HAPPY 21TH BIRTHDAY TO ME

AFTER WHAT SEEMED LIKE FOREVER I HAVE FINALLY REACHED 21. I TOOK A WEEK OFF OF WORK TO BE WITH FAMILY, DRINK AND GO CAMPING. TO START MY BIRTHDAY OFF MOM TOOK ME TO GET A PEDICURE.

 

HAPPY TOES

 

THAT NIGHT WE WENT TO TEXAS ROAD HOUSE FOR MY BIRTHDAY DINNER.

 

FIRST DRINK BEING 21.

 

 

TOP SHELF MARGARITA

 

BEFORE OUT MEAL CAME MY FAMILY HAD PLANS OF EMBARRASSMENT FOR ME...I HAD TO SIT ON A SADDLE, WEAR A HAT AND SWING A SCARF AROUND WHILE THE RESTAURANT SONG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME...AND I DID IT DRUNK!

 

SADDLING UP

 

 RIDE EM' COWGIRL

AND LOOKS LIKE THEY ACCOMPLISHED EMBARRASSING ME.

I'M SURE TESS LOVED BEING MY PHOTOGRAPHER FOR THIS

BEFORE WE LEFT SOME GUY BOUGHT ME A SHOT OF PATRON`

CAKE TIME BACK HOME

 

 MY CAKE FROM WALMART....

 

WHICH THEY MADE A MISS PRINT ON

 

THE NEXT DAY JOSH AND I PLANED ON GOING CAMPING UP IN CASCADE

 

 EVER THING PACKED AND WAITING FOR HIM TO GET TO THE HOUSE

 

WE GOT EVERYTHING PACKED IN THE TRUCK AND HEADED OUT

FELT SO GOOD TO BE GOING CAMPING

WE SOON GOT A CALL SAYING WE FORGOT OUT CAMP STOVE...SO MY PARENTS MET US AT HORSESHOE BEND. 

AND I'M PRETTY SURE MY CAMP STOVE WAS OUT TO GET ME I WOULD SOON REALIZE. 

 

CARS COMING AT US KEPT FLASHING THEIR LIGHTS. AS WE ROUNDED A CORNER WE SPOTTED THIS LITTLE GUY NEAR BANKS.

 

SEEMED LIKE WE WHERE NEVER GOING TO REACH COUGAR MOUNTAIN TURN OFF

BUT DIRT ROAD WAS SOON UNDER US.

 

MY FAMILY AND I HAVE CAMPED IN THE COUGAR MOUNTAIN/TRIPOD AREA FOR YEARS AND I KNEW JUST THE SPOT I WANTED. ONCE WE UNLOADED THE TRUCK AND STARTED SETTING UP CAMP, WE SOON REALIZED THAT OUR TENT DIDN'T COME WITH THE RAIN ROOF. AT FIRST THERE WAS PANIC AND A PHONE CALL HOME. AND AFTER REMEMBERING WE HAD BROUGHT A TARP WE COULD MAKE A MAKE-SHIFTED ROOF...NOW ALL WE NEEDED WAS ROPE. 

AND JOSH FOUND SOME HIGH IN A NEAR BY TREE.

IT TOOK A FEW TRIAL RUNS BUT WE MADE IT WORK

I'M STILL NOT THRILLED ABOUT IT

 

IT WAS NEARLY DARK BY THE TIME THE TENT GOT UP AND WE NEEDED A FIRE.

 

I FIGURED JOSH COULD HANDLE THE BUILDING OF THAT ON HIS OWN.

YAAA.

 

 SINCE EVERYTHING WAS WET FROM THE RAIN STORM THE DAY BEFORE OUR FIRE DIDN'T WANT TO STAY LIT.

 

WE KEPT BLOWING AIR INTO IT BUT THAT WAS ONLY WORKING A SMALL BIT.

THEN JOSH GOT A IDEA TO BRING OUT MY AIR MATTRESS PUMP AND POOF AIR ON THE FIRE THAT WAY.

 

 

AND IT WORKED!

 

MY TOES WHERE NUMB FROM THE COLD WET MOUNTAIN AIR AND OUR TINY FIRE WASN'T DOING MUCH

 

SO JOSH DECIDED TO RUB MY FEET...WHICH I ABSOLUTELY LOVE.



 THE NEXT MORNING WE WOKE TO A STRANGE THUMPING NOISE ON THE TENT...

SNOW WAS FALLING IN JUNE!

MELTING ON THE FLOWERS

 

I'M ALWAYS AN EARLY RISER WHEN CAMPING. SO I LEFT JOSH SLEEPING AND WENT OUT AND STARTED COOKING BREAKFAST. WELL I FOUND OUT THAT MY SKILLS WITH THE CAMP STOVE SUCK AND I CALLED HOME. JIMMY WALKED ME THROUGH THE INSTRUCTIONS AGAIN AND I WAS OFF AND COOKING.

