The Munns Go Camping

The Munns Go Camping - June 2-4, 2014

Whenever we do something out of the ordinary,  we say "The Munns Go ..." Such as The Munns Go to Brick Oven (a comedy), The Munns Go to Lagoon (action), The Munns Go to Toys R Us (drama), or The Munns Go to Walmart (horror). Shayne and I will laugh as we talk about it later, almost as if it were a funny show or documentary. In this episode,  The Munns Go Camping (adventure).

First of all I have to say this trip wasn't originally meant to be a camping trip. We started planning a trip to Texas,  then Disneyland,  and when money kept running out we gradually stepped laddered down to Lagoon,  and finally camping.   To make it a little more appealing though, we decided to make it extra fun by going to a place I loved and remembered - Crystal Hot Springs in Honeyville,  Utah. Oh the memories there! I used to love going there as a kid. Swimming in the hot mineral water pools,  sliding down the slides, mixed with the fun combination of camping and family - it would be perfect. 

I hadn't seen my kids so excited in a long time! We bought a new tent a few days before and as all our camping stuff was being gathered,  anticipation was building along with the pile. They were so excited, the girls even sat in the car a full 30 minutes before we actually left the driveway.  Liam was well rested and the trip up went smoothly for everyone.  Once we reached Crystal Hot Springs, I wasn't at all surprised the first thing the girls would want to do was swim. My Mom and Dad who we were camping with had already been there a while and took the girls down for a swim while we hung back and set up camp.  Liam played in his new play yard, Shayne set up the tent, and I emptied the car and set up camp. 

I loved everything. It was so great getting away from our worries. I loved the fresh air and sunshine. Seeing the trees, beautiful sunset, my kids playing at the pool not far from us brought a smile to my face. Even the food tasted better at camp. 

Well, I loved ALMOST everything anyway. Ear wigs seemed to be drawn to me by a magnetic pull. Everywhere I turned, I was finding them on me.  Ew. I hate those little devil bugs. 

I will admit, I was nervous about sleeping the first night in the tent.  It was our first camping trip with kids and we had no idea what to expect. Everything went better than expected though. The sun and swimming wore the kids out so other than Liam waking briefly a couple of times, they slept all night long.

The kids woke bright and early to a chorus of birds singing and cows moo-ing in the distance.  Everyone soon gathered around camp to help cook breakfast. Dad made greasy bacon, and Shayne whipped up eggs and hashbrowns. I couldn't resist setting the table with our brand new camping dishes.  Bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns, complete with orange juice. After breakfast, we cleaned up the camp and by 10:00 am were ready to swim. 

I purchased three swim and slide passes and one swim only pass for Kaitlyn. The little ones had their life jackets on, and we were ready to go. The water was so warm, Liam just melted. He looked like he was going to take a nap right there floating in the water. Kaitlyn preferred the "cold" pool. She had swimming lessons with one of the father's teaching his daughter to swim.  Ellie started out staying with the group but after a while earned our trust and made friends so she swam wherever she wanted mostly.  Whenever Shayne swam, the kids surrounded him taking turns being thrown into the pool. You couldn't help but smile. 

After a couple hours, I wanted to try out the slide.  Going into the stairwell up to the slides felt like entering a time machine. Everything was EXACTLY how I remembered it as a kid. The pale blue walls, rusty hand rail, and rusty colored pavement going all the way up. I was no longer a 31 year old woman, I felt like a 11 year old girl all over again. Going down the slides was just like I remembered. I told Ellie the stories of my youth and every time we went down laughing and yelling, we would say, "Just one more time!"  I could have ridden it all day. 

Later into the day, my brother and his family came to join us for the night. My mom had prepared tin foil dinners, and we were excited to sing around the campfire and make s'mores.  Liam fell asleep that night to sounds of crackling fire, crickets, and Kumbaya being sung in the background.  Even though I was missing out on s' mores for the second night in a row, I treasured the moment.

Our last day was more relaxing at the pool than the first when everything was so new and exciting. We were all full and happy to be there after eating Danny delicious Mountain Man Breakfast he made for everyone in his Dutch oven. Ellie looked beautiful in some makeup Aunt Uurtsaikh put on her.  I spent a lot of time just sitting under my sport umbrella enjoying the sun and company of my little ones while snacking on trail mix and sipping soda. Poor Shayne didn't wear enough sunscreen the day before so he didn't enjoy the pool much this day. His poor aching back and face made it difficult to do much of anything, but he still worked hard to take down the tent and load the car back up. We knew we'd be sad to go back home later that day.  

Finally the trip was over and like a good dream - it ended too fast and we were back to reality. We had a wonderful time and hope to make Crystal Hot Springs a cherished tradition.  It wasn't Texas, Disneyland,  or Lagoon, but it more than made up for any disappointment we were feeling before. I am so glad we went camping; it was a great adventure.