bear creek

 last week we took the family camping at bear creek on the east side of harrison lake.  big bessie handled the forest service roads with ease and aplomb.  the full size truck tires make a big difference.

zeke was already a camping pro at less than a week old.  eat, sleep and hang out on the beach.  he had it all nailed.

 we hadn't been to the beach at bear creek before, but it is beautiful.  the north edge ends in cliffs while the south is bounded by a rushing creek.  the eponymous bear creek in fact.  just east of the camp it cascades down a lovely waterfall.

 the sky was clear and the beach was a veritable solar oven, with the expanse of harrison lake throwing double sunshine at us on the sand.  we fried up the leftover chicken enchilada that melissa made just for us (extra cheese!) on the stove in our portable kitchen and ate it with salsa and carrots.  nice to bring a premade dinner along that was still homemade and not processed.  and so nice to have a fridge to keep the beer cold.

 i neglected to take any pictures of our campsite, but here is the view from ty's bed.  bear creek is a small rec site less than an hour drive from our house.  its proximity allowed kylie to spend the entire day on the beach with us and then duck home to sleep in her own bed (next time maybe she'll stay the first night).

  in the morning (ty slept til 8, which never happens at home) ty and i made coffee and ate miniwheats, scrambled eggs and fruit, then set out on a hike to a nearby beach.

 here we wiled away the hours throwing rocks in the water, doing interesting stretches and taking pictures.

 its easy to take great pictures of this guy.

 the morning started off cool, but warmed up soon.  a leisurely second day on the beach sped past far too quickly.  look at all those rocks just begging to be thrown in the water.  next time we'll stay longer.