Our campsite

There were only three electric sites left when we made our reservations at Caledonia. We randomly picked one and got a great site. We would like this exact site again next year! It had plenty of room, close to the bathrooms and we were surrounded by beautiful woods!

The children spent a great deal of time playing in the woods. They occupied their time and were still close to "home" and could be easily watched.

Leaving our campsite

On Saturday afternoon we drove over to Boyer's Nursery. Each year we buy fruit from Boyer's, usually more than once. Since it's so close to Caledonia, we decided to stop in. One reason we like Boyer's so much is they sell "seconds" on their fruit. These are fruits that aren't perfect, but still perfectly good to eat and much cheaper.

Kaden enjoys an apple in the van on our way to Mister Ed's peanut shop and museum.

Kaden was less than thrilled by the talking elephant!

If you love elephants, Mister Ed's is the place to visit. He has a large and very unique collection on display. My favorites were the elephant potty chair, sprinkling can and elephant shaped rock.

Hiking the Caledonia trails

I love to hike, and couldn't wait to hit the trails first thing Saturday morning. Ashton gets Kaden ready and takes him for a test ride.

Not everyone in our family likes to hike. In fact, one of my children HATES it! I won't mention any names, but I think you can tell by "the look" and by who is lagging behind!

We walked a short trail and headed toward the creek and a stop at the playground. Dale and I would like to come back by ourselves some day so we can truly hike, without people needing to rest, get a drink or stop every few feet to collect leaves!

Despite the water being extremely cold, the kids still had to get in the creek!

Dutch Oven cooking

As Scout Master, Dale has done Dutch Oven cooking many times. Using a dutch oven this weekend while at Caledonia was a first for me. I put together a meal of chicken and rice, placed it in the dutch oven, and Dale did the rest. So many hot coals go on the bottom, so many on top. In just under two hours we had a delicious meal!

The chicken breasts were so tender! The entire family couldn't get enough! Next time I'd like to try lasagna!

While waiting for supper to cook, Ashton found several "walking stick" insects. Watching and playing with them occupied some of our waiting time.


Speaking of insects and bugs... Ashton also found a couple of caterpillars that entertained the children as well. What's camping without bugs?