We arrived well after dark on Friday evening, not really sure what to expect. Would it be nasty and bug-filled inside or would it be tolerable. Well, it turns out that we were pleasantly surprised. Our cabin was spotless and bug-free. Hooray! The cabins ate Bastrop State Park were built in the early '30s by the CCC and they're still amazing. And they've been maintained very well. It was a little weird because we didn't know what to do, so the girls read and we all just kinda hung out the first night.
The first night was a little restless as we remembered that Noble is probably allergic to pine. But a quick trip into town Saturday morning for some Benadryl made that a lot better. We woke up before the sun was up on Saturday morning and made some coffee. Noble enjoyed his on the back porch of the cabin.
We got dressed and the kids had fun running around outside. There was an organized hike at 10, so we got out and met up with several other people for the one-mile hike through the woods. The hike was very informative, and I learned about a kind of poison ivy I didn't know about as well as the difference between post oak and blackjack oak trees. The kids had a great time just being outside in the woods. It reminded me a little of when Kristi and I used to hike in the woods at Hunstville State Park when we were dating. But the one-miler proved to be too long for Kayci, who routinely walks farther on our family walks in the evenings, but somehow thought she was going to pass out from all the hiking on this occasion. She didn't.
After the hike, we went back to the cabin for sandwiches and a nap (there's something awesome about taking a nap in a little cabin in the woods). Kayci and I woke up about an hour before Kristi and Noble, so we got the chance to explore and play outside - including sword fights with sticks from the forest!
Then it was time for fishing! Kayci and Noble each caught a perch. Much to our surprise, Noble actually held his and didn't have the same reaction as the last time we went fishing. Noble and Kayci were also super-excited that they got to use the fishing poles that Grandpa gave them - Barbie for Kayci and Batman for Noble. Noble had a lot of fun playing with plastic worms and throwing the corn we were using as bait into the water. Kayci practiced her casting, with varied results. But she's getting better.
We took a scenic drive and then went back to the cabin for dinner. The kids had more fun running around playing, while Kristi and I worked on dinner. By Kayci request, we had hot dogs. Noble wasnted "cowboy beans" (Ranch Style Beans). And we grilled some corn. We made a fire and ate s'mores under the stars and sang songs until it was finally time to go inside and go to sleep. We all slept a lot better that night.
On Sunday morning we woke up early, ready to get our day started. We made coffee and Noble insisted on drinking his on the back steps again (apparently that's just what you do when you're camping...). We built a fire and sat outside next to it and the kids ran around and played some more. Kristi had brought some Jiffy-pop pocorn, so we threw that on the fire and watched it pop. We ate breakfast and headed off to the lake to go for a canoe ride. The kids loved riding in the canoe, and even got to paddle a bit.
Finally, before we left we went down to some awesome rock steps that were behind out cabin for a dry-run of a future family portrait. Then we headed home (after a trip to HEB and lunch at the Roadhouse). It was a great weekend. The weather was perfect for being outdoors, and it was a great introduction to what will hopefully be many, many more family outdoor weekends. But it turns out that it was only the beginning. When we left, we had a little Pharaon family fall celebration of our own. But more on that later...
Be sure to check out the entire photo set on Flickr.
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