The Great Flâneur Turns 5

We drove 3500 miles and through five different states over the past three weeks. Get ready for a lot of pictures.

First stop – Yellow Pine Campground in Eastern Oregon. Route planning:

Good log walking logs at Yellow Pine:

The instant I’d finished I heard a ga-Zump! I looked. I saw something pop out of the stump of the tree I’d chopped down. It was sort of a man. Describe him…That’s hard. I don’t know if I can. He was shortish, and oldish, and brownish and mossy. And he spoke with a voice that was sharpish and bossy.

Tree face:

Day two took us to the Pettit Campground near Magic Mountain, Idaho.

We were the only people in the entire campground, it was right next to a great mountain bike trail, and we had our first campfire!

And s’mores:

Roadside lunch, heading toward Utah:

Campsite near Ogden, UT:

Finally! We made it to my home state, Colorado!

Campsite in the North Fruita Desert:

I got in a quick sunset ride after dinner:

The evening’s entertainment was wildfire TV:

The next morning we headed to the 18 Road trails in Fruita:

My favorite trail was Kessel Run, which, I am proud to say, I did in well under 18 parsecs.

That night we headed to Grand Mesa,

where we went for a hike and saw wildflowers,

and a partly-dried-out lake,

which I tried to fill in with rocks:

‘Bout time. We finally made it to the cabin. I’ve been around for five years, and this is the first time you bring me here?!

We were only here for three days, and we worked almost the whole time:

But we did find time for a bit of fun too. Lunch on the beach at Lake Dillon:

And, a hike up Pennsylvania Mountain behind the cabin:

I almost made it to 12,500′, almost to the top. I wanted to keep going, but the Bigs thought they knew better. Next year.

After a too-short stay at the cabin, we headed to Wyoming. Our campsite near the Happy Jack Trails:

The mountain biking was excellent. I saw beaver lodges and rode through streams (over and over again).

Campsite pinecone art:

Campsite visitors:

Next stop: next to a stream, somewhere in Idaho:

I splashed back and forth through the stream 476 times:

I wore my raincoat, so I wouldn’t get wet. Didn’t work.

Up next, Ketchum, Idaho. Our campsite for the next five days:

Lots of purple thistle. Apparently considered an invasive weed, but pretty:

Riding my favorite trail at Galena Lodge, the Lodge Loop:

It’s my Birthday! The Bigs brought one of my presents on the trip for me to open. Thanks, Nan and Pop!

Post-bike-ride birthday ice cream in the park:

Birthday dinner was pasta with red sauce:

Hammock Man:

Hike to Titus Lake near Galena Pass:

Campsite construction:

Getting clean:

Last time we were in Ketchum, I really wanted a Smokey Bear stuffie, and the Bigs really wanted to get him for me, but I was such a little … No, wait, I’m not supposed to use that word. I mean, my behavior was so absolutely abhorrent, it was not to be. This year, however, was a whole different story, and a whole different Emmett. Smokey:

Smokey was a little tired out, so I let him nap with me:

Our penultimate stop was McCall, Idaho for some great mountain biking and a bit of kickin’ it by Payette Lake:

One final night at Yellow Pine on the way home, and one final campfire. I wanted s’mores, but the Bigs informed me that we had eaten through all of our graham crackers. I said, “okay, let’s problem solve this,” and that is just what we did. S’mores on chocolate chip cookies, a taste sensation: