Spring Break- The Campsite

 For Spring Break this year we ended up going to Nevada. Yes, Nevada. Utah was having worse weather and we didn’t want to go North this time of year and I had heard of a cool state park down there so we went for it. We borrowed Buck’s parent’s motor home because we worried the nights would be too cold for the tent trailer.

We stayed at the Ryan- Kershaw state park, which is small but beautiful, tucked away in a un-supposing canyon with rock walls, blooming purple flower trees, lizards, and even a couple scorpions for the full cultural experience. The first night we set up camp and ate dinner and had a camp fire. And we were rewarded with the discovery that evening of cute little toads that came out of their leafy burrowed homes to hunt bugs. The kids named each of them (George, Gemma, and little Peanut) and went to find them each evening at the same time. Also, we had nearly the whole campsite to ourselves, and aside from my very loud children, it was so wonderfully quiet there. 

We spent the mornings slow and and the evenings playing games. We had a fire going morning and night. And Johnny had to go to bed early since he was so emotional. (There was a bug zapping lantern and he was beside himself that the bugs were being killed. “They are just trying to live their lives!” He sobbed. Dear, tender Johnny.) 

Good times. 

Here's a smattering of photos.

Went to the ranger station to get cell phone reception so that we could watch the astronauts landing back in the ocean! 

The first night after the kids were in bed Buck and I decided to go drive down the dark road a little bit to see the stars even better, away from the few yellow lights of the campground. We stepped out of the car and the blackness enveloped us. But then an explosion of stars swirled above and as our ears tuned into what we thought would be silence, we were greeted with a full orchestra of what seemed to be thousands of toads croaking together. Buck and I ended up laying down in the middle of the road, staring up at the bright stars, listening to the toads. Perhaps my favorite moment of the week. (and let it be known that I feel like billions of poets through the ages have tried to write about the stars and explain and describe them, as have I at times, but today, for this journal, I conceded my defeat. You’ve all read the poems and I have nothing more to add today.)

Tried a couple photos with my phone too!