Elyse and Philip came over after school on Friday afternoon ready to take off for Meramec State Park and one last camping trip before Saffire is winterized and put away until March. The weather was very cold and windy so we decided to wait until Saturday to go out when the weather would be a bit better.
We arrived to a fair number of people in the campground and to the surprise that all the water had been turned off! Without Saffire, it would have been pit toilets and no showers! Now the showers weren't a problem because we were just there for one night, but the pit toilet....that didn't interest Elyse or Phil too much...quite the opposite!!!!! I had about 1/3 tank of water in Saffire's freshwater tank so we were fine. We set up camp and headed out to explore. We did the same walks I had done before with Susie and Christine. The river was really fun with them and we spent a long time there playing and laying in the sunshine.
I think the biggest thing that happened this trip is that Elyse discovered she likes to play catch!
The campsite had a lot of land with it so plenty of room for our wild game. We had a big fire, barbecued some hotdogs and just had fun. When we went in we played some games then got settled and ready for bed.
Sunday morning Philip had us climbing a new trail way, way up up up trying to find a clear enough signal that my phone could pick up the satellite so we could go geocaching. After a very long walk we gave up. The next time I have to remember to get the cache sites before we go!
We explored a bit more before we left the park and found the boat launch. You can put your kayaks and canoes in and float back to the campground. We'll have to try that next summer.
We also found the ruins of a hotel. Construction began on it just before the Great Depression, and it sat half finished for a while. Then a couple bought it and completed it and people came out from St. Louis for many years. It was lived in until 1971 and only the chimneys now remain.
We stopped at the museum before we headed home. Then the best stop of the trip...Steak and Shake for burgers and shakes!!
It is always fun to go camping with Elyse and Phil, they love being outside and so do I!!!!
You are such a great Oma (sp?). Elyse and Philip are so lucky to have you, and you are lucky to have such great little camper buddies.
ReplyDeleteCamping is such a nice memory building experience. Thanks for sharing.