2015 Camping Trip - Day 2

This may have been the longest, most exhausting day of Naomi's life.

Maybe.

We started the day at a relaxed pace, reading in the cabin and making breakfast.

Cold mornings call for hot oatmeal :D

And yogurt.

And fruit.

And cocoa :D

And Dr. Seuss.

Drove a few miles up toward Mazama and hiked in to the Tawlks Foster Suspension Bridge.

If you're ever in the Methow Valley, you'll have plenty of hikes to choose from,

thanks to the Methow Valley Ski Trails Association.

Cross-country ski trails in winter,

hiking, biking, horse trails in summer.

Oh for the energy of a three year old!

We hiked about a mile in to the bridge.

Love this one with Grandpa :D

Threw rocks into the creek.

Collected sticks, aka "bows and arrows".

And soaked in the beautiful mountain and river views.

Gee, too bad she's not having any fun!

But wait, we need more sticks.

After a great morning hike, we drove up to Sun Mountain Lodge for a picnic lunch...

and another 2-ish mile hike.

This one along the ridge above Sun Mountain Lodge,

instead of down in the valley.

Naomi and Gunnar still have a special relationship :D

She wanted to climb every rock...

... on top of the mountain!

I love where I live in the green/wet west,

AND I love the different climate east of the mountains.

So clear and light and wide open.

We finished that hike by early afternoon and headed back to our campground for...

a couple hours of swimming!

I think this girl takes after her daddy,

because she looooooooves the water!

No fear, she'll jump right in.

No, she's not falling.

She jumped like this (face plant)

over and over and over again.

And came up with a grin every time.

This one reminds me and my parents of her dad at about that age.

He'd jump in like this and call it his "hot-shot".

She was like the energizer bunny.

Even Gunnar needed a break!

After chilling out at the campground for awhile,

we walked into the town of Winthrop for some well-earned dinner.

Across yet another bridge...

... past the confluence of the Methow and Chewuch Rivers.

Grandpa's little buddy :D

Gunnar's eyes lit up when he saw these!

We walked all through town...

... to a bridge at the other end of Winthrop.

Finally pulled in for dinner at the infamous

Three Fingered Jack's Saloon.

Well fed, we headed back to camp,

glad to hear that the burn-ban had been lifted

and we could have a campfire!

I think it was Naomi's first S'More...

she liked it :D

But that stick was not for the fire...

... that was her special bow-and-arrow and went through the whole trip with her and back home again.

And of course there was the nightly fairy hunt,

but I'll tell you about that later ;D