Finally out Camping

We made it out camping this summer. A family we have got to know through hiking invited us to head up into the mountains with them this past weekend. What a great time we had! They don't usually go to campgrounds, but instead follow roads in the mountains as they get smaller and smaller and then find a flat spot, sometimes with a fire ring from a previous camper. The drive there was harrowing, but totally worth it. After driving over a landslide that covered the road we turned onto what looked like a small run-off ditch and found our campsite along a small stream. Thanks to my Garmin Forerunner I discovered that we were camping at 10316 feet above sea level. It was beautiful. The family we went with has four children, 1 girl and 3 boys between 5 and 12 and were a great match up for our boys. Andy and Curtis (the other dad) found common ground talking philosophy and politics all weekend, as well as comparing wilderness survival skills. We are both home schooling families and love the outdoors and had a great weekend getting to know each other better. We are hoping to camp with them over Labor Day weekend as well.

The only downer of the weekend occurred on the way home when our truck completely broke down. We knew something was wrong with it the minute we drove out of our campsite, but didn't know exactly what it was and it still seemed to be driving ok so we continued on. Thankfully we could since we would have had to abandon the truck there if it didn't make it off the mountain road (old, un-maintained railroad bed). We made it into the first little town smoking, stinking and with sketchy brakes. We drove about three miles down the highway and realized our front tire was wobbling so bad it was most likely going to fall off soon. We pulled over on the shoulder, called AAA and then popped the cooler and food box and enjoyed a sunny Sunday evening in the mountains. In the meantime our friends headed home, unloaded their Suburban and returned an hour later to put all our gear, along with us into their vehicle. After dealing with the tow truck and getting our truck parked safely we dropped Curtis off at his house where we found Anne had cooked us all dinner, then we drove their vehicle into town to our house. After years of being so needy and taking from so many people in Oregon I had really hoped we had left that phase behind, but it doesn't look like it. God has to keep reminding us that we need others to make it through life and can't do it all on our own. This is a lesson I'm not sure I'll ever fully embrace as I'd much rather do it on my own, but I know I'll be reminded when I get too far off track. Besides, it did provide the boys with a good lesson regarding borrowing or using something belonging to someone else. Our policy is that, if at all possible, the item or place is returned or left in better condition than it was received. They got to help vacuum and wash the car before returning it today even though they did not make the mess (as was pointed out several times while cleaning). We're still awaiting the verdict on repairs and shopping for a new car in the meantime.