Our family lucked out this year and we got to have our reunion on Uncle Roy-Dan-the-Mountain-Man's Ranch in Downey Idaho. Uncle Roy Dan is a real mountain man. He came very close to being on the t.v. show "Survivor," and I know he would have got very far. He is a character. Wealthy business men pay him to take them out in the wild and teach them how to live off the land. He lived in a tee-pee for a couple years. He is the best story teller... he learned the art of story telling from the indian tribe he joined in the 1970's. He tells stories around the camp fire, decked out in a fringy leather outfit from head to moccasin'd toe and shoots blank gun powder from his gun. It's mesmerizing. During our reunions in Idaho, we eat fish and "game" (kinda gross) that he caught/shot himself. "You like that stew?" He'll ask in a gruff but friendly voice. "That there's elk. Shot it yesterday." Haha!
*Harper, Wendy & Eden crossing the bridge over the creek bed in search of perfect walking sticks
Uncle Roy Dan's 40 acre ranch is a child's dream. There is so much to explore. Not to mention the horseback rides, fishing, water gun wars, and nature adventures. Uncle Roy Dan even taught a bunch of the kids how to carve stones into arrow heads. The kids didn't need any type of electronics or even an single toy and they played their little hearts out all day, every day.
*Harvey & Ryan, my animal lovers, admiring the horses
*Harvey's 1st horse ride
Harvey was in love with all the farm animals that were close enough to him to touch, dogs, birds/chickens, fish, but mainly the horses! He was SO excited about them... until we tried to let him ride one. I thought it would rock his little animal loving world to ride them, but not so much. Our ride was cut very short. He was not happy. Luckily, I got a good ride in later that evening, when some of the younger married couples went on a moonlight ride under the stars. Ryan has now decided that he wants to be a cowboy and to have a bunch of horses and move to Idaho. "Or at least Yorba Linda," he says. Sounds fun, but I think horses are a little more expensive than birds honey.
*Uncle Drew taking people on rides. Like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland but real
One morning, while staying at the truckstop motel, my dad and I got up early and went on a run along the open road. I'm used to running on a treadmill, starring at a wall, talking to no one. So maybe that's why it was so invigorating to run in the crisp, fresh air, along beautiful rolling hills and farm lands, getting to spend quality time with one of the men I admire most in this world. It was one of my favorite moments of our trip.
*river rafting in Lava, ID
So, if you want to have the best reunion ever, go to Idaho. River rafting, fishing, horseback riding, beautiful scenery, authentic story telling, evening campfires, night time skies full of stars, and non-stop fun. What more could you ask for?
1 comment:
that sounds like the best trip ever! i want to go!!!!
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