Collin: Spring Break

I am so glad I go to spend Spring Break with the family this year. I have been working some hours at the office during the week and weekend so I was ready to spend some time with the family. They picked a place to stay so I could work if I needed to while they played. So that Collin would have someone to play with, his cousin Timmy came along with us. He was excited about the trip and spending time with us.

Day 1

The boys did great during the 4 hour ride to the cabin on the lake. They either played video games or talked only asking just a few times how long it would be until we got there. When we arrived, we unloaded the Jeep and then heeded to the off-road adventure park, Hidden Falls. We were all excited to take the Jeep off-road and ride on the trails. Timmy was the most talkative and narrated a majority of the 2 ½ trip. At one point, I got really nervous about doing down a really steep decline. I wanted out and watched them safely get across. I then had to jump over the water and climb to the other side to get back in the Jeep. While jumping over, my left side landed on a cactus. When I got to the other side, I had to pull out at least 20 cactus needles out of my leg before getting back into the Jeep. Those suckers stung!

The boys are excited to see what's on the other side of the hill

Our view on the first trail

The trails and the scenery were amazing! We were in rolling hills. Some of the trails took us to the top of the hill and we had a great view of the surrounding area. The boys were happy to get out and play a little. They “created” a slide and slid down the flat part on their slip and slide. After about 30 minutes, we left to roll on a few more trails before heading back.

Getting out to play a little. Collin remembered how to climb down the rocks from our hiking trip.

I like this shot. Dad got me taking a picture of the boys sliding down the path.

Great shot of Dad overlooking the valley below

A view of the campground and some of the trails

At the end of the day. Great first day on the trails.

The boys wanted in the shot

Once we were back at the lake, the boys swam a little. Timmy could not wait to get in so we let them swim to get it out of their system for a few minutes. The water was freezing but they did not care. Dad hung out in the water as long as he could stand it.

Jumping from the dock

Acting like sharks and then splashing each other

Great view from the dock of some of the lake

After a very busy day, we all crashed in our beds around 10pm. I was also feeling a little queasy. Maybe it was from the cactus needles or working the long, long days I did at work for the past 5 days.

Day 2

Before heading out to the trails, the boys got in an early morning swim. They did not last too long because the water was cold.

Collin being a fish

The lake is so peaceful in the morning.

Today, we rolled on trails near or on the river so there was a lot of water and mud involved. Timmy thought going through the water was “amazing!” Everyone seemed to have a great time today. We stayed on the trails for about 3 hours before the boys started to get tired.

Coming out of a riverbed

The big boy is having fun!

While we were waiting for Dad to put the air back in the Jeep tires (he has to let a lot of the air out so the tires will grip the rock and road better), the boys threw a Frisbee together….until it go stuck in a tree. Collin tried getting it out by throwing rocks at it and then thought he would use the football to get it out…and that cog tuck in the tree. Then he used the tennis ball in the Jeep …. Until THAT also got stuck in the tree. We all gathered up some small rocks to through at all of the objects stuck in the tree. Finally, I was able to get all of them out and was Collin’s hero because the he won the Frisbee for raising money during the Boosterthon.

Not bad for a 46 year old!

The boys were "spotting" me and telling me which direction to go so I was closer to the frisbee

Before heading back to the cabin, we stopped for some ice cream. Great idea Dad!

Day 3

The boys must have been tired because they slept 1 ½ hours longer than the last two mornings. After breakfast, the boys went for a swim. This time, there were other guests on the dock trying to fish. They did not seem like it bothered them that the boys were swimming around the area and making noise. We hung out for about 30 minutes before loading up in the Jeep again. The weather was overcast and it was supposed to rain. We thought we could get in at least an hour of rolling before we had to go.

Water!

....and more water!h

The Jeeps in front show the types of trails we drove on

Takes some skill to drive up the trails like these

They weather held out for us and it was a great last day on the trails. This time, we stayed on the East side of the park where the trails were more narrow and challenging. I was alert the entire time because of the challenge of the trails AND it was really nice in that area. They boys got bored in about an hour. I guess there was not enough mud and water on this side…and it was Day 3 of being in the Jeep. Timmy could only think of eating and swimming. We were all getting hungry so we left the trails after about 2 hours.

Oh, Collin did get the Frisbee stuck in the tree again. This time, no one could get it out. We had to leave it and brought a not-so-happy kid back with us. We did tell the place to put it in the lost and found if it ever fell out of the tree.

The bluebonnets are in bloom and gorgeous! I had to take some pictures the first day but was smart enough to know the boys would not sit still long enough for me to take pictures of them beside the flowers. I did make them do it this morning before we left for the trails. I found a barn with the Texas flag painted on it and thought that would be a great place for a picture. I had them then sit near a patch of bluebonnets. Timmy was not interested in smiling but Collin did sit still for me so I could get a few good pictures.