Family Camp Out

So this last weekend for Matthews 30th birthday I planned or rather Matt and I planned a camp out. We left Friday morning around 10 to go to Haigler Creek but the directions we had didn't get us there so we ended up in Valentine Canyon near Canyon creek. We will now for next time to plan a better map and hope to not have any car trouble.

We got up to Payson and stopped for some lunch and noticed our engine was smoking. Matthew checked it out and saw a bunch of what he thought might be oil or something spilling all over the engine. So we stop at a Big O for some help and they send us to a great guy who helped us out. He said it was Transmission Fluid. He said we had almost 3 quarts more then what is needed. We noticed it cause it was getting so hot and had no room to go it was coming out the dip stick.

(side note I had just got my oil change a few weeks ago at a Big O here on Gilbert road and the 60. I would recommend not ever going there again as it was them who over filled it and previously rotated our tires and over tightened the bolts and 3 of 5 broke off the one time we get a flat tire... Lesson learned)

Anyway back to the camping trip. We finally make it to a camp sight after looking for the first planned out sight for a while at like 4 in the afternoon. Yeah I know we left at 10 and arrived at 4. It was only 30 mins outside Payson. Like I said next time we'll be more prepared. Anyway we find this nice little spot by a creek but no bathroom. I wasn't to found of that Idea but the place we saw with the bathroom was on the top of a canyon and it was so windy we definatly would have blown away up there.

Kathryn did great the whole time. It was quite cold but she didn't seem to mind it at all when we got there and even for the night. She liked the fire a lot. I guess she gets that from me as I was the one who got the fire going that evening and again in the morning. Anyway we just set up camp went on a little walk down the creek and ate our freeze dried dinner. It was actually pretty good. Matt is really intersted in getting that type of food for our year supply rather then things like wheat and the like. it ended up being good.

We got in the tent and in bed by like 7:30 as it was really really cold. and then by like 8:00 it had started storming. I mean we had Hail, and the loudest and longest thunder and some really great lightening lighting up our tent for about 2 hours I would say. Kathryn wasn't scared at all. She just snuggled into us and was asleep way before we were. She did keep waking up a few times but was not crying to much and one time I think it was about 4 in the morning she was up and pointing around and blowing kisses to us. After that though she slept till about 8 which is when we got up anyway.

The morning was so COLD. There was Snow like patches of hail all over the ground. Our car was covered in Ice. Kathryn wasn't to happy in the morning. I don't blame her. Matt and I didn't get warmed up till after we got back here and a long bath and some time under the blankets.

It turned out to be a really short camping trip for our first ever family camp out on our own but it was fun and I'd say we will do it again once it gets a little warmer in the mountains. Freezing the whole time was not so fun. It was fun to see Kathryn explore when we first got there but other then that it was just a night of freezing and little sleep. Next time... Next time...


Matthew made a fun video of us setting up our camp site. I'll have him get it ready to put on here soon.