“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, "This is what it is to be happy.”
-Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
The Lee family has a "place". It's the place that they go every year. It seems to be a sacred place to them. It's called Currant Creek. It's up in the mountains past Heber, past Strawberry Reservoir... It's in the middle of nowhere. I mean, past paved roads. There is no cell service. No internet. No way of connecting to the outside world. There is only you, your present company, nature, and a hell of a lot of dirt.
Ayla and I just spent our second summer outing with the Lee family at Currant Creek and we know why it's a sacred place. We know why they come back every year. We know why the kids don't want to leave. We know why they don't mind the dirt and the disconnection from society. Currant Creek is magical, really.
On Our way to Currant Creek we had to stop by Dairy Keen. This is another Lee family sacred place. A place that I loved from the start and I crave all the time but only have every so often. Luckily, it's far away from us in Heber so it remains an exciting and rare treat. Ayla loved seeing the Harry Potter train. I loved my bacon cheese burger.
The drive in to Currant Creek feels so long. We are all so excited to get there. It's so fun to finally hit the dirt road and to finally see the lake and to finally see the little road that our camp is on and to finally pull up to the spot. The spot that is full of Lee family trailers and a few tents and a lot of family.
Guys, Currant Creek is dirty. I mean FILTHY. The dirt is soft and loose and it flies around you with every step you take. And it was windy this weekend. Really windy. I felt like every time I opened my mouth I got a mouth full of dirt. Dirt is not really my thing. I don't enjoy dirt in my hair and under my nails and EVERYWHERE else. However, at Currant Creek I don't mind it. I'm ok with the fact that my hair is heavy with dirt and actually looks gray because of it. I'm ok with the fact that my nails are black. In fact, I don't even notice because I still have pretty blue polish to hide it. I'm ok with dirt in the creases of my arms and in my eyebrows. It's worth it to be filthy for one weekend. It's worth it to fly through the mountain on a 4-wheeler and sit next to the lake watching the fish jump but not bite our lines. It's worth it to end the day sitting around a campfire {3 fires actually, to accommodate the large group!} roasting marshmallows or making campfire eclairs. It's worth it to watch my little girl have the time of her life with cousins and other extended families. It practically makes me cry thinking about the memories that she is making. Currant Creek is going to be her "place". It's going to be sacred to her, too.
I love the Lee family and I loved getting to spend my weekend with them tucked away on a mountain. I can't even describe how wonderful it is to be up there in the open air with no phone and no computer. Just family, fun, fishing, and four-wheeling. I cannot wait until next year.
Without any further ado, here are pictures from our weekend. A lot of pictures. All pictures are from my trusty iPhone. You may not judge any of the dirty faces or hobo clothes that you see in these pictures. Camping = the ultimate lazy/dirty/hobo people.
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| Cousins checking out the caterpillar in the bug box. |
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| Heading over to the side-by-side! |
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| Buckled and ready! |
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| Quick stop to look out over the lake. |
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| These rides are tiring. |
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| Dinner! |
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| Are they related? Sugar Crush while camping :) |
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| Addi and Ayla having an adventure as I listened from the tent. SO. CUTE. |
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| Lindsay's massive fish she caught with a baby pole. {Sorry Lindsay, I had to!} |
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| Ayla and Addi. |
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| Cutest dirty faces ever. |
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| Throwing rocks. |
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| I got to snuggle the sweetest baby by the fire. My heart! |
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| Three fires. |
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| Brent and Bryanna by the fire. |
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| Off to the lake! |
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| Grandma and Grandpa bringing Ayla and Logan to the lake. |
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| Cousins. |
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| Brandon and Cherry on the paddle boat. |
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| Brent and Bryanna |
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| Grandma and Grandpa with Jaycee and Mila. |
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| Kyle and I with Ayla and Logan |
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| Cousins. |
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| Lindsay and Jaycee with Braxton and Addi. |
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| Family |
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| Ayla and Jaycee with Cherry and Brynn. We LOVED the paddle boat! |
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| Between mom and dad on the 4-wheeler. Perfect spot for a nap. |
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| We found the tree we carved last year. |
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| Trying to carve into the tree. |
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| Kyle added the "LEE" for us. |
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| Two ticks for two years at Currant Creek together. |
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| Shooting clay pigeons. |
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| The face of camping. |
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| She LOVED being dirty! |
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| Teaching his girl how to fish. |
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| I didn't catch anything. |
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| Ayla and Mya {sp?} relaxing by the lake. |
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| Sunburned nose! |
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| The best s'more ever. Chocolate was all over my face. |
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| Bedtime in the tent! |
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| Kyle got a Dundie award for being the world's best dad! Happy Father's Day, love! |
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| Ayla and Braxton. |
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| The spot where our tent sat. |
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| Loaded up to go home. |
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| The trailer, ready to roll out! |
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| Driving away, until next year! |
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| Dinner on the way home. Cousins. :) |
Best camping trip ever. We'll be back, Currant Creek!
