Dirt, Rocks, and Planes

A family getaway....to the thriving metropolis of Fields.  And yes, that is a busy place during chukar season!  This was Daniel's 30th birthday weekend and he and Carmen invited our family to join them on an outing to the desert.  I happily accepted because it's been over a month since I have been out of town (a long time by Lakeview standards!)

So, enjoy the photos!  I snapped almost 1gb of pictures so I have lots to share.  Here are the girls, throwing rocks into the creek.  Simple, yes, but they were just loving it!

We have a special tonka dump truck for our camp trailer.  Our girls think it's the greatest!  Dad loves that it is not pink!

And my favorite pic!  It was beautiful and sunny our entire vacation, a rare thing for January.

Elise is building a fire.  It's a little scary how much they are both obsessed with fire....none the less, this is a safe one!

We brushed the cobwebs off the old tire swing, much to Lauren's delight.  The girls and I stayed very busy as the others were off hunting Chukars.

Without a doubt the highlight of our trip was the two planes that landed on the highway right in front of us.  When it was time for them to leave we found a lovely place about 15 yards off the highway to watch the departure.  The girls were thrilled!  The pilots noticed the cheering section and entertained us by taking a couple loops around us before they disappeared into the horizon.

We enjoyed the world famous Fields milkshake.

And then took a dip.  It was awesome!!!  We journeyed to the Alvord Hot Springs.  It was a man-made pool, fed with the natural hot springs.  What an amazing experience in the middle of the desert surrounded by the Pueblo and Steens Mountains, the views were breath taking.   

On the way home we stopped at the Sheldon Refuge Headquarters and checked out the natural pool there.  The water is warm...but not warm enough for me on the cold January afternoon.  We hope to come back and camp here, it's the only place where they still allow mining on a public refuge.  There are many opal mines that we would like to explore.

And the girls drive off into the sunset.....

We were taken back by the beautiful scenery!  We feel so blessed to live in such diverse area and look forward to more adventures out east.