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 |   Blog Challenge And Other Tidbits |
| An opinion or two...or three or four... |
| Have you ever seen a geyser before? What was odd about this attraction? Can you tell us anything about this? Yeah, a little research will not kill you? Is anyone interested in taking a dip in the mineral springs when we return from our hike today after dinner under the stars? Let's do a sing-a-long? What songs do you recommend for our first sing-a-long together? Camping songs? I LOVE camping songs. Well, I only know three camping songs. But my favorite, especially to sing around a fire late at night is...drum roll please..."99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall." Hah! Now you'll have that song in your head for the next two weeks! Call me old, call me cliche, call me a nerd...well, I am a nerd...but that song is my all time favorite. Seems like everybody on the planet knows it, and you can always make up new words for it. Anyway...I like it. And yes, now that I've typed it I'll probably sing all day. As far as mineral springs I'm not so sure...because...there's minerals in the water. Don't minerals dry the skin? And they're stinky to boot. Why would I dip in a stinky pool that dries up my skin? Oh! I know! It's because I spent all last night cowering in my tent from the horrifying camp fire story we told...looks like I'll have to sing "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" to get me happy and humming again. Just so you know, I really am a scaredy cat when it comes to ghost stories. So let's get out there and do some hiking and singing and dipping! |
| Let’s share campfire stories together. Give us a good one that adds to whom ever posts first. Some of you in 30 day have already done this before, the first person who sees this post begins the story...like the telephone game and the next one adds to it and the next person adds to the first, second and so on. Not word for word but a summation... Let' s see how creative you can be. Campfire stories! I love campfire stories! Okay, here goes... Stars sparkled against an inky black sky. All around tree tops touched the sky as they swayed in the cold night breeze. A campfire crackled in its pit, throwing just enough heat to warm my hands and face. I was there, alone, caught in the oneness and solitude of the night. I was also keeping watch. They said it was out there again. That it could come any time. That this time around it was more brutal than ever before. Other night sounds pricked the air between the crackles of the fire. I tried to identify each one. I also tried not to scare the bravery out of myself! My camp mates were sleeping. Soundly? Lightly? I'm not sure. But it was me and me alone who would defend our little camp from the dangers "it" brought. Midnight descended and with it came a haze that rolled softly into the trees and danced on the ground. Temperatures dropped as the hazy fingers touched my face, my hands, my head. I shivered in its silvery sheath. I looked up... |
| It’s our first night together, we are going to cook over an open fire pit. What are good food options for this group activity? Who's cooking? Clean up is important, what should we do to maintain our group safety? Who's got clean up? We have a practical joker among us....what happens? For our first cookout together I vote for hamburgers. Just hamburgers. Nothing better than a burger cooked outside. And of course we'll need something sticky, ooey, gooey for desert. My suggestion? Well, heck, I come from the USA so it has to be s'mores...graham crackers with marshmallows and chocolate! Can't wait. I can do the cooking if you'd like. And the clean-up too. I just never mind. Of course we might all be exhausted so I'm hoping we can all pitch in and do just a little bit. And afterwards? Well, my vote is to sit back and gaze at the stars. This is one of my favorite things to do! We live in an urban area with lots and lots of street lights, so we live with loads of light pollution. But if those lights weren't there...then the nighttime sky would be absolutely striking! And as far as practical jokers, well I love a good joke! So bring it on! |
| Brrrr, it is a refreshing 39 degrees in Yellowstone this morning. Thank you for stoking the fire and getting coffee ready this morning, What a gorgeous full moon we had on our first night there. Everyday, there will be 2 parts so you know, one actually about camping and the other is an activity plus I will be seeking volunteers for chores just add in your blog your contribution for the day. 2. Should you drink the water as is from the stream? Clean your supplies in the lake or stream? Why or Why not? Are there risks? We are going hiking on Mount Washburn trail today. Does anyone know what it is noted for by some chance? What are you hoping to see? Who did you buddy up with today, remember the buddy system we never wander off or go anywhere alone. And what are we eating today???? Don't forget to interact with your fellow campers! 