The Climb
We rode to Black Mountain for a shorter day ride. The first part of the trail was very straightforward. There was a parking area and a sign about the fire lookout at the end of the trail.
At this point the trail got pretty technical for ATV riding with youngsters, so we parked them. Someone said, "It's only one mile. That's not a bad hike" I'm sure it wasn't me...
What the sign didn't say was that it was one mile and a climb of approximately 657 feet. (Google Earth)
The old outhouse is before the last very steep assent.
Not something I would want to have to do when the call of nature presented.
At this point my Mommy radar is in full alert. Even now I question my parenting choices at this point. Scale is hard to represent in a photograph, but yes that's very narrow and off to the right is very steep.
See the Mommy death grip?
It's a fire lookout for a very good reason, because you can see for miles and miles in every direction.
Only two children are in the photo because I still had the death grip on the little one.
We stopped to watch the cloud shadows for awhile.
Beneath our feet and through the slats it was a long drop to the boulders below.
The picture at the top of this post? It's taken from the road you can see here.
It's a bit more relaxing on the way back down the trail.
Although Big Brother still means business.
Wow! That was definitely an adventure and quite a notable accomplishment for six little legs (and four old ones). You can see the lookout from just about anywhere in this area, so we would often point it out to the kids. "Not everyone can say they've climbed to the very tip top of that mountain!"
The Lake
After a beautiful 30 mile ride from camp, we stopped to play at Park Reservoir. These photos were taken in August at the height of the summer, and you can still see snow on the mountains in the distance.
We've lost the shoes....
We've lost the clothes!
Yes, the water was really that clear as far out as you could see.
The Falls
Shell Falls is along the road heading to Greybull, WY. There's a lovely visitors center and a nicely paved trail to the high points of the Shell Creek waterfalls. This time it was an easy hike.
Along the drive through Shell Canyon you will see the devastation caused by the Douglas Fir Bark Beetle. For miles the mountain sides are brown and dead, tinderboxes ripe for wildfire.
Some areas have been thinned for this very reason.
The Studio
My very awesomesauce husband has rigged our Raptor up with an inverter. One of many excellent RV mods brought on by the RV.net crowd. What does that mean? It means we can run 110V electronics without having to run the generator. It means on a cold, wet day we can stay inside and play board games and watch movies. Yes, I'm well aware that many folks don't consider this "real" camping. That's fine with me if they're the ones shivering in a cold, wet tent. It also means Mommy can do some sewing!
I don't usually have the screen room down, but these trails are multi-use and the horseback riding crowd that had been here just before we arrived left a few too many flying friends for our comfort.
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| Babylock Imagine serger and Viking 950E sewing machine |
I do have backup machines that are supposed to be the mobile units, but it's hard to leave your babies behind. I'm not sure I remember how to adjust the serger tension on the old Brother anymore, or at least I don't want to remember.
Packing up
No one was ready to leave. No one ever is, but eventually the 80 gallons of water are used, the black tank is full, and school is starting in just three more days. That means it's time to go home.
Line 'em up
Hook 'er up
Shiny navigates us down the mountain.
Did you miss Part 1 of our adventure? Check it out here.
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