We've been trying to go camping with the Bramhalls for a couple of years now and we were finally able to make it happen that weekend. We weren't able to get the camping spot that we had hoped for so we had to drive around a bit in search but we ended up finding a pretty great spot in Spanish Fork Canyon. It was not a campsite with hookups or water or toilets or anything like that. Just middle of the mountains off the grid camping. The Bramhalls got there a couple hours after we did. They had had some issues. Turns out Andrew had a cyst in his belly button and was bleeding and so they had to go to the doctor that morning. But there was not much they could do about it at the moment so they told him he was fine to continue on with his life so they still showed up. Then gianina had a bad migraine so she was laying down in their car for a couple of hours.
We ended up having a few mishaps over the next 24 hours. We had our pop-up tent trailer but the water pump wasn't working and so we couldn't get the water to run through the little sink that we have. So buck spent a couple of hours trying to figure that out and then he did actually finally fix it and get it working. But then when it came time to cook food we found out that we had a leak and our gas hose. So we couldn't use our stove to cook. And then later that day on Saturday we lost our electricity, which was kind of weird and a lot sooner than we should have lost it. But buck had this whole thing he set up with his car so that he'd be able to charge the trailer. But then that wasn't working either. And because The electricity wasn't working anymore we also once again could not work the water pump. Haha!
Also because of all of the wildfires this summer we weren't allowed to make a fire in the campsite. Buck did have his tin drum solo stove thing, however, and we felt OK about making a small fire in that. But then Saturday afternoon a storm rolled in and we got rained on quite a bit. And then the Bramhalls disappeared down the Canyon trying to find a bathroom. We were supposed to start making dinner but we couldn't anymore because we had no way to do it. We had needed heat to cook meat and even if we wanted to make a fire and could not because the wood was all now wet. It was pretty comical if you think about it. And I admit, I had a moment where I asked buck if maybe we should just give up and go home. We had a couple of busy weeks coming up ahead of us and so much to do so why not just give up?
But then we decided that we just wanted to stay and have time with the kids and our friends and that we would make it work and teach our kids about resilience and resourcefulness somehow. And the Bramhalls did show back up and we found out that the road was so muddy and slick so that it would have been pretty dangerous to drive on those narrow dirt roads with sheer drop offs. So we were stuck anyway! Haha thankfully the Bramhalls had brought their camp stove so we were able to use that after all. And we ended up having a pretty good dinner.
But what a great time we had despite all of that.
The kids got along really well. They know each other- they're good friends already and they had a really great time. The kids were enjoyed playing card games, chopping wood, and trying to make a fort out of sticks.
They were excited to sit around our little tin drum fire in the evenings and just talk and laugh and tell stories. And honestly it was kind of the best weekend. And one that we didn't even realize how much we needed until we had it. And so often I find that those times that seem the most cursed or full of bad luck can actually end up being some of the best. So we were very grateful that we went.
Also important noting is how much Johnny loved chopping wood with a hatchet. It was just so funny he honestly hacked away at a stump for probably a couple hours straight. Love that kid.
No comments:
Post a Comment