First Bi-Annual Hume Lake Vacation

In August we enjoyed our first real family vacation with the kids. We travel several times a year to see family and it's always great, but this was our first chance to truly get away and enjoy the great outdoors for a week. Together with Zac's parents and his brother's family, we stayed in a private cabin at Hume Lake, a Christian camp near Kings Canyon in the central mountains of California. Here are some highlights from our week.

Our first night we had a surprise wildlife encounter: a racoon came right up to the patio door!


Sunday morning we attended a church service, and Sunday afternoon we enjoyed a visit from some more of Zac's extended family, including his grandparents:



On Monday morning Zac and Preston joined up with a group from the camp to try rapelling. The rest of us drove out and parked along a cliff to see if we could spot them (I couldn't, but Angie thought she saw them).



Preston took these photos of Zac in action:


In the afternoon we all enjoyed a trip to the pool. Katia was no fan of the water at first, but she came around. Annika and Ely got brave enough to doggy paddle around without their swim vests. Zac and Preston had a diving contest.



We went on several small hikes during the week. The kids handled them well and enjoyed looking for hiking sticks along the way. Zac's dad helped with carrying Katia in the backpack--not bad for a Grandpa who's about to turn 60!



A highlight for Annika was visiting the elementary school campground, called Wagon Train (so named because the campers get to sleep in covered wagons). There were no campers there this week, so the girls were able to play on this enormous tree house.





We were only there for part of an afternoon, but I think the girls could have spent a whole day hanging out at Wagon Train. We took a couple opportunities for family photos while there:



On Wednesday we took a day trip to Sequoia National Forest, where we saw this enormous tree:
We returned in time to have an early dinner at the cabin. Since the kids were all well-rested from their car naps, Zac's parents treated us all to an impromptu date night. Whoo-hoo! We went out for ice cream while the gramps took all four kids to feed the ducks.


I should mention that Zac and his family grew up visiting this camp. So when we went on the Hike to the Little Brown Church, they all knew what to expect. I didn't know the church was going to be quite this small!

There was a guestbook inside for us to sign and slips of paper to write prayers on. The girls had a great time following the little signs that led us to the Little Brown Church.

Thursday afternoon we took the kids to play in the lake. Nothing beats sand and water play for little kids.


An older boy came over to show the girls some frogs he'd caught. Ely was eager to hold one; Annika, not so much. After passing the frogs around awhile, we released them back into the lake, only to see one of them get eaten by a duck!
On Friday, our last day, we rented a canoe and a rowboat. There was a lovely breeze out on the water and I loved watching Annika with her paddle. Katia stayed ashore with Grandma.



For our final evening together, we sat around a campfire and made s'mores.


It was the perfect ending to a wonderful week. I think we've agreed to do it again in two years; maybe even next year for a shorter visit. What great memories our girls will have of spending summer vacation with the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.