Family Outing to Mt. Hood, Part IV

I think I finally have this about where I want it.  And yes, it is all about the pictures.

On the way up the mountain, I stopped at this at this beautiful little lake. Heidi has camped here before but it was very crowded this weekend. Before turning off on the road to our campground I passed this beautiful meadow. I arrived well ahead of everyone and spent a great deal of time looking through several camps for a site large enough to fit Heidi, Rick, Abi, Connor, Em, Holly, Hed, Me, Steph, Jake, Jaxon, and Sage. When Heidi and Steph arrived we finally found one and settled in. Lake Timothy is a beautiful lake further down the Southern flank of Mt. Hood than the lake above. It is a perfect lake for kids to play in. The weather was perfect and the kids got in the water before dinner.   Some friends came along and let the kids pet them. The owner assured us they wouldn't hurt anyone. You be the judge. Sure, the one in the foreground looks friendly enough, but look at the dog next to Em. He is looking at Holly like she would be a perfect meal. "Yes I'm going swimming. Do you want to try and stop me?"  "I'm sure I saw some cute boys down the road a little ways, let me get this helmet on and we'll ride down and check em' out. "Hi grandpa. What are we doing?" Oh, nothing, just checking out the bike. What we are not doing is getting ready to go and check out the boys down the road." "Look Sage, he has his camera. Just give him a big smile and he will go away and we can take off." Finally, time for dinner. Nothing like cold tortillas to get the stomach rolling. At this point I am heading down the mountain to McDonalds. No, Jake doesn't look like that because he is on drugs. At least, I don't think so. The girls of camp, or least most of them.  Sage and Holly took off down the road on the bike for some reason. After dinner, a belated birthday celebration. This just may be the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted. Simply perfect, and Step's best creation to date. After dinner, a trip back to the lake. I love this shot of Abbie pointing out over the water to the mountain. Back to camp for the ceremonial roasting of the marshmallows. Look at Connor's right arm. In a few short hour he would fall into the fire and his right hand and right arm, up to the elbow, will look like cooked meat. Breakfast. It all tastes soooo good in the out-of-doors.  Sage is asking Holly if she wants to go back down and see the boys again. Time to hit the lake for a little boating.     Here is Heather going out with the kids.  And here is Heather coming back with one of the kids. We sat and watched them maneuver the boat for quite a while. We could see they were trying to get back to where we were, but the harder they paddled, the further away they got. Finally, Connor and Abbie bailed out and walked back and Em rowed while Heather pulled. Good thing they didn't get into deep water. We then took off on a short hike up to the pacific crest trail. You will notice Steph and family are missing. They took off early to head up to Jake's parent's house in Washington to take care of other family business. Here in Oregon, there isn't much color to look at in the fall. Just a lot of green, and then there is the green, and oh, look at that beautiful green, and oh, my goodness, I don't believe I have ever seen that shade of green before. You get the picture. Soooo, when I saw this color, I couldn't get the camera out fast enough.

It was a great camp out. I loved being with my family in the mountains. The best part of this camp out?  I got to talk with Evans in Zambia, Africa.  He is a huge part of Heather's and Heidi's life.  He was very excited about going to boarding school.  As I understand it, his only chance to attend anything like a high school.  Heather and Heidi have committed to financially help him further his education.  The school costs $1,000 a month.  This is an impossible amount for most Zambians.  These are some of the nicest pictures I have ever taken. My thanks to John, Heidi, Hed, and Mark.