This last Friday evening our church hosted a daddy-daughter campout at Camp Zion. The camp is a little higher than 7,000 feet above sea level, and considering the exceptionally warm weather in Tucson over the last few days, Gabs, Bells, and I welcomed the chance to get out of Tucson for a while. I especially looked forward to the trip, since it would allow me to leave all my work behind me for a little while and spend time with the girls.We started the trip on the wrong foot, unable to find the campsite. Luckily we managed to get cell-phone reception and get some directions from Debs. When we finally arrived, we went straight to the lodge and decorated sugar cookies with frosting, candy corn, and licorice.
The weather was great, but Gabs and Bells, having spent the last three years of their lives in Tucson, were a little chilly. It proved to be a long night with potty trips to the nearest latrine and Bells getting cold on numerous occasions after getting outside of her sleeping bag, but morning finally came, and with it, a spectacular sunrise (unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me when it was at its best). This picture looks out over Tucson after most the color in the sky had already faded.
From the feel of things, I believe it must have warmed up some during the night. That comes as no surprise, however, since temperatures in Tucson for October 17, 2009 climbed up to 99 degrees, which broke the record high for the date by three degrees. If it had climbed one degree higher, it would have set a record in Tucson for reaching 100° at the latest time of the year in recorded history.
As Gabs and Bells went to play with some friends, I spent the next twenty to thirty minutes packing things up and taking the tent down. As I was folding up the tent I saw numerous crickets and bugs that had decided to bed down underneath us. The last critter I saw as I was brushing off the bottom of the tent made me a little more wary than the others. Since moving to Tucson, this small scorpion is the first I have seen in the wild. Apparently I don't get out enough, because I've only seen one tarantula too.
Before heading down the mountain, we hiked to Inspiration Rock and found a little tunnel in it that we could crawl through. As you can see from the girls' faces, it was quite the adventure!
The winding road down the mountain made Bells sick, so we made several stops to enjoy the scenery.
All in all, we had a great time and we're looking forward to our next grand adventure!
5 comments:
These are GREAT photos! Looks like the girls had a ball. And you're a good dad to take two girls camping.... :-)
So my roommate who has lived in Phoenix for half a year has killed three or four scorpions in her apt. To have only seen one your whole time there is impressive.
Also, is that a cactus being hugged??? Interesting.
Looks like you guys had fun:)
I just don't get out enough--otherwise, I'm sure I would have seen more. And, yes, that is a cactus being hugged.
What a nice memory! I love these pictures of your girls. I remember how when I was young, I looked forward to the Daddy-Daughter Date that the Primary sponsored every year. My dad had gone several times before I was old enough with girls who didn't have dads at home. I was really happy when I finally got to go. Fun memories.
Hey, I lived in Albuquerque for four years and only saw a scorpion once--in a closet, so scary anyway. No tarantulas (outside pet zoos). But, unfortunately, lots and lots of cockroaches.
Yeah, I think the cockroaches are worse than tarantulas and scorpions. Fortunately, we have only had six or seven in three years, but they can be so big and fast that when you are trying to catch them to dispose of them, they still make you jump in panic when they take off even though you know they won't hurt you!
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