Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The World Beyond the Mountains

A mere 3 hour drive takes you to a completely different world. You go from a cool lush green place to
an arid and dry desert like world.

I love it! Going to eastern Washington makes me feel like I'm far from home, on a southwest vacation. I have to confess that the first time we went camping over there, I could not understand what the draw was. Why would one want to leave the beautiful coast to sweat in the desert? That was during our first year in the Pacific NW, now after several seasons, we learned to appreciate the different beauty on the "other side" (of the mts) and we really enjoy the dry heat that warms up our bones. This year we did not act fast enough and could not get a spot at our usual park, but there was still spots left at another state park. We did not know what to expect and had low expectations since we felt it was a "left over" camping spot. Nothing like being pleasantly surprised.

It was a beautiful spot!

The lake was great for water play
and for some R&R

The best part, regardless of the spot, is the company, of course. Great friends and great food, what else could you ask for?

To counteract all the resting and eating, we also hiked up to the ridge overlooking Alta Lake.

This cross looked like a little stick form our campsite. It was a good destination for most of us. While we headed back to jump into the lake; Nolan, Zach and Dan kept on going to a higher peak.
On our last night, Shawn decided to put his Christmas gift to the test and sleep in his hammock.

I was sure he was going to come in at some point during the night, but he slept very well under the stars. Ethan could not resist and had to join him in the morning. Pretty cozy!

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