Seminoe State Park

For a third straight day in a row we were heading out another excursion, which prompted Jake to say:

Every single day??

Apparently Jake forgot that road trippin is what we do. Who can blame him really, after taking a year off to help Dad heal from his accident on the mountain we became quite sedentary. Luckily those days are behind us.

We took a drive out to Seminoe State Park, in Sinclair, Wy. Passing by Sinclair with it’s GI-NOR-MOUS oil refinery would normally make one want to keep on going, but because there was a State Park out there somewhere behind it, we had to check it out. Along the way we were stopped by cows in the road, and antelope, deer and Elk in the prairies.

Jewel had the best viewing seat in the truck!

We drove straight to the reservoir which created this man made lake and had a tailgate picnic.

We meandered on the drive back and had to take dirt roads to actually get down to the lake, and then once we were down there Jewel was a little upset with us that we didn’t bring her bathing suit. At what point when we say we’re going to a lake will the kids think to bring their own swimsuits? At this point I’m thinking…never.

As amazing as the landscapes were, and as many pictures as I took, it was really hard to get a good picture of the lake. I stitched a few photos together in order to get this panoramic.

Jewel decided to take over the photo processing and came out with some colorful pictures of her own.

                

                

She showed me!

Lake McConaughy – We L.o.v.e. You

When deciding to leave Texas the only place we really wanted to go was the beach. We couldn’t really get to a coast so when we remembered about Lake McCanaughy up in Nebraska, we couldn’t escape the heat fast enough! We’d been to Lake McCanaughy in July of 2007 and loved it so much we went again in June of 2008. We took a two lane highway almost the entire route and until I recognized a spot that I had once gotten pulled over for speeding, I thought we had found a new road for us. Then I had another déjà vu when we were playing in a park in Scott City, KS……It took me a while, but I recognized it as a park we had played in before! There are pictures from this park in a video I made years ago after the Unschooling Conference in New Mexico. There’s a picture of Jewel in the video hanging upside down right at a part where the singer says “You’re still free”. This picture of Jake also reminds me that they’re still free.

We ate at the Pizza Hut across the street, which is no easy task for vegetarian Jonas who doesn’t even want to step foot in a restaurant anymore, and doesn’t like Pizza. He gave in, had cheesy breadsticks and we all enjoyed the break from almost non stop driving. By the next morning we were terrorizing the beach!

Jewel wore her wetsuit so she would be warm in the water and Jonas wore his so he wouldn’t get a tan.

On windy days they’d try out boogie boarding, again Jonas is covered so he does.not.get.a.tan.

Other days they’d try their sand surfing skillz.

Then back to boogie boarding, mixed in with some sand castle building.

And no matter where we are, there’s always toad catching.

One day we went to the Kingsley Dam Hydro Plant, where we learned more about the history of the lake………

And what a big mouth Jacob has!

This first week here at the lake was like paradise. We were completely alone, and reconnecting as a family again. No outside interferences, be them good or bad, just back to us. No cares in the world for the time being. We did a lot of relaxing, both in and out of the water.

Some of it included cocktails.

Then that kid and their freedom thing pops up again………..

Rifle Falls State park

Some days we tire of the lake and need to venture out, so one day we decided to go check out Rifle Falls State Park. We've been there before in the springtime, and again during the icy winter.


The kids and I even took our new friends, Joe, Lara and kids, there when they visited us this past spring.


Every time is special, and fun in it's own way, but I gotta say....I think we finally topped it this time! Summer in Rifle Falls just can't be beat!(except if we'd had friends with us)

The road leading up to the falls.


Past Rifle Gap State Park.

This photo was created by "stitching" three photos together. It's way too big to get in one shot, and I was pretty happy with how this turned out.

When we were here with the Miller's the kids spent a good part of the day sledding down this hill. On their butts.

Now seeing it, it's hard to believe that was ever possible.

That's me trying to get as close to the falls as I could.

That's me getting drenched.

Doesn't this cave entrance look like a big dinosaur foot print?


View from above the falls.

