Last-Minute Camping Trip

Late in the day last Tuesday, Mark and I looked at the weather forecast and saw temps in the 100's starting Thursday through the weekend (That's hot for us when we are used to 80-85 degrees in August). So by early afternoon Thursday we were packed up and headed up north, 1/4 mile from the Canadian border, to go camping.

We were headed for Copper Creek campground, on the Moyie river. It was a favorite spot for Mark to go when he was a kid. I even let him talk me in to going there on our honeymoon... Friday morning I got up early and went for a jog. Of course I got pretty stinky, going up and down and around the winding trails. When I got back, the family was out of bed and they started to complain about how bad I smelled. I told them that my plan was to run down to the river and wash up. Everyone said that wouldn't be enough. So we all jumped in the 'burb and went to Sinclaire Lake, which is a 5 minute drive away.
So we all took an early morning swim. Well, it was 8 am by then. I just feel sorry for the people who were trying to fish off the dock there.
Me & the kids and Noelle's best friend, Madi.
Later that morning we decided it was time to go huckleberry picking. If you have never seen or tasted a huckleberry, they are exactly like a blueberry, except smaller, tarter, and more flavorful. Along the way, we saw some good firewood logs laying on the ground - perfect for cooking s'mores - and we decided to throw them into the suburban. So much for my clean vehicle!

Huckleberries only grow wild, and they are usually found up in the mountains. So we are literally climbing up the side of the mountain as we pick. We ended up with about 2 gallons.

View from the huckleberry patch
We had also invited some friends of ours to come up with us. We all had dinner that night and played games till late. I'm surprised the other people in the campground didn't have us thrown out. Saturday morning we had huckleberry pancakes and went for a hike up to Copper Creek Falls. The kids also had a great time fishing.

Copper Creek Falls

Our group at the waterfallIsaac's Fish
Noelle's Fish

Back at the lake to cool off

Dad and the girls

Muddy Buddies - Caleb, Tommy, & Tanner
Tanner, Isaac, Madi, and Noelle Sinclaire Lake

So our trip was a great success. We all had a lot of fun, and we are talking about going back the first week of August every year. We may even go again this summer! We'll keep you "posted" :)