Camping with the Waltons

When we pulled up to the campsite on Tuesday morning excited little cousins came running from all directions and huddled around the vehicle. It was a surprise to almost everyone since they didn’t know our Covid tests came back negative and we had decided to drive through the night to join up with everyone. We shared our news and my dad was the first to come up and give me a hug. So good to be here. Dan and Sarah quickly made breakfast for us and we ate, set up a big tent for the boys, and played some card games.

While playing cards we heard the loudest screech and then and couple hard thumps in the distance… loud enough that it made us silent as we turned to look at each other. Chris and several others ran in the direction of the road. My Dad got in the jeep and headed up, and a lot of us walked up wondering what we would find.

Down the hill from the road we found a truck that had clearly skidded off the road and rolled several times before it crashed into a tree. The driver and passenger were out of the vehicle but clearly wounded and in shock. Chris, Elisha and another ENT who watched it happen helped until ambulance arrived.

Then Chris, Scott, Dan and Mike helped carry the stretchers to the ambulance. It was such a crazy thing to hear and see so close to our campsite.

Hike to Wall Lake

The weather changed on us a bit as we arrived at the trailhead to our hike. The clouds looked a little ominous (Dan’s picture to the right) but we carried on — even through a few scattered drops of rain. Hiking with cousins is always a good idea. It was a fun trail.

People jumping in from all angles. The water was freezing but it didn’t stop them from jumping. Chris and all

The blue sky returned as we left the lake and hiked out. Such a pretty area.

Hiking back from the lake.

Love this photo of my Dad that Mike took.

We ate hot dogs and chili for dinner, then played some games of Camo Rush and the Animal Sound game and then settled around the campfire for s’mores as it got dark. After the kids went to bed we talked about embarrassing moments and dating stories and laughed a lot.

Amazing how warm it could be during the day and then how cold it was at night. Chris and I stayed in Scott and Elisha’s trailer with them and slept great.

Provo River Falls

We hiked down stream a little bit and stayed to play for an hour or two. It’s such a beautiful area to play - especially with the falls as a backdrop. Dan took some videos with his drone, Chris and Ryan played frisbee across the river, the girls found some shade to work on their song and every one else played around in the water and took pictures.

After Provo River Falls and lunch sitting on logs at a nearby Lake, we hiked through fields of wild flowers. Beautiful. Lots of great conversations as we hiked.

After our days adventures we came back to hang out at the campsite. Dad and Mike set up a zip line for the little kids, and a couple of us brought chairs in the shade to relax and talk. The circle got bigger and bigger as people joined. Soon we were playing guessing games of people’s favorite things. The temperature was perfect in the shade. So fun to just sit and relax together. For dinner we gathered our group and headed into Kamas for hamburgers and shakes.

The kids road their bikes, gathered firewood and then practiced their song and dance for our last camp fire night. They were both ADORABLE!! Love these girls and their talents! We also sang some Walton favorites around the campfire — My Grandmother She, 3 Charcoal Buzzards, Chattanooga Choo-Choo, Dark Town Strutters Ball, Little Eyes I Love you, and the infamous song collage — which were so fun to sing. Amy and Chris J led the way remembering the lyrics. It was a fun night.

Most of us before leaving the campsite.