Round Two

Our first family camping trip was so much fun, we knew before we left the campgrounds we’d be doing it again, and soon. We got back out just a few weeks later, this time to the Sagehen reservoir. The girls were every bit as excited as we were to get away again.

home away from home

We left a little earlier on Friday than we had the first time around, realizing that the first-come first-serve spots could fill up fast. We didn’t have any reservations for that weekend, and don’t have any made for the rest of the summer, either. It’s a little nerve-wracking, never being sure of finding the perfect spot, but we prefer the less developed, and more secluded, sites anyway, so we’re willing to take the risk. Once we got into Sagehen, however, we saw that there were almost no unoccupied sites to be found. The girls and I hung out to hold onto the only one we’d come across, while Eric made a quick pass to check for anything better . . . and we got lucky again! He scored us a truly ideal site: perfectly private, tons of room to spread out, far from the road, and with a trail straight down to the reservoir below. Also gorgeous.

another amazing campsite

Even though a lot of the experience wasn’t brand new, the girls were every bit as into it as the first time we went out. Art projects and nature journals were a favorite activity once again, and this time we remembered Violet’s camera, so she used that to document things she saw as well.

drawing moths by lantern light

Violet's nature shots

We were a little bummed that despite the fact that this campground was located on a reservoir, there was very little space suitable for swimming or other water play. But we made the best of what we could get to, and then stopped at another lake on the way home Sunday for some beach time. The tent never seems to lose its appeal; we managed to squeeze in several good hikes; and Ruby was able to stay awake long enough for good times with glow sticks Saturday night!

happy daddy and his hiking buddies

found a caterpillar on our hike!

little hikers out on the trail

sagehen campground, july 2011

One of the most fun parts about this trip was coming home and checking out what Violet captured with her camera. She’s absolutely adorable with it – always asking us to get together so she can take a picture of us, getting frustrated with Ruby when she won’t cooperate, and looking at the image after she snaps it and saying “awwwwww . . . that’s so cute!” It’s just so cool to see things from her perspective. I think we might pass the kid-camera along to Ruby pretty quickly, though. 2 megapixels makes for pretty poor quality even in good light, and Violet’s taking some photos worth preserving. Our point and shoot may have found a new owner (and I might find myself out of a job as family photographer!).

move over, mama, there's a new family photog in town