Lon hopes to do some 4 wheeling and boating
And we are ready. We put the pop-up trailer up last night to make sure we could figure it all out. We had to download the instruction manual to get everything figured out but we think we are ready.
We headed to Alturas Lake and Camp Smoky. Our friends, the Wallace's, are the care takers at Camp Smokey this summer and there are no reservations because of the Covid19 so we are going to go and visit our "brother" and stay at the camp.
There is no room in the pop-up for anything so our pots and pans and clothes and everything that we think we will need are in the truck. We will cook in the lodge and use the showers.
There were campers in every campsite we saw on the way up. Traveling is so hard because of the covid that people have taken up camping to get away this summer.
On our way through Hailey, Sarah called and asked advice about the pain that Ashton was in. I was afraid that it was a burst appendix so I told her to head to the ER. In Ketchum we found out that they were going into surgery to take them out and we lost our phone service. The next few hours were hard as we had no way of communicating to make sure that Ashton was OK.
We haven't been to Camp Smoky for at least 14 years so it was interesting to see the changes. The Wallace's have been busy all summer getting repairs and cleaning done. Everything looked great.
The cabins all have new windows and shutters and new stoves.
This is cabin 7 that our Second Ward Elders Quorum built.
The Wallace's are not from Jerome so they didn't know the history of Camp Smokey so we got to share with them all of our memories of Ward campouts, family reunions, scout trips and girls camps.
The lodge has new tables, stoves, refrigerators, and grills.
The huge wood grill has been replaced by these two
The lodge, we remember many a flag ceremony and fireside that took place here
Pretty modern!
Dan and Jolene have been getting rid of cobwebs and mice. We have never seen the camp in such great shape.
We had 2 bucks, 1 doe, and 2 fawns running through camp each morning and evening.
We could sit around the campfire and they would just wonder around the camp.
It was nice to need a sweater in the evenings and 2 blankets in the night. It was over 100 at home so we really enjoyed the cooler weather.
We parked the pop-up right next to the bathrooms so we could use the showers and toilets.
The caretakers cabin has a land line so we were able to call Sarah to see how Ashton was doing. They were on their way to pick up a prescription. Ashton sounded great. Now days it is an in and out surgery. They even repaired a hernia for Ashton while there were after the appendix. They hadn't burst but were close to it. We are so thankful that Sarah got him to the hospital when she did.😃
Thursday morning we took the Wallace's and their grandson Jackson to the dredge.
Everything was really green and beautiful
Jackson, Jolene, Dan and Lon at the dredge
Then we went on to Custer ghost town. We stopped for a hamburger on the way back.
Sunbeam restaurant, food tasted good but a little spendy
We got back to Alturas and Lon and Dan headed to the lake to go boating and fishing.
Lon, Jackson and Dan
The water is so crystal clear
And they are off, but the tip of Lon's pole came off so he didn't get to do any fishing, just boating. Dan didn't catch anything but they enjoyed being on the water. Right after they left, Jackson jumped into the lake and came up shivering. The water was so cold but he swam for about 2 hours.
Friday morning we loaded up the 4 wheeler and headed to Pole Creek.
Lon and his family did a lot of hunting and camping over Pole Creek into Germania Basin. This ride was really all about memories from the past.
 |
| the wild flowers were so beautiful |
but the colors are so delicate that they don't show up in the fotos
The purples and reds were just so faint that it is hard to see but we loved seeing them in person
Pole Creek Summit
Memories of the Bishopric campout with the Dale Munk family, Tommy Newman family, Willis Thompson family and the Cliff Sanders family. Lon was around 8 years old at the time
Champion Creek Trail
With his scout troop, 12 year old Lon hiked into Champion Creek Lake for a few days. They built a raft and had a lot of fun fishing and catching their dinner.
Six lakes was too far away for our trip today as well
Three Cabins Creek Trailhead
We didn't make it to Three Cabins because of time
In Germania Basin we had fond memories of our wood cutting trips with Willis and Ester
Lon, Nancy holding Tracy, Ginger and Grandma Ester Thompson 1977
Here is where Ginger caught her first fish
She didn't like it when it wiggled 1977
This is where we always tried to camp
Tracy's first camping trip to Germania Basin 1976
We enjoyed our morning at Pole Creek but it was time to head for home so we headed back to Camp Smoky to shower and break camp and head south.
We don't have any lights on the trailer so we have to get home before dark.
We had a wonderful time with our dear friends Dan and Jolene Wallace. It was so fun to revisit the places where so many memories were made. July was a month full of exciting adventures for us. As we drove into Ketchum and our cell service was once again restored, we discovered that our families were experiencing tough days and we were needed at home. July ended with the news that John Turley, our brother-in-law. had passed away and our niece, Tara Longmore Moss, was dying. We are so thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ at these times. We know that families can be together forever and that we will be able to be with our loved ones again one day.
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