Camping at Lake Mead

This was our second year to camp at Lake Mead. We just spent one night, but we packed a lot of memories into that short amount of time!

Setting up was a team building event and everyone played a vital role. Alex set up the smaller tent with minimal help.

We were startled by Sabrina's sudden scream and dash. She saw this red racer go into a hole at the base of a stump right beside our picnic table and fire ring. Scary. We didn't know what kind of snake it was or if it was dangerous. A very kind park volunteer answered our questions. After the wind storm the snake took off and we didn't see it again.

Frank and Alex braved the wind storm to add extra stakes to our tents and to tie them down. Alex is a man in training and he certainly acted like one.

During the wind storm we thought it was going to be a downpour, but thankfully it wasn't. We stayed in the tents and played games, acted silly, and played with the toys the kids brought.

Frank is our expert camp chef and we greatly appreciate his expertise.

We all played Frisbee. Sabrina has decided that Frisbee is her new favorite game. She was getting pretty good at close range and as long as we threw it slow. At one point Alex and I reached for the Frisbee at the same time and I caught his hand. At another point Sabrina got beamed in the face and now has another loose tooth.

Our camp site didn't have a climbing tree, but the kids found one they could use.

The next morning we went to the lake. While the kids were splashing about in the water I took a short walk along the shoreline.

A swimmer left his flip-flops near us to go swim, which gave me an idea for a practical joke. During my walk I saw lots of lone flip-flops, so we gathered them up and placed them near his. He did come back while we were still there, but between his exhaustion and his buddy who came up when he got out of the water, he didn't even notice!

When the kids got out of the water I grabbed a couple of bags that were provided for trash. We collected two bags. We were very careful about what we picked up, since we did not have gloves.

Back at our campsite we played games, Frisbee, and relaxed.

After packing up, we stopped at the visitor's center. The kids explored the hands-on aspects and we watched the movie.

Both kids participated in the Jr. Ranger Program. Sabrina was particularly proud of her badge and of being a Jr. Ranger. (She wore her badge for days.)

We took the short hike around the visitor's center. After that we headed home tired, but happy.

Marie-Anne