Bridger Lake

 

This week was crazy busy with work and getting ready for a weekend camping trip up at the Hall family favorite: Bridger Lake. And yes Bridger is a namesake for that area that we used to go camping at every summer with my extended family. It has been a while since we've been there but after a super fun weekend I think we will reinstate the annual tradition and head up there for a weekend every summer from here on out. Bridger even said, "Maybe I'll be married next year when we are up here." I responded with, "Ooh yeah and maybe I'll be pregnant!" It it is another family tradition we are all excited about sharing with our little family as it grows in the future.

We spent our time relaxing, reading books in hammocks, cooking yummy food, fishing, dirt bike riding and fourwheeling. I had never driven a fourwheeler or ridden a dirt bike so there were a lot of firsts that were kind of scary at first but ended up being a lot of fun. There is truly nothing better than sitting around a campfire telling stories and looking at the stars. 

I feel the same way about the woods as I do the beach. There is something calming and rejuvenating about mountains the same way there is about ocean waves. I think it is because it causes you to pause and take in the beauty of God's creation and how luck you are to live in it. 

Similar to Lake Powell it was nice to be out of service and unplug and just be with each other. We had lots of laughs and snacks and got along really well. My mom kept saying, "oh I just love this!" I imagine it's pure joy for a mother to watch her family gathered together making memories at a place that holds so many memories already. Can't wait for more to come!

Peaches

• Took my mom to Plated Dreams for lunch Thursday and then went and got groceries for the trip after

• Middle seat = pillow and head tickler. Love my guys

• Watching embers burn

• Dirt biking and four wheeling. Dad got new electric dirt bikes that were pretty sweet 

• We all took a turn relaxing in the hammocks we brought up. It was so nice to hang out, read and relax

• Going fishing with Dad. He went fly fishing on a float tube one evening and caught dozens of fish. I went the next day with him in between rain storms and only caught one trout. It was still fun though. I'd like to get better and more knowledgeable about fishing especially since one of my clients is a fishing apparel company. 

• Saw a young bull moose less than 100 yards from our camp. He hung out in the meadow for a few hours while my mom and I sat at the picnic table and did a cute little puzzle she brought up 
  
  
  

• When we went up to the Poconos for Spring Break last year Jaden was obsessed with the wood burning fireplace and the bellows that was there. The bellower lives on. Jade had a piece of cardboard he'd wave up and down like a mad man to get the fire to rage. Also my mom brought glow sticks that were a big hit on the last night. The boys especially loved throwing them into the fire where the glowing liquid would spill down the logs and fizzle in the coals 

• Boys made peach cobbler unfortunately not with our peaches because they aren't done yet. It's times like this when I wish I liked pie and cobbler but I just can't hack warm fruit

• Made some yummy tin foil dinners and kabobs while we were up there. Jade said "why does food taste so much better when you are camping?!" It really is so true! 

Pits

• It does make me sad that so many of the trees have died up at Bridger Lake. There is an invasive species of beetle that has absolutely wreaked havoc on the trees killing a majority of beautiful pines that used to be lush and green expanding as far as the eye can see. As tragic as it is to see so much death there has started to be a lot of regrowth that shows promise of beauty once more as time goes on. The whole mountain range is definitely at risk for a wildfire and to be honest we were all shocked one hasn't occurred yet. But my mom was saying that it is the circle of life and nature has a way of cleansing and replenishing itself when tragedy strikes. I think there are definite lessons to be learned there

• I'm a little out of practice camping so I was not prepared for how chilly it got at night. I forgot to bring a coat and thought that a few quilts would do the job of a sleeping bag. Not the case! Will not be making either of those mistakes again!

• Returning back to the Grantham's we found that some of the grass had died and a branch had snapped off one of the peach trees. We have three jobs while living here: don't kill the grass, the tomatoes, or the peach trees. We were shaking in our boots thinking that we were 1 for 3. Lucky for us JB and Anita were super understanding and a quick trip to Home Depot and we purchased all the shepard hook stakes they had to prop up each branch of the trees that are heavy laden with peaches that aren't quite ripe yet. We pulled 130 peaches off the fallen branch. 130! When they are ready we are going to be buried in peaches!