Camping with Grandma and Grandpa – Part One

Story told by: Henry

We got to go camping with Grandma and Bakka (as I like to call Grandpa) last week. They drove the motor home out from Illinois, and we met them at Crooked River Ranch in Oregon.

Since I just couldn’t seem to control myself from touching/hitting/poking Lainey on our seven-hour drive, Daddy devised a divider to go between us. I didn’t enjoy it too much, but Mommy and Daddy really enjoyed the peace and quiet.

After driving for a couple of hours, we stopped at the Country Mercantile for a yummy treat!

Mommy let us pick out five pieces of candy. It was hard to decide!

Time to eat our treats!

Later we stopped for lunch, and Daddy taught me the important skill of eating the last crusty part off of a corn dog stick.

After a relatively peaceful drive, we arrived before Grandma and Grandpa, so we got to work on helping Daddy put up the tent.

I got bored with putting up the tent after about 17 seconds, so naturally I then found the only puddle within miles and got right to work.

Perfect. Now it feels like camping has really begun!

We had dinner at a restaurant on the ranch. We were thrilled to welcome Grandma and Bakka, and then it was time for bed! Brody went to sleep first, and we quickly followed.

The next day, we utilized the campground’s sprinklers to cool off.

After we went to bed that night, the adults got in a good game of Euchre. (Mommy and Daddy were a Euchre team all week long, and Grandma and Bakka beat them every. single. time.)

Since Brody and I didn’t want to waste a minute of daylight, we took turns waking everyone up between 4:30 and 5:00 each morning. (Notice my yawn. I was committed enough to our waking-everyone-up-crazy-early plan that I forced myself out of bed even when exhausted.)

Fortunately Grandma and Bakka left the motor home open, so we could come in, eat cereal, and watch three hours of cartoons until they woke up at 7:30.

The campground had a playground that we used quite a bit.

Daddy and Lainey got in some soccer practice.

While Grandma and Bakka got ready one morning, we walked to the overlook of the river. Beautiful!

I wanted to jump over the edge, but Daddy wouldn’t let me. Not cool.

Brody isn’t walking yet, so Grandma spent some time working on it with him.

And so did Bakka (while I ran laps around them).

We had some very hot, record-breaking weather, so we spent lots of time at the pool.

Lainey learned how to do flips under the water!

Whenever I got a chance, I was in the dirt! I went through at least three sets of clothes per day (thank goodness for Bakka’s washing machine in the motor home).

We took naps in the air-conditioned motor home, but Brody just wasn’t havin’ it. He often slept on Mommy or Daddy, or in the stroller parked in the shade. (Daddy often decided to join him.)

Grandma picked out some awesome kites for us! It was my first kite-flying experience, and I did pretty well.

Lainey had a little situation with her kite, but Daddy was able to get it out of the tree.

After dinner one evening, we had a fun game of Bocce Ball.

Lainey played with the adults, while I covered myself in gravel at the playground.

Mommy and Bakka were partners, and they had a come-from-behind victory to win it all! Yay!

One day we went on a hike to see Steelhead Falls. We were told it was an easy hike, but after doing the hike, Mommy and Daddy wouldn’t consider steep hills, narrows paths, and perilous footing an easy hike with kids.

When the path was wide enough, I walked with Grandpa for a bit.

Then I spent some time on my own (as it should be).

But for 75% of the trail, I had to hold Mommy’s hand because they didn’t want me tumbling down the embankment into the river. (I insisted it would be fun, but they didn’t listen). So, I did my best to become a limp, 35-pound screaming terror who Mommy had to drag along the tricky, steep hike. Hopefully Mommy learned her lesson.