Life in a camper is definitely an adventure…some days more than others. We’ve tried to pretend this is “normal” life, but sometimes there’s just no fooling ourselves…and other times there’s no place we’d rather be!
We’re on week 7 of our school schedule, & staying on track has kept us a bit more tied to the camper, but we are rockin’ through our schoolwork & leaving enough time to see the sites. Although, sometimes we do get tired of being full-time tourists & have recently been experiencing this. It first hit in Utah. Staying in Draper City, UT, we planned to commute into Salt Lake City to take it all in…well, let’s just say that staying home was all we wanted to do…so that’s exactly what we did! Guess we will see the cityscape on another trip!! We enjoyed the town of VERY CLEAN Draper City. A highlight was going to a PCA Church, our 1st one this trip (turns out it was the pastor’s last Sunday before moving to FLORIDA!!), and believe it or not, a huge highlight for me was hitting my 1st ever Hobby Lobby…loved it!! A highlight for Ken was finding that diesel gas was cheaper than unleaded…woohoo!! Rylie cracked a tooth & given our open schedule, we were able to schedule an appointment to have it removed. So as you see, we’re just keeping it real on the road!!
Driving from CO to UT on the Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway!!
Leaving Draper City, we had our 1st flat tire. Thankfully, it was pretty uneventful. Another blessing!! We called for roadside assistance & an hour later, were back on the road, bound for Heber City, UT.
Heber City is about 20 minutes outside of Park City, so we explored that cool, little ski town. It’s where Ken’s brother Mark once had a huge ski accident & had to be life-flighted off the mountain after colliding with a gondola pole. Several months in a body cast, he had a full recovery…but Rylie & Caden couldn’t wait to track down WHERE the accident was…because anything to do with Uncle Marky is always exciting for them to explore!!
Rylie almost hopped out of the truck & called my mom to join her at their favorite hotel!!
The Heber City campground was LUXURY…best so far on this trip! Almost too perfect…made me think about that movie with Jim Carrey, The Truman Show…utopian society, but we loved it regardless! I have to brag that we scored BIG TIME in bingo. We all came home with our arms full of prizes. Look closely family, you just may unwrap one of these goodies at the Hidalgo Christmas gift exchange…if you’re lucky!
God’s Glory!! With skies like this, we are without excuse…how could we ever deny!
Driving north, bound for Idaho, we were taken by complete surprise as we came upon Bear Lake. It stretches through the border of Utah & Idaho & we had to remind ourselves where we were. The water was turquoise & breathtaking. No, it’s not the Caribbean…but it sure looked like it!! We found out that they call Bear Lake the Caribbean of Utah! Stopping on the lake in Garden City, we enjoyed their famous raspberry shakes & picked up plenty of fresh raspberries too…yummm!!
On top of our Oregon Trail adventures, Ken fished for 3 straight days in Montpelier, ID. He was a HAPPY man…& we enjoyed the fruit of his labors with fresh rainbow trout over the fire. Talk about the life, it sure felt good sitting by the fire, reading books, roasting fish…& to top it off, nightly visits of the neighborly sheep. Pinch me now, because I’m still dreaming of how relaxing that week was!!
Gretchen Hall, this part’s for YOU!…Cooking in the Camper!!
While cooking in the camper takes quite a bit longer than in a regular kitchen due to smaller EVERYTHING, it’s still a fun part of our “normal” life…plus we try to eat at home as much as possible. I will say that we keep it much simpler than if we were at home…& my kitchen at home is something I am looking VERY forward to using over the holidays…but until then, we’ve tried to keep it interesting & delicious, of course!!
Clam Spaghetti – Chicken Stir Fry with Udon – Chicken Caesar Salad – Kim Thai (Kim Homan’s Thai Chicken w Avocado & cashews) – Syrian Rice with Lamb, tatziki (our favorite family meal) – Various soups, from bean & ham, mushroom chowder, to hearty chicken noodle – Banana Bread – Chicken Enchiladas – Taco Tuesday (NOT every Tuesday or Friday, but fun when we do!) – Pasties with Gravy (from Michigan, of course) – Mac & Cheese…& much more! We also bake pies from our special Pie Cookbook mentioned in earlier posts, but sadly, I haven’t been very faithful in posting about those. I’ll try to get back on that!!
When in Rome, I mean Idaho, it’s a baked potato bar!
Continuing our migration along the Oregon Trail, we followed the path toward Arco, ID. The kids loved our campground because they had free waffles every morning & $1 scoop ice cream every afternoon. It’s the little things, right!!
Legos in the perfect outdoor air, followed by fried pickles at Pickles Place!!
Craters of the Moon National Preserve is the site to see here in Arco. All I can say is Twilight Zone!!! It was the coolest, other-worldly experience yet! Meeting with the Park Ranger, we learned all about spatter & cinder cones and different types of lava flows, like A’a’s & Pahoehoe’s, as well as spiny & rope basalt rock that is found throughout “The Great Rift”. I loved this quote from an Oregon Trail emigrant…
Climbing Inferno Cone
Exploring Devil’s Orchard
A treat after a long day…
If you’re wondering, all of this volcanic activity is from the same hotspot that is currently located just a few miles underneath Yellowstone!!! Makes you want to live on the east coast, huh!!
Unless we are swallowed up by a volcanic eruption or aliens have followed us from Arco, we can’t wait to tell you all about our upcoming adventures next time! Sending all our love from Wyoming & Montana!!
Ring Tales...our great RV adventure! 