First Camping Trip (for Justin)

Justin, enjoying nature

Ok, first of all, when we were checking out the camp sites and we were narrowing in on the one we liked I noticed some horses across the stream and didn't see any fence. "Dave," I said, "what if those horses come over?" He didn't even glance at them and dismissed my concern with "Oh, I'm sure they won't."

Well, we parked, got out of the car, set Justin on the ground and clip clop, clippety clop, here come the horses. Right into our camp site. Right up to me and Justin (whom I picked up immediately so he wouldn't get squashed). I had flip flops on my feet and those hooves looked very big and heavy, so I kept backing up. And the horses kept coming. It's like I was wearing a secret scent that attracts horses. I'm not normally afraid of horses but I found myself leaping up onto the picnic table to get away from them! They seemed to know they had me cornered.

"Dave! I thought you said they wouldn't bother us. How do we get rid of the horses?!" He's over trying to grab Koty (our dog) so he doesn't get kicked. "Um, I don't know! Shoo, shoo!" He tells the horses. They continue to explore our camp site, eating grass, and making sure I stayed up on the table. (I know what you're thinking, "They're just horses! Nothing to be afraid of." Well, I didn't think I was afraid of horses but then I've never been around horses without their owners and no fence between us, and practically bare feet...have you? I thought not. Stop laughing!)

At one point I hopped into the car and shut the door with Justin (feeling much safer with a solid car between us). The horses were at that point sniffing around the back of our truck, which was open because Dave had started unloading. This was the only shot I could get of them (short of risking life and limb and actually climbing back outside the car).

Freaky scary horses (seriously!)

"Go home!" Dave tries again. "Dave, they're not stray dogs!" Finally Dave takes Koty and runs down the road to the field the horses were in went we arrived. The horses followed, amazingly! Dave and Koty came running back a minute later. Without the horses. "Where'd they go?" I said. "I don't know, we ditched them!" Dave said, continuing to look over his shoulder. But the horses were gone. I mean really gone. We saw (literally) neither hide nor hair of them, nor did we hear them or see any trace that they had ever existed. Weird, huh?

Thankfully, that was our biggest excitement of the trip. It settled down to routine camping after that. Phew! We only camped one night, but it was enough for Justin. Or, rather, it was enough for me and Dave! The camping went great but the night...well, it's best forgotten.

Enjoying our nature walk

Justin reading by the fire

(he's not as close as he looks)

The next morning (notice the bed head?!)

Dave and Justin ready for our 5 mile hike

Dave, Betsy, Justin, and Koty at Duck Lake

Have you ever seen a more perfect pine cone?

An old building near Duck Lake

(settler's cabin? cowboy shack? summer retreat?)

There was the following "notice" posted on the building

but no explanation of what the building was