Father's Day 2011 at Grover Springs State Park

Our annual Father's Day campout with Dana & Leslie, Dorothy & Jeffery & Kyria, Kristine & Alex (with their beautiful white boxers, Xena and Brock), and Grant & happened this year at Grover Hot Springs, near Markleeville, California.  We had so much fun!  D&J brought bikes to share, there were rides, there were jogs and hikes. 

We talked and ate like mad, took the drive up to Ebbet's Pass, ate dinner at JT's Basque Restaurant in Gardnerville, and just enjoyed each other so much.  Kristine and Alex explored the area with the dogs, Kyria, Dana, and Leslie jogged, Jeffery and Kyria rode bikes to Markleeville, Dorothy and Grant rode bikes to the Hot Springs.  It was very hard to part company after a lovely weekend, but knowing that Dana & Leslie will be making a 2nd home in Reno makes it a little easier!


Grant sets up the new tipi

Our campspots

Brock and Xena - Great campers and grass eaters!

Partial group shot

Dana starts the first campfire of Father's Day 2011

Kristine and Alex rocking the babies to sleep on Friday night

Saturday

Dorothy and Jeffery greeting the sun atop the hill behind our campsite

Kyria, Leslie, and Dana gabbing

Grant arrived late and warmed his back in the sunshine

Leslie and Dorothy discussing deep topics while heating water to wash dishes

Grant and Kyria lingering while breakfast is prepared

Scottish Oatmeal & leftover sausages from Friday night dinner...yum!



Dorothy and Grant rode bikes over to the Hot Springs while the rest of us hiked across the meadow

The Hike



Kyria pauses to photograph



The vista she was photographing!

More photographers

The Hot Springs are in the far left distance

Kyria and her Daddy on Father's Day weekend!

Dana and Leslie with the Hot Springs in the background

Dorothy and Grant beat us to the Pools, but Jeffery and I both had the money and bathing suits in our packs so they had to wait for us! 

Kyria at the source of the hot water

Back at camp, while the rest of us stretch out for a lounge, Grant computes!

The trip to Ebbet's Pass



Dorothy and Uncle Jeffery

Grant and Sara

Leslie and Dana

Kristine and Alex

Cyclists on the easy leg of the journey (downhill)

A rather lovely little waterfall

Grant taste-testing the water coming down off the hill---snow melt

Leslie and Grant getting a canteen-full of the best tasting water we've ever found!

Dana taking his taste

The cone shape of this mountain intrigued me



Sunday Morning ~ Father's Day

The Early Birds Reading the Flower, Fauna, and Local Information books

"Oy!! I just realized that Dad's cooking breakfast on Father's Day!"

The First Pancake of Father's Day!"

Alex waited to eat til he fed the kids

Leslie is illustrating how cold it got as the clouds gathered...thankfully, they dissapated not long after we cleaned up.

Dismantling

Dana getting info on tipi construction


Our Hike to the Waterfall

Sniffing a tree to see whether it is a Jeffery or a Ponderosa Pine
~Jefferies have a scent, some say pineapple, lemon, butterscotch, or vanilla~
~Ponderosa's don't have a scent~

We begin our 1.5 mile hike to the Falls

I love the shine on the grasses!

Those who take pictures often fall behind the rest of the group

Snow flower

The climb to the falls

Grant atop the falls!

That's Dorothy waving

Heading back

 After our hike, we all soaked again in the Hot Springs and picnicked in the shade before parting company with fond hugs, plans for next year, and lots of memories to cherish!