Monday 8/1/2011
Another good night of sleep, and up early. I suppose when you are asleep by 9pm, it becomes difficult to sleep much past 6am…
We found out from the Camp Host that a mountain lion is a frequent visitor to site #15 (ours) at Cascade Campground. He apparently likes to poop right about where Grace and Lydia were sleeping. Dave is sad. He wanted to see a mountain lion. I think Grace and Lydia are not sad. I think they are happy. To be alive.
Since the Queen mandated the plan to stay at the Dunes tonight, we finally had a relaxing morning of sitting around, cooking some bacon, eggs and pancakes (and marshmallows for dessert. seriously.).
Really this is day four and it is seriously the first time we have not had to race into high gear, taking down camp and getting on the road to the next checkpoint. And I gotta say, I liked it!
During our leisure hour, it was decided to stop at the Princeton Hot Spring Pool for a much needed shower and swim — heavy emphasis on the shower part, because you couldn’t do one without the other. No one really cared all that much about the swim, Morgan declaring that she thinks hot springs are, for the most part, “gross.” But if it meant a shower at the end, there would be no complaints from her or anyone else.
As we began to pack up, there was a bit of dissension at the other end of camp between the sibs. Oddly, this seems to motivate my kids to do more and bicker less. Interesting. V E R Y I N – T E R – E S T – I N G . And I’m left to wonder how I can replicate this glitch in their programming at home. Maybe if Dave and I pretended to fight at home they would do more around the house? No, that can’t be right. We fight all the time. We’d wouldn’t need to pretend. Oh, nevermind.
The pool and the shower were divine. Simply devine, declared the Queen. Sadly for you (or not), I have no shots from the shower.
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On to the Dunes.
BUT WAIT! Isn’t this the place that had the green tea ice cream from year’s past? In Poncha Springs?
Yes. yessssss it is.
The Queen demanded a recess and the convoy obeyed. And she claimed the very last scoop of her beloved green tea ice cream. Pad Thai was enjoyed by all. Though the cream cheese puffs, mango malts, and cold beer weren’t bad either…
[non journal addition: I’ve looked on the blog for the part where I wrote about this in 2009 and can’t find it, but it’s the same place that had the sign that said “Pad Thai Ice Cream” that was so funny and intriguing we had to stop in 2004 and again in 2009 and again this year. The sign is the same, but they fixed the syntax]
THEN it was on to the Dunes, the Queen being oh so happily fed.
We arrived about 3:15pm. We had called ahead to make sure there would be enough spots the day before and were told that while they could not guarantee anything, Mondays and Tuesdays were their slowest days, usually not filling up until later evening. Au contraire: There were 15 spots left when we got there and they were full by 4:00. Crazy times, man.
We attribute this insanity to the fact we are vacationing the fair land of Colorado about three weeks earlier than usual. It obviously makes a huge difference. Alas, sites 49 and 51, our favorites, were taken. Lame Loop 1, with the rest of the riff raff was our fate. By chance, we did get spots close to each other though.
We set up and relaxed with many-a-drink. The Queen finally received her desired vodka tonic, a mere 49 hours later. To make up for the delay, Cabana Boy refreshed me with two more. Never a real good idea. Cabana Boy knows better than that… We had a nice view of the dunes and watched various groups on the summit through the binocs. Eventually the kids bored of their electronica (a first!) and our intertia, and headed down to the Dunes by themselves.
Ahhh. Peace. (Until the Jaguar pulled up, that is. More on this later)
They brought back these (and more) shots:
Tacos were on the menu, and after a sufficient amount of leisurating, I got to work.
The tacos did not disappoint.
Nor did the seemingly unending array of fun size candy bars that I dispelled from the food bin for dessert: Kit Kat, Butterfinger, Twix, Baby Ruth, Snickers. I mean really. Isn’t that what camping is all about? Junk food?
Charlie continued to perfect his Giant Puffball marshmallow technique. I just don’t get it. I’ve never seen marshmallows puff up this this before. And it makes us all wonder if there has been a change in the recipe or something.
We didn’t ponder it too long. It was bedtime. I know that because the sun was going down.