39 degrees out? For some, this would just be painful. But not me. Nope, it's been 105 degrees here in Northern California with no rain in sight. So yes! A little cool weather would do me good! But now that you mention it, drinking a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning really is one of my favorite things to do. I don't normally drink coffee - only on the weekends with Spouse. But on a cold morning? I don't think there's anything better than the aroma and taste of a hot cuppa joe. So now that I'm in Yellowstone drinking said coffee I'm looking at the stream and although it's enticing I know full well that to drink from that stream would be deadly. One of my friends did that one time, and she spent two months trying to rid her body of Giardia. That wasn't pretty! So no siree...no stream water for me. And even if it was boiled I'm not sure I'd drink it. Luckily for me, I've brought plenty of water and this is only a short trip!  And by the way, I also brought plenty of my famous chili! Yep, made a big batch to share with everyone. That's one of my favorite camping meals. A big bowl of home made chili with frito corn chips and lots of cheese. Of course, we have to eat this today as the cheese will melt...  Buddies? We need a buddy? Gosh, I didn't know. But you're right. Every good girl scout and camper needs a buddy. Silly me. I was just so excited I didn't even think of this! Anyone want to buddy up? I promise I'm a good girl scout and easy to get along with...  And with that, let's head down the Washburn Trail together. We're in for a real treat. I'm anxious to see the wildflowers and I also hear there's a great view of Old Faithful! So let's head out... |
| Safety First! Yellowstone is a gorgeous park and like all the other beautiful wonders on this fascinating planet, it draws hordes of people from around the world to experience and enjoy its majesty and beauty. We come, we marvel, we stand like tiny little creatures among this giant wonderland. We seek to enjoy and experience everything God has created in this space! We get excited, we get brave, we forget that this too is wilderness. And so we let down our guard and...well, not everything turns out like we planned... Case in point. Most campers know how important it is to keep your human food tucked away and far from where you sleep. My family included. We always worked hard to ensure the little space we claimed for ourselves for a short time was clean and safe. Once we had the "perfect" setup we were free to explore and play and just relax. We crammed a lot into our time among the giants. And quite honestly, it was my parents who did the setting up and the safety checks. They put a lot more effort into our campground than us kids. We'd do the bare minimum, anxious to go explore, while they took care of everything else. And mind you, that everything else was about ninety percent of what had to be done! And one such trip was no exception. It started out the same. All of us kids throwing things here and there and doing our best to get out of the whole set up. We didn't care. We just wanted to explore! And like normal, we ducked out while my parents did the rest. We were pretty comfortable everything would be done when we returned. I guess that particular trip really wiped out my Dad. He must have been extra tired. And my Mom too. Because when we returned we found something a little odd...the two of them must have taken the opportunity to rest and take a nap in the woods. My Mom retreated to one tent, and my Dad laid himself out on the seat of the picnic table. And spread out on the table were all the goodies we'd planned to snack on while we waited for dinner to cook. And there he was. My Dad was just snoring away, both arms folded across his belly. Up and down. Up and down. One snore after another. And...something else. Racoons! A family of racoons had plundered all the food on the table. And one racoon was using my Dad's belly as a dinner table! The little guy had spread out his feast atop my Dad's belly and was daintily eating away as he went up and down with each of my Dad's snores! It was truly a sight! We tried not to fall down laughing, honestly we did, but we just couldn't help ourselves. We rolled on the ground in fits of laughter. And that startled everyone. My Mom, my Dad, the racoons and all! The whole place was chaos with my parents trying to figure out what was happening, and the racoons scattering away. Yep, it was quite funny at first. But in the end? Not so funny after all. Dad's ego was bruised. Mom's too. The racoons got away with food they shouldn't have. And we had no snacks. No nothing. Not even a chip. So after that, we made sure all the food was safe and sound before we ducked out to explore. Cheddah ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
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