 

 

STILL AFTER GETTING STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS THE STOVE STILL WASN'T WORKING RIGHT. AND OUR FIRE WOULDN'T START SINCE THE SNOW. AND JOSH WOKE UP WITH A SORE THROAT...THIS CAMPING TRIP WAS NOT STARTING OFF GOOD. SO WITH A PHONE CALL TO MY LOVELY AUNT AND UNCLE WE WENT TO PAY THEM A VISIT.

RAINBOW BRIDGE

SNOW CAPS ON THE NEAR BY MOUNTAINS

WE SPOTTED THIS COW ELK ON OUR WAY OUT OF TOWN IN A MEADOW

AND THESE CRANES

 

BEFORE GOING BACK TO CAMP WE WENT TO CABARTON BRIDGE TO FISH.

THIS LITTLE GUY GREETED US WHEN WE STEPPED OUT

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY

BALD EAGLE SOARING OVER US

 

WHILE I WAS TAKING PICTURES AND LOOKING A BABY FISH IN THE WATER JOSH WAS BUSY CATCHING FISH

TACKLING HIS FISH

PROUD OF HIS CATCH

 

JOSH KNEW HOW TO CATCH FISH BUT DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO CLEAN THEM...

 

JUST LEAVE IT TO THE GIRL IS HOW I SEE IT

 

 

RAINBOW TROUT

 

 

AFTER STOPPING AT TOM AND CHERI'S FOR DRY WOOD, DINNER AND OUR CAMP STOVE HANDS ON LESSON IT WAS BACK TO CAMP.

 

MOUNTAIN WILD FLOWERS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MY FAVORITE AND WHILE JOSH WAS FIXING THE FIRE I WENT OFF IN SEARCH FOR SOME.

 

WHEN I GOT BACK JOSH HAD A ROARING FIRE

 

BUT SOON THE CLOUDS STARTED TO COME IN ALONG WITH NIGHT FALL.

DRY WOOD MAKES FOR SOME MIGHTY BIG AND WARM CAMP FIRES.

 

 

AND THEN THE RAIN CAME

WHICH STILL HAS ME WRINKLING MY NOSE

 

MY JACKET WAS STARTING TO GET REALLY WET FROM IT SPRINKLING SO I MADE A MAKE-SHIFT RAIN COVER...OUT OF A GARBAGE BAG.

 

THE FINAL MORNING WAS WARM AND SUNNY...GO FIGURE. 

 BREAKFAST WAS A BREEZE SINCE OUR TRIP TO THE GORDON'S

 

SOON AFTER BREAKFAST IT WAS TIME TO TARE DOWN CAMP.

 

WITH ALL THE RAIN AND MUDDY GROUND THE INSIDE OF OUR TENT WAS A WET MESS

 

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL FINAL DAY

 

AND A LOVELY FIND

 

WHEN I WAS LITTLE MOSS MUSTACHES WHERE ALWAYS A  FASHIONABLE THING. I THOUGHT JOSH WAS DEPRIVED AND HAD TO LET HIM IN ON WHAT HE HAD BEEN MISSING OUT ON.

 

 THE TRIPOD AREA IS SUCH A PRETTY PLACE.

 

 

TRIPOD POND

 

WE TRIED FISHING BUT THEY WEREN'T BITING.

 

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE POND IS A WATER OUTLET.

 

WE SOON SMELLED AND FOUND THIS BIG BOY

 

EVEN WITH A SMELLY ELK IT STILL MADE FOR PRETTY PICTURES

 

ONCE ON THE ROAD HOME I MADE JOSH STOP WHAT SEEMED LIKE A HUNDRED TIMES FOR PICTURES.

 

SYRINGA

COUGAR MOUNTAIN FROM THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN.

 

MORE MOUNTAIN LOVEYS

 

SINCE I HAD NOT GOT MY FISHING IN WE STOPPED ALONG THE MAIN OF THE PAYETTE RIVER TO FISH....NOT LONG AFTER DROWNING MY WORM I CAUGHT A WHITE FISH.

 

MY TOES ARE LOVING THE COOL RIVER WATER.

 

THERE WAS A SMALL SAND BANK NEAR BY SO I LEFT MY MARK.

THIS SCARY LITTLE CRITTER WAS HANGING OUT IN THE SHADE.

SOON CAME THE TRAIN WITH ITS SIGHT SEERS

 

INSTEAD OF GOING UP HORSESHOE BEND HILL WE WENT THROUGH EMMETT.

BLACK CANYON LAKE

AS LONG AS I HAVE LIVED IN IDAHO I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO BLACK CANYON DAM AND SAW THE SPILL WAY.

 

IT WAS BREATH TAKING.

 

EVEN THOUGH CAMPING WAS AN EXPERIENCE I ABSOLUTELY LOVED AND HAD A BLAST, COMING HOME IS ALWAYS HARD BUT WELCOMED.

 

 

ONCE HOME WE HAD TO SHOW OFF OUR CATCH. JOSH MIGHT HAVE HAD THE BIGGEST BUT I HAD THE MOST...ALTHOUGH I THINK HE STILL WON THE BRAGGING RIGHTS FAIR AND SQUARE.

 

I HAD AN AWESOME BIRTHDAY WITH AMAZING PEOPLE...THANKS EVERYONE FOR MAKING IT SPECIAL :)