Summer Vacation 2009

A couple of weeks ago we traveled to the far northeast corner of the state to visit Wallowa Lake with our good friends the Sorenson's. Lucky us, we were invited to join them again for a week of fun, lots of sun and plenty of adventure. This magical place is surrounded by beautiful Swiss-like mountains and a lake that was formed by a glacier just 9 million years ago. Needless to say, the lake is freakin' cold. But that didn't deter Gus from embarking on his first fishing venture alongside his buddies Henry and Elliot. Even though they couldn't catch a fish to save their lives, a good time was had by all.

In addition to fishing and feeding deer, we had fun with bumper boats, racing go carts and taking in our first round of miniature golf. A highlight of the trip was our ride in a gondola to the top of Mt. Howard (3700 vertical feet). Up there the views are spectacular -- pretty sure you could see all the way to Idaho and beyond. Gus and Beau really enjoyed feeding the fat little squirrels and chipmunks at the top, and were generally pretty fearless on the ride up and back down.

We also had plenty of time to hang out, relax and enjoy each other's company around the cozy cabin. In addition to our two families, our good friends the Diller/Beardsley's were there with their little munchkins. And Erin and Mitch's neighborhood friends also joined us -- yes it was a party. The eight kids and eight adults had fun with big family-style dinners at the end of each day. And after the kids went to bed...a game of poker or two might have been had out on the back deck. Thomas even treated us to his famous 'lime-n-coconut' frozen drinks, something we haven't imbibed (is that really a word?) since our trip to St. John.

Below are just a few photos that sum up the trip. Enjoy.