I love this view, and how lush and bright green everything is.

By the time we walked all the way around and came back to the waterfalls, everyone else was gone and we had the place all to ourselves.

They quickly learned that just because it's hot outside, doesn't mean that water isn't icy cold.

"Guys.Guys. Wait for me!"


Is the water cold, Jake?


Jonas was the first to get fully in. He'd enter at the falls and then swim with the current down to where we were along the bank.

But Jonas always has a trick up his sleeve. Hands up!


Eventually they all braved the icy waters, and were cool for days.


All these pics were taken with my new Sony DSLR Alpha A200, while I'm still trying to learn how to use it. It's definitely not as simple as my Sony point and shoot, and I wish I would have remembered how to capture waterfalls. I'm having the hardest time with shutter speed and aperture and what's best for what situation. I read it, understand it, then completely forget it. But this day I actually forgot how to even change the settings! Those were a couple weeks ago, and I think I could do better next time.....now we just need some friends to visit so I have an excuse to practice. Yes, I'm talking to you.

Basalt on Dwellable

Our Beach in the Midwest

When we can't get to the coast, we can at least get to the beach. The beaches of Lake McConaughy, that is.

We stumbled upon this oasis last summer and have been itching to get back ever since.

The water was pretty cold the first day, so the next day we dug out the wetsuits.

And actually enjoyed putting them on! At least Jonas did.

Joey built sand stairs in an attempt to make it easier to get up and down, and Jewel kept up with the constant maintenance.


Joey also carved out a tiki man, but once he added arms and legs it looked more like Spongebob on steroids.


By the time we broke out the boogie boards the waves were gone, which left the boys waiting for the wake of a speed boat or jet ski. It was tricky getting the timing down right, but they were having fun figuring it out.



Joey captured this cool shot of Jacob with the noodle.

We're not sure which one was bigger.

It wouldn't be a Nebraska lake post for me without the obligatory toad shot.


Meet Toad, and Toad, Jr.


It amazes me how my kids expressions always seem to mimic those of their toad buddies.

I don't know, maybe it's just me.

We finished both nights around the campfire, with wood that I gathered....... by driving to another RV spot and taking the logs they left behind. Joey used to cringe when I did that, but if he really didn't want me to take it he wouldn't even tell me it was there. The last time I "gathered" he even helped! Let's keep that between us, though.


Get out of my way!

A storm was rolling in, and knowing it'll most likely pass within half an hour, we had to protect our fire.

It worked and we were able to finish off another bag of chocolate marshmallows.

A Whole Lot of Nothing

I've learned something about myself....I learned that the amount I blog is directly related to how happy I am with my latest photos. It's not enough to just tell you about our trip to Lake Powell last week, or about what an amazing place Goblin Valley State Park is. If I don't have a good enough picture to post, I don't even want to talk about it.

***********************************************************

I didn't get a picture of Jonas' ear split open after his earring tore it into fish lips, so I won't even bother to write about how one of my biggest fears for the kids in getting earrings, actually came true, and everyone was totally freaked out...except the person who lost his favorite Pirates of the Caribbean earring....and didn't even feel it rip his ear open.

A picture couldn't even convey the feelings I have for my boy that saw me sitting outside, relaxing in the outdoor recliner....shivering, when his little hand reached out the bus window to hand me a warm sweatshirt.

***********************************************************

My kids don't text or IM anyone, yet when they're playing video games they keep screaming out "OMG".

Jonas is still a vegetarian and has been for almost nine full months. He had his little sister converted for a bit, but she couldn't give up hamburgers. Now she's part vegetarian and part meat eater, according to her.

***********************************************************

One of my photos has been requested for use in a book....by a graphic design firm that worked for Al Gore on An Inconvenient Truth, and now I need to figure out what accreditation I want. Why am I having a hard time with this?

***********************************************************

As much as I try, I can't not include at least one photo.

Unlike the hoodoo's in other national parks, Goblin Valley allows visitors to explore every inch of theirs. Talk about the greatest playground on Earth!


Dream it, and it will come.