On the way to Flaming Gorge we stopped at Fort Bridger for lunch. We then walked around the historical site. My dad said that my kids weren't impressed because they see that type of old farming stuff every time we go to the farm. I get bored with museums, but it was still a nice place to stop and let the kids run around for a while.
Then we drove the rest of the way to our campsite and set up. My dad picked the campsite because it was high elevation and he wanted something with trees and shade. But we were really close to the road and could hear the cars rushing past all night.
The first night at this campground was a nightmare. First we couldn't get Luke to sleep. My kids never sleep or nap in different places, so we tried to rock him to sleep. We got him to sleep a few times, but every time we tried to set him in the pack-n-play he would wake up and start screaming. We finally decided to fold up the pack-n-play and just let him sleep on the ground. Isaac had taken Luke out of the tent to try and rock him back to sleep. And Aspen said, "I don't feel very good". I asked if she was going to throw up and she said yes. So I yelled "not in the tent, not in the tent" and grabbed her and rushed her to the door. She ended up throwing up a couple inches outside the tent. It was so gross, but she didn't get it on anything. We hoped that maybe she was just a little car sick from driving in the canyon or something, but she ended up throwing up 7 or 8 times that night. Every 30 mins or so she would start moaning. I would fumble for the flashlight while Isaac dove across the tent to hold her head over a bucket. It was horrible! But at least we survived the night without getting vomit on anything. I don't think Isaac and I got any sleep that night.
The next day was stormy so we decided to go for the dam tour. We drove down to the visitor center (they had the cutest stuffed otter) and took the tour. It was fairly interesting. At the bottom of the dam we let the kids feed the fish. They really liked that. It was a good activity to do since we were all exhausted and Aspen still wasn't feeling great.
Then we drove to a rim overlook trail and pond for lunch. It was still a little cloudy and kept sprinkling on and off. Since the kids were pooped we went back to camp and I got them down for a nap while Isaac went hiking with his parents.
Then we made dutch oven for dinner. It took forever to cook because everything was wet and the rain started to pick up. I was worried that my kids wouldn't have enough warm clothes because I wasn't expecting so much rain.
The next day was still stormy, but it was our last day at Flaming Gorge so we had to run the river anyway. We got to the river, got the boats ready, and ran shuttle. We even took Luke down the river. I was worried he would be climbing all over and trying to get in the water the whole time, but he just sat calmly in my lap. He even fell asleep a little before the take out. It was raining lightly the whole time down the river, so it wasn't the greatest experience, but we had warm clothes and umbrellas so it was ok. Sophie loved trying out the inflatable kayaks with Isaac.
Then we met Jarem and Tressa at the visitor center and did another run. I stayed off with Luke and ran shuttle this time. We stopped at a lookout and Luke had fun chasing some lizards around. Then he played and threw lots of rocks at the takeout. I was worried he would try and go in the river, but he was really good about staying at the edge and throwing rocks. This time the sun was out and it was a lot warmer. Isaac said the kids had a lot more fun playing in the water, swimming, and paddling the IK.
After that run we drove through Vernal to our Split Mountain campground. It was kind of like moving to a different world. Flaming Gorge was chilly and rainy, and Split Mountain was insanely hot. Jamie and Hannah met us at this campground.
The next day a group went down the Split Mountain section. I went first to see if it was safe enough for Sophie and Aspen. I thought they would have been fine on most of it, but there were 2 or 3 rocky rapids that made me decide they were still too young.
Later that afternoon we went to the dinosaur quarry and looked around. The girls did the requirements to get their junior ranger badges.
And after dinner that night we went to some pioneer woman's cabin and walked around and went for a little hike.
The next day was Sophie's birthday! Long before we planned this trip Isaac asked Sophie if she wanted to go camping for her birthday. She was so excited. But then as it got closer, she kept crying and was sad that she would be gone on her birthday. So we explained we could take all her presents and she could still have her party with friends a few days late. So first thing in the morning she opened her presents. We gave her a microscope, the new Beauty and the Beast movie, some books, and a little stained glass window craft.
Isaac ran the Split Mountain section. I stayed with the kids and Tressa. We tried to go to a shop and get some ice cream for Sophie's birthday, but the store was gone. So we drove to the takeout and let the kids play in the river. They had a blast.
Overall it was a fun, but stressful trip. It was really hard to get Luke to sleep in the tent every night. And the temperature swings were hard to adjust to. But I think the kids had a lot of fun and it was nice to watch them play. But camping with kids has really made me curious to see what it would be like with an RV...maybe we'll try it out next summer.
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