Summer Camping - Part 1

After returning from San Diego, we were anxious to do some Idaho camping. My cousin invited us to join them for the weekend at Pine Flats campground, which is about 1.5 hrs from Boise and right on the S. Fork of the Payette river.

Our pull through site turned into be a big parking lot shared by four other campsites. No big deal as the site itself was large and all neighboring campers where friendly.

It was great to spend time with family and just relax. Even though we live close, life gets busy with jobs, kids, etc.

One of the highlights of this camping spot was a collection of natural hot springs located right on the river and only about .25 miles from camp.

Erica turns 10!

How did that happen? It seems like our little girl just celebrated her 5th birthday and now somehow she is in double figures.

Erica actually got to celebrate her birthday a couple times this year, once in San Diego with her Nana and Papa over the July 4th weekend and then again on the actual day in our association pool.

No better way to celebrate turning 10 than a pool party with all of your friends.

A birthday isn't complete without a beautiful custom birthday cake from Mom.

Play Ball!

In March, our family activities suddenly switched from skiing to baseball. Bryce began his 6th and possibly last little league season while Erica started her first. With both kids playing on the same nights of the week it quickly became a logistical nightmare for Shelly and I. On top of that both teams needed my help umpiring. Needless to say, it has been a BUSY but fun couple months.

Our "home" team!

Bryce from left field.

Erica on the mound.

Erica pitching with Dad behind the plate.

A visit from Seattle.

Another Spring highlight was a "surprise" visit from Shelly's Dad and Step Mom. They decided to take a trip from Seattle to Zion and the Grand Canyon. While the one day visit was not long enough, it was nice to catch up with them and show them some of our recent home projects.

Winter Wonderland

We decided to celebrate the long President's Day weekend by leaving the snowless Boise valley and driving an hour and a half north to Donnelly, ID. Our neighbors graciously offered to let us enjoy their cabin and what we found was a winter wonderland.

The snow was piled up 8ft high around the cabin and a good 4ft everywhere else. The mirrors of our truck scaped the top of the snow banks on each side of the driveway.


Albert and the kids spent most of the daylight hours outside playing in the snow, while Shelly and I enjoyed the warmth and quiet inside the cabin. We did venture outside to build a sled run and throw a few snowballs.

Bryce and Erica in their snowcave!

Wild Elk (kinda)

The day after arriving at the cabin in Donnelly, we decided to go for a horse drawn sleigh ride. The company we found took us on a short sleigh ride that ended in a clearing that is a wintering home to over 120 wild elk.

The elk cautiously approched the stopped sleigh and began to feed on the bales of hay that we were sitting on. We had been instructed to be very still and quiet and reminded that these were wild animals. Hard to believe that you can barely get within a 100 yards of these animals during hunting season before they bolt.

Even a trophy buck!

Talk about up close and personal. This female adult elk, (cow), choose Erica's seat as her choice for a late lunch.

While another younger cow dined inches away from Shelly and Bryce. Both evidentally had to move as the elk continued to nudge them over to get at the warmer hay.

Hot Tubbing

Before leaving the Donnelly area and heading back to Boise, we decided to visit one of our favorite natural hot springs. While Gold Fork is a little more commerical than others, the water is very clean and just the right temperature.

With a variety of pools to choose from you can always find a perfect spot!

The kids liked the sandy bottom pool.

A great place to relax and just soak it all in!