We just got back from an AWESOME mini vacation to Robber's Cave State Park up in Wilburton, OK!! It was an absolutely gorgeous place!!
We forgot our camera so we ended up buying a new one (thankfully I was needing a new small point and shoot anyways - mine had quit working) and we took almost 300 pictures!!! It sure was hard picking which ones to put on the blog!! I would love to share them all so if you are ever at my house - just ask :-) I will share!
But here are some photo highlights from this fun trip!
We arrived on Wednesday, a rainy day. It was raining when we set up but we decided to head into town and pick up some needed items (and new batteries for the truck) and by the time we got back the rain had stopped. So we headed out to our first trip to the cave! Boy did the kids have fun climbing!
Wednesday night Daniel had a hard time getting the campfire lit (wet wood)....so we didn't get to try our pizza on the grill. I just did it in the oven. I also found a recipe a long time ago that I finally was able to try!! We took bananas - and slit the peel lengthwise to make little boats and filled them with peanut butter, marshmallows and chocolate chips. We then covered them in the foil and put them in the oven (originally wanted to put them on the campfire). They were SOOOOO good!! We will definitely be making those again! (below is a not very good picture before they got their second wrap of foil and put in the oven.
We did finally get the campfire going and had hot chocolate out by the campfire as we read a choose-your-own-adventure book called 'Lost in the Wild'. After dying once and killing our sister 3 times we finally successfully survived being lost in the wild! LOL! Strange book!
On Thursday we went up to Tahlequah, OK to the Cherokee Nation Heritage Center. We had no idea they were having Education Days that day! They didn't have their normal tours. Instead the fee was $5 a kid (and chaperones/parents were free) and they tables with hands on activities set up everywhere. They got to do weavings, shoot blowguns, play stickball, listen to an Indian storyteller, and many other fun things! Who would have guessed that we would have ended up on a homeschool field trip during our vacation!
These pictures are from a colonial village school house - they had two guys that was teaching the kids some words in the Cherokee language.
And here are some pictures of the kids playing stick ball. The first game they played there were a bunch from a school trip playing as well. The thing about stick ball is that the girls have no rules! The boys have to use sticks to catch and throw the balls but the girls can use their hands. In the first game the girls were brutal! So we went back when no one was over there and asked if just our kids could play. He allowed us too - and Alyssa was brutal!! She whooped those boys! It was hilarious!
After our time there we went to Wal-Mart (because you know we have to visit every wal-mart there is LOL)...and that is when we got our new camera! We decided that we were staying in too pretty a place to not have a good camera!
After Wal-Mart we went and had a really late lunch at a 50s diner there in Tahlequah! I got to have an Indian fry bread taco - YUM!! (everyone else had boring meals of corn dogs and bacon burgers LOL)
I love this picture of Aaron and I that Daddy got!
We went back to the the park and decided to go hike the cave again!
(I think this pic is showing our guardian angels, who had to stick close by to keep everyone safe, especially dare-devil Seth, from cliffs and rocks and slides!)
Daniel actually got stuck here and could not make it through. He had to go find an alternate route to meet up with us.
These next few pics are when we actually got to Robber's cave!
HOLD ON SETH!!!!!
Thursday night we had a good campfire going and had fun roasting smores!!
On Friday we got up and had pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast (all on our propane grill - YUM!!) and then headed out for a 2 1/2 mile hike!
We then went and attempted fishing - had no luck catching any this day though! (It was cold and it rained on us at one point)
this was all Daddy got to do - bait hooks and untangle lines.
So for Friday night dinner we tried a couple of recipes that I have been wanting to try for some time as well (can you tell I finally got to trying the recipes I put on Pinterest way back?!? LOL!!)
We did BACON DOGS!! - You put a lengthwise slit in a hot dog weiner and stick a mozzerella cheese stick in the slit - and then wrap it in bacon and grill!! YUM!!
We also did atomic poppers!! You take a jalapeno half, fill it with mixture of cream and cheddar cheese and lay a lil smokie on top of that and then wrap it in bacon and grill!! YUM!! YUM!!!
For dessert we took mini rolos and stuffed them inside a marshmallow and then roasted it on the campfire! YUM!! YUM!! YUM!!
(We also tried cheese fries - but I don't think we had our fire quite hot enough...they didn't turn out as yummy as all the other stuff)
our bacon dogs and atomic poppers before they went on the grill
On Saturday morning we got up and made french toast on the propane grill! (along with bacon and scrambled eggs!) I wanted to make sure my bunch was fed well because we were headed out for a big hike today!! We went on a 3 mile hike called 'Rough Canyon Trail'. It was a beautiful trail! There was lots of climbing though. Our legs got quite the work out!
After our hike we took another stab at fishing!! We had much better success this time! (well...Aaron did at least LOL! He is quite the fisherman!)
Aaron caught the first fish.
Alyssa and I caught the next fish.
There's Aaron - catching another fish!
Alyssa wanted to kiss it!
And Aaron caught another one!
I think Daddy also caught another small fish that we didn't get a picture of.
We came back to the camper and grilled bacon burgers and then finished up our smores supplies! YUM!
yes - that is her sleeve STUCK to her shirt! Have yet to determine if I will be able to get all the marshmallow out of that shirt.
We also had fun reading another Hank the Cow Dog book around the campfire every night!
And thankfully we were on full hook up so we were able to throw the kids in the shower every night. Lord knows they needed it!
It was a super fun trip! One that will be remembered for years.
Until next time,
Kellie
