One Night In April

Saturday, May 5, 2012

April was a busy month for us, and we almost didn’t make it out with the Bambi. Todd was traveling a lot, Scott had his high school prom , got his drivers’s license and took his IB exams, and the one sunny weekend we had was dedicated to stripping and staining decks, spreading bark dust and random chores around the yard. Not exactly fun, but definitely necessary! Although it does rain a lot here (way too much!) spring blooms in Oregon put on quite a show!

“Campfire” on our deck

Spring color between the rain storms.

Bambi covered in pollen

It was also a soggy couple of months around here. In fact, March ended up setting the state record for rainfall…and April wasn’t much better. We were lucky that we got to spend a nice week with my folks in Rapid City, SD, where the weather was beautiful…a welcome break! We didn’t bring the Bambi because we were only there for a week, but someday we’d love to camp back there! The Black Hills scenery is spectacular! While there, we hiked up to Harney Peak – the highest point in South Dakota. We tried last spring break, but the trails were still covered in snow and ice. The weather was warm and beautiful this year!

Mt. Rushmore…Best Buffalo Chili around!

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Climbing the trail to Harney’s Peak

South Dakota’s Beautiful Black Hills

He made it!

Fire watch tower at Harney’s Peak

Dinner with my mom and dad at the Firehouse…a favorite!

At this point we were feeling pretty disappointed that it didn’t look like we were going to have an April camping trip. We saw an opportunity with nice weather the day before Easter and decided to head up to Silver Creek for just one night. What a shocker for us. What had been a quiet, peaceful campground all winter, was now totally filled with people. As a matter of fact we got one of the ver last sites. We’ve now come to the conclusion that we almost like winter camping more than seasonal camping. State campgrounds during peak season aren’t for us! Most of the forest service campgrounds open around here late May and early June…we’ll gladly give up electricity for quiet seclusion!

Silver Falls

Silverton, Oregon

Easter Morning

All things are pointing to a nicer forecast in May and family obligations have slowed a bit. School will be ending in six weeks for me, and I’m looking forward to a nice long summer filled with many Airstream adventures!

I’ll end this rambling blog post with a few last photos. I’m including one of my son at prom…my he cleans up nicely (proud mom here :)….and a few my husband snapped with his iPhone on a whirlwind business trip through Ireland, England, Germany and Norway….(Airstream photos taken at the Munich Airport.)