The night before we left we loaded all of our sleeping bags, foam pads and tent into Uncle Kyle's jeep so that we would have enough space to get everything else we needed to the camp site. Even with that stuff already packed and gone it still took us a long time to get everything assembled. We ended up leaving about 2 hours later than we had planned. And even after the extra time we had to make one short return trip for something we had forgotten (the map to the camp site!).
When we got our current vehicle (Toyota Highlander) we thought we had a great vehicle for going places. We have since discovered that it isn't quite the vehicle of our dreams. We need more space inside and more cargo space on top.
The Boel family has figured out how to make the perfect camping vehicle...
But we finally made it over the rock and through the woods, streams and mosquitoes to our campsite for our Dave & Brenda Family Reunion 2009! Grandma & Grandpa Petersen along with Uncle Kyle & Aunt Kaylynn were already there with the campsite up and running.
We discovered that the dead wood on the ground wasn't as dry as you might at first imagine. Uncle Kyle quickly set out to remedy the situation by getting different wood.
After surveying the terrain near to main camp Michelle finally located the perfect spot for our tent. Then she left me to clear out some debris and pitch the tent. It would have been the perfect spot if it weren't for all of the mosquitoes. Due to the extra rain this year the mosquito population must of multiplied because you couldn't get away from them. We discovered that with enough mosquito repellent and full daylight they were tolerable but at night and early morning...look out!Despite the mosquitoes which were everywhere I think we found a great spot. It wasn't right next to the main hub of activity but it wasn't extremely far if you needed something that was still in the tent. It was also close enough to check on sleeping kids around nap time (but far enough that the activity of camp didn't wake them up).
We arrived about 2 minutes before the Boel family. But it wasn't too much later that the Kim family also arrived. It was getting dark when they got there but they were able to get their tent up quickly and all of their stuff situated in time to enjoy an evening around a smoky camp fire. The campfire ring was oval and just about the perfect size for everyone to have a spot close to the fire. 
Because it was the first night at our campsite we let the boys stay up much later than usual. After all, how fun is a campfire while the sun is still up? I love to be able to see the fire jumping and watch the red coals smolder! But it was finally time to put the boys to bed. So sometime after 10:00 pm we corralled the boys in the tent and got them ready for bed.
After the boys were tucked safely in bed we headed back to the fire for some adult bonding time. It was a great and relaxing evening (once the boys were in bed) to just sit around the campfire, up in the mountains, hanging out with some of the greatest people on the planet.
