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Camping Life

 No big thoughts today, just snatches of a slice of life.

The gang and I are out camping!

We got up about 3 this morning to walk the dogs so they could get their wiggles in (and their pee and poop out.)

Then, we all—the 11, 9 and 7 year old kids, the 13 year old dog and the one year old dog and myelf—loaded into the car and headed out of San Francisco super early to avoid traffic.

But there were still lines of traffic coming down the little state highways we dodged off too just after Oakland. 

Fortunately everyone was coming back towards town, but wow! 

We saw two accidents.

We got to stop twice.

Once to run around the forest off of an old abandoned logging road. 

Another time to make sandwiches and fish on the side of a mountain lake.


We didn't catch anything.

The sandwiches were awesome!

Then we landed at our camping site for tonight. 

The wind is gusting up to 16 miles an hour.

The gang got their tent plopped down. 

I got mine setup a few minutes later with their help.

After that, hey were off and hiking with the puppy, and over the nearest hill.

Then they came back :)

We all went for a hike.

We got yelled at by a killdeer.

We made Knorr noodles in the camp stove pot.

They were delicious.

And then, it got to be about 4:30 in the afternoon and we’re both doing our prototype lay-down-in-the-tent and go to bed run.

Separate tents. The puppy's in with the gang. The 13 year old dog's in with me.

Luxury!

The 9 year old already dozed, then woke up thinking it was morning.

The gang and the puppy went for another quick hike.

Soon the sun will sink under the mountains to the west and we’ll really conk out.

It’s been a good day.


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