Idaho Vacation

So I will try to make this brief (I know, I know... not so good at that). It has taken too long to get these pictures of our trip to this blog, so I'm trying to write this post with my little boy on my lap--content with playing with the infant tylenol bottle (at least I'll notice if something goes horribly wrong, right?)

We had a great time in Idaho. It was nice to visit someplace so GREEN. We have to work hard for anything remotely green out here. My aunt and uncle live in northern Idaho (near Coeur D'Alene). They have 11 wooded acres (actually 22 acres, but the acreage around their home is 11 acres) in the mountain regions surrounding Hauser Lake. Very secluded and beautiful, with a creek that runs through their property and a mountain spring from which they get their water.

The kids love visiting. I think it was the tractor that sealed the deal for Ira when he made the trip as a toddler. Uncle Bob has a couple of tractors and a camel (small jeep-like off road vehicle) to work on the property, clear snow, etc. It really is a romantic setting, with wild turkey, deer and moose wandering through the woods. My aunt and uncle have feeding stations and a salt lick for the deer and moose. We got to see a juvenile moose while visiting, as well as several deer and of course the wild turkeys.

My uncle took us on a brief but steep hike to one corner of his property to see his spring. Eventually we had to carry Emma because it got so steep, but it was a beautiful hike (until the mosquitoes attacked at the spring :p). One area we passed is what my aunt and uncle call "Moss Rock" with an outcropping of several boulders covered in moss. My aunt likes to meditate here, and even had my uncle, with help, haul a cement pagoda-like statue to the spot (which is no easy task considering how steep the trail is!). After visiting the spring we walked down to the creek that runs through the property. My aunt lived in Redondo before moving to Northern Idaho and said she would do so only if she could live near water. So she still gets to wake up to the sound of water--only now as a rushing creek instead of crashing ocean waves. We also got to play in a "tree house"--really a little playhouse on stilts that was built here by the previous owners.

While in Idaho we also made a trip to the coolest park ever--Fort Sherman at Coeur D'Alene. It was built by the Kiwanis Club and it is HUGE. The only park I have seen to rival it is Legoland's medieval play area, and I think this one is even more fun. There are many places to climb, swing, and slide.

We also spent some time playing at Triple Play in Hayden, Idaho. I wish they had something like this in the desert. It is like a large "minature golf" area with your standard miniture golf, go-carts, bumper boats, lazer tag and bowling, but it also has an indoor water park called Raptor Reef. Sean did not approve of the water activities so he stay with grandma while the rest of us enjoyed the wave pool and children's water play ground. After the kid's had their fill we sent them to the arcade with grandma so Mark and I could check out the three larger slides. LOVE water slides! The individual slide wasn't too exciting, but the tandem slides were lots of fun!

On the whole, we had a great time in Idaho. Ira is already talking about what he'll do on his next trip to Uncle Bob's!