Agency on Labor Day

We went camping the 3rd and final time this summer on the last day of summer--Labor Day.

We went to Agency Creek, which is about a half hour's drive from our home. The last time we were there was 9 years ago when we went for a picnic to that campground. It had been too long! Thankfully, there were only 2 other groups in the campground with us, and they were very quiet, so it felt like we had the place to ourselves.

When we finally got the camp trailer parked (after Josh and I had some miscommunication and argued about the exact location of the trailer), the boys began playing around the campsite. The creek was right next to our spot, and they played in the water, and climbed the hunting pole that was situated next to the creek (where hunters hang their animals to dry). Micah and Ammon reached all the way to the top!

I made hamburger stew for dinner with carrots, onions, and potatoes from our garden. It was delicious!

After supper, the boys rode their bikes around and played in the dirt until the sun went down.

Amanda and her two kids came up and joined us at the campground around that time. Brady and Raegan played with the boys until the last rays of the sun were gone. Then we made a campfire and sat around it. I had forgotten to bring any campfire treats (marshmallows or starbursts), but I knew I had a microwave popcorn packet in the trailer. I decided to experiement with it and see if it the popcorn inside the bag would still pop over the heat of the fire. I set the popcorn packet in a cast-iron pan and set it on the grill over the fire, and after several minutes the popcorn actually DID start to pop! I was SO excited!! I got my camera and started taking pictures, but on this last photo, the fire got too close to the bag and the bag itself caught on fire! You can sort of see the top right part of the bag is smoking... 

Unfortunately, the whole bag of popcorn ended up in the fire pit. I was so sad! But, Josh's parents and brother surprised us as we were gathered around the campfire, and they saved the day and brought some root beer floats! They were so yummy! It was nice to sit around the fire with everyone and chat. At bedtime, Edward and Kathy and Malachi left. And Amanda and her kids decided to stay the night with us. The boys were so excited to have a friend sleepover at camping!!!

It was a little bit of a rough night, and the kids woke up early the next morning. We ate breakfast around the campfire, and the kids played and played. Then we packed up lunch, got into the truck (all the boys got in the back), and we headed out for a drive on the Lemhi Pass dirt road that heads over into Montana.  

At the summit of Lemhi Pass, we stopped at a Sacajawea Memorial area. We walked around, read the signs, and ate our lunch. 

We weren't the only ones who were hungry...

There was some chopped wood left there from forest service crews cleaning out dead trees, and Jonah said "Mom! Look! It's my new pair of pants!". Funny boy...

After our stop for lunch, we headed down another long dirt road that lead us (eventually) to the Sharkey Hot Springs. We stopped again for a lovely soak. It's the first time in YEARS that we've gone there as a family during the daytime. Usually, Josh and I go after dark to soak. It was a nice break from driving and the kids enjoyed it!

After that, we drove back to the campground, packed up our trailer, and headed home. It was a short camping trip, but I'm glad that we went.

We usually go camping at least 6 times a year, and I'm disappointed that we only made it 3 times this summer. But, I'm also relieved that we're not going again until next year. I used to love camping and found it so relaxing, but camping this summer was anything BUT relaxing! The first time ended short so we could take Ammon to the hospital. The second time the kids were "bored" the whole time and they wouldn't stop whining and arguing. And this last time, I was so tired and didn't get enough sleep and I was just ornery!