Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Thanksgiving 2014

I love Thanksgiving, but D and I have had a hectic few months (year?) at work and when we realized we might not have another chance to take a vacation, we decided to take advantage of the long weekend. We waited so long to organize everything that there were hardly any campsites left but we found a spot in Big Bear, did no planning, threw everything we could think of in the car and took off Thursday morning.

on the way up

backseat set up

little tent

thanksgiving dinner

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lakeside

post water

fire starter

campfire

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bertha peak

We had sandwiches for Thanksgiving lunch, hot dogs and s'mores for dinner. Circe saw her first large body of water and waded for 45 minutes. We had to keep her on the leash the whole time because there were coyotes everywhere. While we were on that lakeside walk we turned around and found a whole pack creeping along behind us. I'd never been so close to one in daylight! On Friday we went on a 7 mile hike and Circe decided to boycott so we had to carry her the whole time. Cross training?  But she was a wonderful little camper otherwise, snuggling in at night and eagerly exploring the area. I'm very thankful for how unflappable she is about almost everything.

It was a really wonderful, refreshing weekend, and I'm so grateful we were able to make it happen. Of course, we realized we either didn't own or had forgotten: camp chairs (didn't own, purchased while we were there), a propane stove (don't own, decided to live without), headlamps (left at home, gah), towels (drying yourself off with a dish towel in 30 degree weather is not something I'd recommend to anyone), etc, etc.

We're making it a goal to get out more often and our first step is to corral all our camping equipment into a single bin so that it's easier to go on a whim. The second step is figuring out where to store it.

10 comments:

  1. What a lovely way to spend thanksgiving!
    I always worry about coyotes getting my little terrier dog when we are outside the city, but I've never had a pack actually follow me on a trail. How creepy!

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    1. Ditto here! There have been tons of coyote sightings in our (city) neighborhood recently. But this was the closest I've ever seen them when camping. And in daylight! But as soon as he realized we had noticed him he ran off into the tall grass.

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  2. So nice, Rachel. The three of you going off like that for the weekend.I love that Circe is into things like that and is not a cry baby when you take her with you on trips. Thanks for posting on Instagram, i enjoy your photos a lot and look forward to them all the time.

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    1. Yes, we are so lucky! She has (unfounded) abandonment issues and will get really sad/scared/anxious if we have to leave her with other people even briefly, but as long as we take her with us she's willing to go anywhere and just chill.

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  3. Goodness, that sounds like the most wonderful Thanksgiving.

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  4. That sounds and looks delightful. What a sweet getaway.

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  5. What a delight! I'm so glad you did your getaway! I looks like it was rejuvenating!

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  6. These pics made me smile so much! So cute and lovely.

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  7. So glad you got out! I struggle with Thanksgiving, never been a holiday that has brought any joy. We decided to step away from the rote mechanics of tradition that seems absent gratitude and flew south with our kids. It was amazing and liberating. Good luck with your camping prep strategy. I am sure it will be worth the effort time and again.

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  8. Except for the dish towel drying maneuver, this looks like my ideal vacation :)

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