Colter Bay

 I suddenly realized that the summer was winding down when 

Sundi told me she was leaving back to college on August 13th.

I try planning a Family Camp Out  each summer with the kids.

So far, the past three years have gone as planned successfully,

however, this year left me.....depressed.

It just didn't come together and kept going down hill.

No one seemed to be in the "game".  None of the kids seemed to know what the plan was,

and that is because I was not clear and that is because I was not set on my suggestions.

It was ok and we made the most of it and we did have a good time even if

there were a series of unfortunate events.

Sundi met at our home after getting off work, we packed up the van and headed north to Driggs.

We stopped at good o'Wal-Mart for ice, swim suit for me and shoes for Blue.

Troy dropped us at the door and then met us inside with Zeus in the cart.

We didn't want him any where near us.

He told the door greeter that Zeus was with him for medical needs, like letting Troy 

know if he is going to have a heart attack.....?

"And she believed you?"

"She didn't dare tell me no" 

 Yes, Jessica is holding a chicken!

She could not find two of her chickens when we were ready to leave the next morning.

Eight miles out of town we knew where the chickens were, after one flew out from under

Seth's truck. They stopped and the other one was roosting on the axel.

"Just stick her in Zeus' kennel, she'll be fine going with us"

After spending a half hour looking for the other one and never finding it, we went on to

Colter Bay Camp Ground in the Teton National Forest

They named the chicken "Axel"

 Axel stayed right in our camp site, only scurrying to a little hide out when she was startled.

When we let her out of the kennel she had a hay day dusting her feathers.

She had it better than Zeus, he was on a leash the whole time.
We joked that we liked our dinner really fresh!
We got a few stares.
The mighty National Forest Police didn't think she was so cute, as far as they were
concerned she was bear bait.

I had no idea we were entering a National Forest "Teton National Forest"
and this is where it starts adding up,
$25/vehicle...chink ching!

Two camp sites, $20.50/site.....chink ching!

After setting up camp we went to Jackson Lake,
with the beautiful Grand Teton in the background to swim.

Sundi gave Jessica a chin hickey

Sundi's shoes she has worn since her sophomore year in high school, don't know why she took a pic

 Jessica had her Water Camel on everywhere we went with ample supply of cool water and

bear repellent.

Seth, Jessica and Wind live right on the other side of those mountains.

 It was cool but refreshing. 

Zeus managed to find the ants and had to be tossed into the lake.

He didn't like that.

Wind wasn't ready to leave with us and showed up later....$25 into park...chink ching!

He met up with us at the lake. He slept with Blue in his tent and Sundi was in the van.

 I was excited to cook my dutch oven "Firecracker Chicken" dinner for everyone.

Every year I have a hard time getting my camp stove to put out a flame, then Seth

pulls his stove out. Now his stove made mine look like a piece of junk. 

Wind tinkered with my stove and figured out how to get more flame, still liked using Seth's better.

 FIRECRACKER CHICKEN

Fry up a package of bacon till crisp, then crumble up.

Remove excess fat and put about 5-6 lbs of cut up chicken into oven with a whole sweet onion

sliced up, 1/4 C water and 1/4 C chili powder. Let simmer till chicken cooked.

Add 1 1/2 C brown sugar and a little water if not saucy enough.

Serve over rice (pre-cooked mine at home)

Everyone really liked it.

You can barely see Troy at the end of the trail telling me to "come on"

I wanted to walk around by the lake after dinner.

Troy ended up leading us on a 4 mi hike along the lake shore.

We had just gotten started and saw a mother moose and her calf.

They were only about 50 ft off the trail and the park ranger just got done telling us they

are more dangerous than a bear! I was freaking out and didn't want to pass.

The kids are looking at me like, "Are you serious?"

