Ackerson Reunion Day 2: Deer Creek

Tom reserved us the best campsite ever: the Chalet at Wasatch State Park!  It was the most enormous property with endless lawn, huge shade willow trees, great room w/ kitchen, and a lovely stagnant mosquito pond.  It was so big, it took forever to find my kids when they wandered off!  It was the perfect venue, especially since it was so close to Deer Creek.  We got to the lake nice and early on Friday for the best site.  Vanessa made lots of treats with a side of lunch.  The jet skis were used non-stop, as well as the kayaks, paddle boards, and float toys.  A few rebellious teenagers tried to poach the giant Wibbit.  The kids were all fascinated with Stuart's captured crawfish.  Tommy took a 2 hours nap in the shade, after 3 tries.  The sunscreen flowed like wine!  These are all memories I don't want to forget.  These are the sweet reunion years, before everyone starts, ya know, leaving.  

Ackerson Reunion Day 1: Timp Hike

What better way to start off the annual reunion than with a hike up Timp!  We started nice and early, 5:30am!  Those tired teenagers are hard to convince.  Next time, we'll go with Allen's suggestion of starting at 4am!  You can NEVER start too early!  It was such a beautiful hike with mountain goats, bull moose, and plenty of wildflowers in the basin.  I'm still amazed that so many of the cousins can do this hike, and they were here 5 years ago (as 8 and 9-year-olds) doing the same thing!  The trail wasn't crowded at all and we made it up in great time.  I think my least favorite part is the final 3 miles, when it just goes on and on and gets hotter and hotter.  Thanks Allen, for being our trail leader, and for taking far-superior pictures than mine.  

Wall Lake

It is nearly impossible to get a campsite these days, especially on a weekend. We decided to pack for an overnighter to Wall Lake. We did it once before, when Drew was a baby, how much harder could it be? It’s only 1.2 miles to the lake. I borrowed a carrier for Tommy, just in case he couldn’t walk that far, but he did great. You gotta have that flexibility to stop a lot, play in the dirt, suck on rocks, pick wildflowers, etc. Whatever gets them there happily! We found a nice campsite close to the water. I appreciate the simplicity of backpacking. Even with kids, you only bring the bare essentials. They caught several fish and several more came unhooked, fortunately (who wants to carry out dead fish?). We made a campfire, ate junk food, brushed teeth and got them tucked into their sleeping bags. Tommy didn’t sleep that well… but if that’s the only thing that went wrong, I’ll take it!

We hiked out the next morning and ate lunch at an overpriced Dick’s Drive Inn. They were so nice to let us order, even though we forgot our masks. Oops, sorry summit county! By that point, we weren’t looking very hygienic anyway.

Will we do this again? Maybe next year. When each kid can carry their own sleeping bag and pad, we’ll at least talk about it again!

"Still Days"

 There was not much happening this year at Steel Days in American Fork. It didn’t stop us from coming down and spending the night with grandma and grandpa Hawkins! At least the parade wasn’t cancelled. They stretched it out through the neighborhoods to encourage social distancing… but then threw out candy to the kids. Anyway, grandma and grandpa’s house is always so much fun! We took a side trip to Cabela’s for a tent part and ended up spending 2 hours there looking at all the stuffed animals, giant fish, guns, and displays. The elevator was pretty popular too. It was a great way to kill a very hot afternoon!

4th of July Camping!

We decided to do something a little different than other 4^th of Julys: Camping! 

 I cannot believe there was actually a spot still available at Mill Hollow Reservoir. We pulled it together quickly and borrowed the kayaks from John. Realistically, it was only 24 hours of actual camping, so I didn’t think I needed that much stuff, right? Oh, boy! Having it all fit, without the topper on the car, was just a miracle! We definitely could’ve left our 8-man “palace” at home and brought the smaller tent. Oh well. At least we had room for the propane fire bowl. I would love to avoid actually smelling like we went camping.  Priorities!

Friday was a blast. Beverly and Lloyd came up as well for the fishing and 70-degree temps. Dallin and Anna got really good in the kayaks and were cruising all around the lake. Bevan and Lloyd caught their limit within a couple hours. Beverly and I sat in the sun. Tommy and Drew played in the mud. We all had a good time! I’m sad they had to leave after dinner, but at least they agreed to take the fish with them, so we didn’t have to keep them cold. Worked out beautifully!

On Saturday, we chowed on pancakes soaked in bacon grease and then I sent everyone to the lake so I could pack up in peace. It didn’t last. Soon they all came back, complaining how bored they were. Seriously? In the forest next to a beautiful lake? Kids are so hard to please these days. We made it back home for the hottest part of the day. It took forever to cool off in time for fireworks. Anna and Dallin went to Ryder’s to watch fireworks and the rest of us went to Main Street to watch the display off Memorial Hill. It was pretty spectacular! I love our country, our freedom, and these busy kids!