head out to see the Salton Sea. There we stopped at the local AM/PM for something cold. The boys chose Freezes.
The Salton Sea looks pretty amazing from a distance.
Closer up, it’s a little grim.
And the town has fallen into disrepair. Here, Bruce leads the children to their doom.
Back at camp, the kids played “school.”
Rob offered showers.
And we got ready for the Aveson potluck. The sky was amazing again. Cari dubbed it the Anza Borregalis cuz she’s clever like that.
After the potluck we went to the campground’s campfire and chat. We were late, but what we heard was interesting. And, more exciting, along the way we saw a baby snake (Bruce did some research and determined it was a Desert Threadsnake) and a scorpion. The kids were thrilled and a little nervous. I was thankful that Cari and Ruby had decided to stay back at camp. It might have been Ruby’s first and last camping trip.
In the morning, the kids got a little play time and I got a picture of Ezra’s injuries — he had tripped over a tent stake in the dark and done a face plant the night before.
There was more bike riding.
And some final digging in the dirt while the adults broke camp.
Finn played ball with a new friend (the little sister of one of the kindergartners).
And then we were off.
Not without its challenges, but a very successful trip!