Friday, August 19, 2011

Camping in Mammoth

We went tent camping in Mammoth, CA for a week this August. We went with a group of about 170 people from our church. The first 2 days it rained but we had 2 friends with RVs on our campsite so we just hung out with them. Thankfully our tent stayed dry and we didn't have any more rain after that. Honestly, I love camping. My family camped when I was young and I always had a blast. And living in Los Angeles, I sometimes feel starved for nature. So, this was an awesome vacation for me! Below you can see our old blue tent from when Ken and I camped before kids and now our new tent which still seemed small when we were all in it. Oh, and it was sooooo cold at night. We all wore 3 layers, used toe and hand warmers, and it was still so cold. There was still snow on the ground in some areas of Mammoth! The elevation was about 8,000 feet.
The kids had fun experimenting with different mixtures of food, wrapping them in foil and then cooking them in the campfire. One of the guys in our same campsite had this Razor. He took Ken and 2 other guys off-roading with it one morning. A very dirty, happy Ken came back.We hiked to an area called The Devil's Postpile and then on to Rainbow Falls, a total of about 5 miles of hiking! We were so thankful that one of our friends let Lila ride in his double stroller for most of the hike. We all slept well that night!The Devil's Postpile!
This is the group of people from our church who came on this trip. Some stayed in condos, some in hotels or RVs, and a few in tents, like us.
Brad at Rainbow Falls. This was a very difficult 5 mile hike during which Brad declared that he wanted new parents. But he looks proud enough in this picture.
We had to visit the Ben and Jerry's in Mammoth. We enjoyed our ice cream with the Sanborn family.
The sandbox in a cool shopping area called The Village.
Camping is a perfect time to break out the paints! We're already very dirty so why not?
The kids enjoyed driving the pontoon boat around the lake in circles.

The amazing view from a pontoon boat on Lake Mary. Ken did throw in a fishing line, but no luck. Lila threw in one of her dollhouse babies which we will forever be telling her is gone on the bottom of the lake. All in all, this was an awesome vacation with great friends in a beautiful setting.

4 comments:

Mom & Bill said...

Certainly does look like loads of fun! Love all the great pics and the story about your time there! Soo happy you guys were able to go, and I am especially happy for you, Lori, to be able to enjoy nature and camping again!! (I have good memories of our camping trips, too.)

Pepere and Memere said...

Lori - I've camped on the beach, in the desert and in the mountains in Calfiornia too! Can't tell you which is more beautiful, but so glad you and the kids are exploring and making your own great memories! (I guess Brad decided to go home with you after all??!!) Thanks for sharing with us! Each experience is an awesome example of what God has placed all around us to enjoy!

Cup of Joe with three sugars said...

Wow, it looks like you guys had an awesome time! Lori, your writing cracks me up. Well done. Ken looks quite dirty and happy after his four wheeling adventure. Brad needing new parents says it all about what a hike it was! I totally get Lila needing to process the whole idea that you cant get her dollbabies back. Julia once lost her toy puppy out the window on the way to the Cape, and we even turned around and hunted for it...to no avail. Anyway, she must have asked a million and one times about where her puppy went. She still talks about it when we drive to the Cape... not too reassuring right now, is it? lol Glad you all had so much fun and kept semi-warm. Maybe rv or condo next year? brrrr!

Cup of Joe with three sugars said...

car window, that is.