A Trip To The Mountains

by Teresa McEntire | More from this Blogger

14 Aug 2006 02:16 PM

Saturday we were wondering what to do as a family. My two-year-old suggested swimming. Neither my husband nor I were very fond of the idea of spending another day at a local pool. We had gone swimming the week before. So I suggested we take a trip to the mountains.

We were a little worried about West Nile Virus, since Idaho is currently the top state in the nation for reported cases. So we checked and found that the area we wanted to visit had only one reported case. A lot less than the county we live in.

I went to the grocery store and bought a family chicken meal for dinner. Then we packed up the car and headed out. Both of my girls fell asleep on the drive up there which was really nice for mom and dad. They woke up when we had about twenty minutes left.

The farther we drove into the mountains the more scenic our surroundings became. The mountainsides were thick with pine trees. A crystal clear river ran parallel to the road sometimes meandering slowly other times boiling over boulders. We saw many people braving the rapids in large rafts. My son was envious. We promised when the girls are a little older that we will go on our own rafting adventure.

As we got off the highway and drove up the dirt road most of the good sites were taken. It looked like everyone had had the same idea as us. Just as we were about to despair that we would not find a spot the perfect place appeared. We pulled in and unloaded.

The kids immediately waded into the creek. There was even sand for them to dig in. Luckily we had brought the sand toys. My husband waded for about a minute before deciding the water was just too cold and I had to agree. But our kids didn't seem to mind. I'm not sure what it is about kids and water but I remember being the same way.

We ate our picnic dinner accompanied by the soothing sound of running water. Then my husband lit the fire and we roasted our marshmallows. Giving all of my kids' marshmallow smiles. As we packed up the van to go home my son remarked, "That was better than swimming at a pool," and it was.

A must have list for all mountain adventures:

• Sunscreen
• Bug spray - especially important with the threat of West Nile Virus
• Camping chairs - if you don't have any you can always use nature's seat - a rock
• Food - dinner or lunch and treats
• Drinks - plenty of water
• Firewood - most places the available firewood is limited
• Roasting sticks - before getting our current roasters we used wire hangers that I had straightened out
• Smore fixins - graham crackers, large marshmallows, chocolate chips (stick them inside the marshmallows point first before roasting and the chocolate will melt)
• Sand toys - fun for digging in the dirt or sand

Learn more about Teresa McEntire

Teresa McEntire grew up in Utah the oldest of four children. She currently lives in Kuna, Idaho, near Boise. She and her husband Gene have been married for almost ten years.

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Megan Bayliss (3586) 14 Aug 2006 02:19 PM

Yum Teresa, those marshmellows with chocolate chips in them sound divine. I've never had them like that before. In Australia Bananas cooked in their skins on the coals are a camping favourite. We make a split in the banana and push in as many cubes of chocolate as will fit, wrap the banana in alfoil and throw it on the coals. DELISH!

Teresa McEntire (2984) 15 Aug 2006 12:36 PM

I've had the bananas over a fire as well, but we used to add mini marshmallows to the banana as well.