I'm going to begin this post with almost the last photo I took during our camping trip to Cottonwood Lake. And the quote is just too dang funny (and appropriate) not to get to it first. As we were sitting around the campfire one evening talking about how different (and hard!) it is to camp with a little one, Sven made the comment: "She sure is adventurous.....silence.....or maybe she just likes to wander off." Yep, that sums up our new camping life in a nutshell. That comment goes perfectly with this photo......
If you know my family, then you know I come by my superstitions honestly. I'm beginning to think (ok, not so much beginning as actually thinking....) that Cottonwood Lake is not the place for us. Last year for my birthday, we camped there. The very next day I had to make an emergency trip to the local clinic because I had shooting pains when I tried to breathe. I spent the rest of that camping trip on some nicely sedating meds. Not quite the birthday trip I was hoping for....since I don't remember most of it. This summer, we only have the opportunity to camp two times locally. For Father's Day, Sven chose Pueblo Lake (as per a previous post). For my birthday trip this week, I chose to go to Cottonwood Lake. It's not my favorite (Hecla Junction is) but it was an easier, safer choice with a toddler and accessible fishing for Nikolas. We arrived at the lake on Sunday night. The following morning, we decided to take a longer drive so Emalie could get a nap in before our destination (a picnic lunch and feeding chipmunks at St. Elmo, of course!). We drove up to Hecla to appease my desire to see it at least once this year. Amidst our reflecting back on the fun memories we've had there, we heard a strange noise coming from the steering wheel of Sven's truck. His comment of, "Hmmm....the steering is getting harder." (Trust me, if you're going to notice steering problems, the windy, dirt road to Hecla is the place you'd notice it.) So, as we were parked on the side of the road while Sven made back to back phone calls to dad and the Dodge dealership about the problem, I entertained myself by taking the following photos:
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| Who knew an old, wooden sign could hold so much visual appeal? Or not.... The photography book I'm reading suggested "go abstract" "look for patterns" and "bold colors". So, this is my attempt at abstract. |
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| I'm not sure where the nearest wildfire was, but the air quality left much to be desired. |
After a few hours, a few phone conversations and a trip to the dealership in Salida, it was confirmed that our camping trip should indeed be cut short and Sven's truck taken in for repairs asap. Talk about a truckful of unhappy campers (literally). As we were again parked on the side of the road (the joy of beginning potty-training and hearing the words "poo-poo"--which really means potty--when your'e nowhere near a bathroom), I took a few more pics. (I realized that my photography expeditions in the Colorado wilderness would not be taking place this weekend and needed to get my 'fix' even if it meant from the passenger seat.)
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| Do any of you Bitterrooters think this scene is comparable to the mountains on the west side of Hamilton? Every time we're in this area, I feel like I've come home. With those mountains in the distance, I feel like I could blink, turn around and be looking at Grandma G's house on New York Ave. |
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| It was hard to be in a bad mood with so much beauty around, but the mood prevailed knowing we had to leave it all a day and a half early. Bummer. I sure do love this place. |
Since our one day of camping was spent doing things other than camping, we decided to go on any evening hike at a nearby trail. My cute hikers smiled for this shot. I took a great family photo of the four of us (if I do say so myself...), but I'm not posting it here. I'm thinking you'll see it come Christmastime.
We may have bad luck here, but it's hard to hold a grudge.
It sure is pretty.
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| I was infatuated with this little tree. Its new growth was so soft!!! (And I just may have used the comparison of a baby's butt.....) |
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| Nikolas noticed that we could see our trailer from where we were on the mountain. How ironic is that since it's the only part of the campground we could see from there. |
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| More new "soft as a baby's butt" growth. I went for the artistic approach and captured my hikers in the background. |
Back at camp. Do you know how many times I had to watch Emalie circle the campsite before she sat down long enough to capture this photo?!?! Energetic little thing!
Emalie's backlit hair inspired me to get out my camera for one last picture. The image was supposed to evoke feelings of serenity and beauty with the warmth of the sun behind her. What I actually captured is the wonder of a toddler learning how to feed herself-- yogurt of all things. I'd say she's doing pretty good!
Well, that sums up our camping trip. I think of it more as a road trip than a camping trip, because it seems like we did a whole lot more driving than camping. Oh well, it is what it is. I guess the important thing is we were able to get back home and get the truck fixed before embarking on our 1,000 mile trip to Montana. I guess I need to look at this week as the glass being half full rather than empty. I guess that's true for a lot of life's little obstacles, isn't it?!
