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Ruby
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« Reply #16 on: May 11, 2008, 06:45:45 PM » |
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40 people, 5 dogs, and 1 cat
Once again we arrived home from this trip with me vowing that next year we are going for a couple days more to take advantage of more at RRG. We'll see how that goes when we have an infant. ;)
We got home a while ago and have started unpacking and drying. What a downpour that was this morning!! I was a little worried about those who were left. Jon and the boys and I got nailed with the downpour on our last run to the truck. We were sopping wet but in good spirits. Just as we pulled out of the parking lot a severe thunderstorm warning alert was broadcast for Powell County, among others, saying to be prepared for driving rain, hail, and 70 mph winds and that if you were outdoors to take cover immediately in a shelter. How'd you guys make out?
BTW, we went for breakfast at the True North Outfitters hostel/Gorge Bistro just a few miles from our campsite. What a fantastic breakfast!! You get 3 scrambled eggs with cheese, fruit, 3 strips of bacon, seasoned tomatoes, tea/coffee/milk/juice as well as your choice of 3 pancakes, biscuits & gravy, or waffles for $6. What a delicious bargain! We highly recommend it.
We chatted with the owner after breakfast. He offered to help us out with our annual trip each year, offering a deal on the hostel. I told him I didn't think our group needed the hostel since we were pretty comfortable backpackers/campers. So then he offered to tag our campsites for us next year if we decided we wanted to go back to Koomer Ridge. He also offers canoe/kayak rentals and shuttle. We might try to get a day on the river doing that sometime.
I don't think anyone ever came up with an official head count, but we figured there was around 40 people this weekend, more than half of those were kids. My kids were wiped and slept a good part of our 6.5 hour drive home.
When I asked the kids tonight what was their favorite part of the trip, they said the swim hole at the river. Though the rope swing had been cut and the water was cold, they still loved it. They also loved running around the campsite playing with all the other kids, the s'mores, and the chairlift at Natural Bridge SP.
At the hostel this morning I picked up a book called Hinterland which is an unofficial RRG hiking guide. It has all the details for many, many hikes that aren't on the official maps. I may try to incorporate some of those next year. There are also a great number of more difficult hikes that should be done without kids or dogs, such as Indian Staircase. So if you want to learn about other off-the-map hikes at RRG, you may want to consider getting a copy.
It was so good to see everyone this weekend and to meet some new people. Some random thoughts:
*Stomper's husband is an awesome cook!
*Helinka is an amazing trooper of a mom to take her kids and pets, including a rescued cat, on such a jaunt for a weekend!
*It's not worth arguing with a ranger about RRG's vaguely written rules, even when you're right.
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