Friday, July 30, 2010

Some Welcome Guests

We welcomed a visit from Cami and her friend, Boone, on July 4th and 5th. We wanted to do something extraordinary but time was limited. On Sunday, we settled for a walk to the nearby pond.



In the evening, we joined some neighbors in setting off some fireworks to celebrate Independence Day. Monday we went kayaking on the Snake River near Hagerman. Our goal was to paddle across the river to Ritter Island and then around the island to paddle below the cascading springs on the other side. Unfortunately, we were late getting away from home. By the time we got on the river, the wind was blowing like a banshee making it extremely difficult to get around the island. Jim ended up towing us. We didn't complain!

Once we were around the tip of the island, we started paddling with the wind behind us. However, we still had to paddle against the current. To ease our aching arms, we tried using paddles as sails.

We had a great time exploring and taking pictures. We experimented with taking underwater pictures with our waterproof camera. The water was crystal clear and teaming with life.



We stopped at the park to eat a snack and rest our weary muscles before continuing on. With the wind behind us and a change in the current, the paddling got much easier.

We could actually relax and enjoy the views!


In 1920, Minnie Miller set up a state-of-the-art dairy (on what is now Ritter Island) to breed the finest herd of Guernsey cattle in the world. Apparently her dream came true. Here's Ritter Island and Minnie's farm.

We made it back to the camper with just enough time for a quick dinner before parting. Cami and Boone headed back to school. Jim and I made our way home in the opposite direction.

Thanks for coming to visit Cami and Boone! We loved having you join us in our crazy adventure.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Camel's Back Park

A hike with the stake young women and Girl's Camp leaders in May at Camel's Back Park instilled in me a desire to return and explore those rolling hills some more. Due to all the rain we had had, they were so incredibly beautiful! That opportunity didn't come until July 2. I was finally able to return, with Jim, and explore--on bicycles. Unfortunately, we had left the camera at home which really didn't matter because I was so busy trying to keep my bicycle on the narrow trail and myself from falling off of the bicycle that I didn't really notice the scenery. I'll be the first to admit that I am not very adept at riding bicycles up and down steep narrow trails. To make matters more interesting, a wind was blowing in a storm that was threatening to pour rain down upon us at any minute. Thankfully it didn't rain until we were loading up the bicycles. However, feeling a little bit cheated, I suggested to Jim that we return the next evening to explore on foot--and take pictures. He thought it was a great idea (I'm so lucky to have such a supportive husband) and we did just that. In fact, we each took our own camera and had a fabulous time. The conditions were perfect for taking pictures. Here's Jim's photos:



There were wildflowers everywhere!



The views were spectacular.
The light was just right for taking some interesting photos.




Some plants seemed to glow.







Here are my photos:


I guess Jim used my camera to take a picture of me.







It turned out to be one of my favorite dates of the summer. Thanks so much, Jim!