Penny, our big yellow lady, is unfortunately under the weather with some {more} engine troubles. Since we seem to have become that VW family we have a back up plan....meet Phyllis, our 1988 Vanagon, who just so happens to also be a camper. Camping problem band-aided.
Our clan decided to head a few hours due Wyo north for our second camping expedition with our unsure little 2 year old. Gurnesy State Park, complete with a gorgeous canyon-rimmed lake, was the destination.
A few weeks prior we received our Shelta Pod, a VW-specific tent/awning set up that we had funded on Kickstarter. This thing is just as amazing as we hoped it would be. Easy up, tons of shade and a perfect fit for the air-mattress. Yay!
The mid-day temps were pushing 90, so into the lake we went. Complete with kiddo squeals in response to the toe squishing gook we had to walk through to get there. Lake life at it's finest!
Splashing melted into hunger pangs and a post-lunch hike for Sadie and I. She is a budding shutterbug and I can't get enough of sharing one of my favorite hobbies behind the lens with her. Our {very} observant 6 year old was enthralled with how gorgeous the lake was and mentioned a few times how much better this was than TV. Crunchy parenting for the win!
Sadie and I returned to a fire being built by the men of the campsite and hot dogs being readied. We overheard one of our more obnoxious neighbors exclaiming to her son how our culinary camping choice was obviously 'the poor man's food'. Well, food of the people here I come, because they were DELICIOUS — as were the squishy cookie s'mores that were roasted up next.
The campfire faded into a brightly lit Wyo night sky and the kiddos were properly tucked away into Phyllis {nightlight and all}. Let me remind you that on our last camping excursion we had scared little man on our hands and end up snagging only an hour of sleep. Fingers, toes and anything else crossable were crossed for a different kind of night.
Fast forward to me opening my eyes to sunlight and the {amazing} sound of a chorus of tweeting birds. MORNING?! It was morning! I laid there basking in the morning sounds of nature and the fact that we got a full night of camping sleep. A few minutes later my daydreaming was interrupted by the sound of the sliding van door and then a few cute faces peering in our tent proclaiming that we needed to get up.
Coffee was made and savored as we packed up. Every 4th of July we head over to historical Ft. Laramie to celebrate some red, white and blue. We covered our ears for a few canon firings, won some sack race ribbons, soaked in the sun and literally couldn't have asked for a better few days outside. This Wyo life...it's pretty great.