We went camping this weekend at Ensign Ranch up in the Cascades about an hour and a half from our house. It was the first time our Ward has ever had a campout. We had a great time and Ensign Ranch is full of activities. Two brave souls took the kids who were over 8 years old floating down the Yakima River on their tubes. The kids loved this adventure but were freezing when they got out of the river. Keith jumped in and quickly turned numb. I don't know how the kids lasted so long in the cold water. They wanted to go again, but after a hairy ride for the adults and some of the kids, it was decided that once was enough.
On the way to the drop off zone.Another highlight was the slip and slide. With the help of a tube, you could slide all the way to the end of the rubber mat. Hunter thought it would be fun to become a human Life Saver roll!
All the boys in at our campout had a lot of fun making chains going down the slip and slide hill. By the time they reached the bottom, the formations had broken up but everyone is smiling!
There was also horseback riding. I led Kiersten around on this horse named Micah. She got to ride for 15 minutes. Micah liked to stop especially as we neared his food. It took some healthy tugs to get him going again. Kiersten liked her ride but was happy when it was done!
Lauren went on a trail ride with Harry the horse. After a 15 min orientation video, she got to ride for about 45 minutes. There was a group of 7 riders plus 3 workers. It was great fun for her! I thought it was pretty cool she could ride by herself and not have to be doubled up with a more experienced rider. I hope a pony will not be on her Christmas list!
We also went on a hay ride around the camp with the Auna's. Kiersten and Lauren really like to hang out with Tania and Ruth! Ensign Ranch is about 325 acres and houses lots of campsites and also an area just for Girls Camp. It took an hour for wagon to drive all of the loops around the various campsites.
We had a great time! The only downside were the vast number of yellow jackets that made their appearance anytime food was out. There were several bee stings among our fellow campers but fortunately, none of our kids were stung. I am very thankful I didn't get stung either. To this day, I have never been stung by a bee and hope to keep it that way! Keith and I look forward to the next time we can go camping. Hopefully the kids do too!
