Is It Naptime Yet

So this year there almost wasn’t an Ely trip since we went camping in Caliente with Andrea and Brien in May. Jon was going to consider that our “Ely trip” since we traveled two-thirds of the way to Ely and saw Andrea and Brien, but since we were unable to make it to the family reunion this year and I was bummed that I wasn’t going to be able to see Andrea and Brien and have our girls go to the Hoggle Zoo together or have any awesome sisterly fun driving to the reunion with Carolyn, he felt bad and said we could go to Ely. I thought he meant just me, Carolyn, and the girls, but he came along too and it was lots of fun.

We went up on Friday the 7th of August and did the normal visiting thing, except there was lots of teasing Lacey this trip, and it all started Friday night. Andrea and Brien made us dinner, though I can’t remember what we had this night. Brien made kinda an upside down cake, but with apricots he picked off his neighbors tree. Don’t worry the old lady neighbor said they could pick as many apricots as they wanted and it was also the first summer in like 20 years that it was summer long enough for the apricot trees to produce apricots in Ely. The cake was delicious, and made even more delicious by ice cream, something I asked if they had to go with it earlier, but was told  “Jeez, do you think we’re a buffet?”, though this was also after I said apricot cobbler would be good but Brien was just making a spice cake with apricots in the bottom. So Brien baked the cake and then tasted it and decided it needed ice cream, so he then went and bought some and might I add I would have eaten it without ice cream, but he really wanted it and it did help with the tartness of the apricots.

Saturday we went canoeing at Cave Lake. We made a sandwich stop at Subway and enjoyed the fresh air as we ate. I left our state parks passes in our suitcase at Andrea and Brien’s so we did not get them stamped, though we didn’t really see anywhere to have them stamped, so we’re still gonna just check that off. We will probably go there again because canoeing was so much fun, despite my dislike of natural bodies of water, and Brien was also trying to talk Jon into getting a canoe. I’m just happy to know that we have a long list of other saving projects before this can ever even remotely become a reality.

Brien and Andrea took the girls out first on the Lake. Jon and I went out alone so we could practice in the canoe. It was my second time canoeing, with the first being about 12 years ago at girls camp one year. Lilah would say that I needed to put my paddle into the water more, but this was something she heard from Brien as he made fun/ teased me some more.

After our practice run we  took the girls out on the water with us. We then switched back and forth, with Zarina only going out once since she didn’t like her life jacket and Carolyn also avoiding it till the last run. She doesn’t like natural bodies of water either, but thought it would be fun to let my girls play in the water and get a little muddy and wet. This was while Jon and I went out our last time. Of course when we returned they said the fun was over to the girls since Mommy was back and it took a lot of will power to let them continue to get wet and muddy. I know I can be a little uptight about dirt and messes, so I was trying to relax since the damage had already been done.

We then headed home and after some naps and showers had a delicious turkey dinner that Brien and Andrea made.

Sunday on our way home we decided to take a little, but long, detour to Great Basin National Park and take the Leeman’s Cave Tour. We’ve been to Great Basin twice, but had yet to take the tour. I called the week before to purchase the tickets in advance, something I recommend so you don’t have to wait an hour if a tour is full and ours was. Since Eden is only 4 we went on the shorter 60 minute tour and someday may go on the longer 90 minute one which includes one or two more caverns.

Before we entered the caves the ranger/ tour guide gave the challenge to crawl through a cement hole that was about the size of the hole the 70 or 80 year old Mr. Leeman had to crawl through to find the caves. It was a part of becoming a cave cadet. The girls both went through and the other children, then he gave the challenge to the adults and I challenged Jon to go through since he was the slimest adult. He did and since he went through so easily the guide challenged another adult and one other man did.

We started off the tour together, but as it got narrower, the guide had the children up front with him, and we were in the back, so I have no idea what happened after we were separated.  We had areas that he was able to talk to us directly, and then at other times it was just through the grapevine. The girls seemed to have a lot of fun from what we could tell at the end and we entertained ourselves with them gone. It was a cool tour and I recommend it to anyone who might pass by Great Basin National Park.

After the tour we enjoyed some of the yummy homemade ice cream the cafe makes and then hit the road to return to Vegas.

We all loved seeing the Park’s and getting to see Zarina. They grow so fast and it’s so hard when you don’t get to see the small children often enough.

It was a fun little trip and the girls enjoyed Aunt Carolyn’s company. I also enjoyed talking with her and being able to chat.

This will be the fourth year we’ve made a trip to Ely and I hope we continue the tradition as long as Andrea and Brien live there. Brien said we could come back anytime after it snows, but I don’t see us visiting till after it melts away next year.