And Troy is telling me to not lag behind, "That is how you get hurt"

Sundi gets my camera and starts climbing into the bushes to get closer for a picture!
I yell, "I don't want to be out here in the dark"
We finally made full circle, but Blue wasn't confident in Troy's navigating.
When we got to the beginning of the loop Blue was turned around and refused
to follow his dad and was going to head back around the loop again, thinking that
was the way back.  Sundi finally convinced him when she showed him the stacked rocks
in the lake we saw earlier.

It was hot during the day but that first night was freezing.

"Troy? Are you freezing?"

"Yes"

"Me too"

At 5 a.m. Troy finally couldn't stand it and made a blazing warm fire.

It was 8:30 before the kids got up and had breakfast.

After breakfast we went hiking.

I asked, "Where are we going?"

Troy, "We asked the ranger where we can see animals"

Ranger, "A mother bear and her cubs have been seen on Signal Mt Summit"

Me, "Why would they say that? Aren't momma bears dangerous?"

Jessica, "If I see a bear, I will be sooooo happy!"

Sundi and I fell behind taking pictures of the lilie pond and came to a fork in the trail.

We yelled, "Which way?"

Then we saw the arrow made of twigs, pointing the way.

Then another!

The whole time I am wondering if Jessica was going to see her bear.

We had been hiking, zig zagging upward and then we hear a car horn.

Me, "Why do I hear a horn?"

When we finally reached the top there were all of these people taking pictures of the valley.

They didn't look exhausted or hot.....after hiking 4 miles.

That was because they drove up the road that took them right to the top! Cheaters!

The panoramic view of the Jackson Hole valley was beautiful, we were up 7,720 ft

above sea level.  Go here for a virtual panoramic view

Troy and Wind left, not sure where, but we were hoping for the van.

While we waited, Jessica tore open a nest of caterpillars.

She pulled the bottom of it off with her bare hands, gross,exposing the poop and caterpillars. 

She then pulled a cocoon out, tore it open and pulled the larvae out of it. 

At this time an older women walked by and asked what she was doing.

After telling her she says, "Oh, (like how sad) don't do that"

Jessica, "Ok, I'll put it back"

Jessica stuffs it back in the cocoon and back into the nest.

She acted like Jessica had ruined the whole balance of life in the great and wonderful Teton Forest.

We were so grateful to hear the rumbling of the van coming up the road to pick us up.

Blue had brought a knife and that became one the of the past times at camp.

Seth and Wind were very impressed with Blue's ability to stick the knife into the tree.

We heard a lot of pinging from the blade of the knife ricocheting off the tree trunk

and time spent on their knees combing their hands through the grass as everyone gave it a try.

Blue also brought a little blade he made attached to a wood base wrapped with a leather string,

about the length of a middle finger and the size of a pencil.

The boys didn't believe he had made it, but I know he did because I watched him work

on it for a couple of weeks.

When we returned from the summit, our two stoves and chicken were missing 

with a note on the table held down with a rock from the ranger.

We sent the girls to apologize to the ranger and return with the stoves and chicken.

Troy, "I better not go, I'll get into with them"

An hour later, they returned with the stoves, chicken and two tickets

unattended pet $85.....chink ching!

Seth, "That chickens name is now Silver Spoon"

unattended fire $125......chink ching!

Jessica, "They didn't think the chicken story was funny"

They were very suspicious of the whole story.

When they found out Jessica's DL was expired and Sundi didn't have her's,

they couldn't understand why they were the ones picking up the stoves.

The tickets were issued to Jessica, she wasn't happy about that.

We were all so upset and disgusted with the place we decided to leave a night early.

We decided that National forest camping is not for us,

way too much policing going on for being in the mountains enjoying nature.

I had no idea we were going to a national forest but by the time we got there

Troy didn't think we should waste time turning around and making new plans.

I felt terrible that it had cost everyone so much money, 

the whole point of camping is it's an inexpensive thing to do with family.

Like a said a series of unfortunate events and decisions.

I hope we all can look back and laugh some day.