Early last week Papa called and asked if we wanted to take the kids on a “field trip”.? I cautiously said yes.? I always exercise caution when dad wants to go on a day trip.?? Dad is an adventurer.? He doesn’t plan – he executes.? Growing up, us five kids had a wild ride with our thrill seeking father.? You never knew what you would discover in the remotest locations.? You could expect the unexpected though – rely upon it.?? Mechanical difficulties, blown tires, four wheeling tight spots requiring a rescuer with a wench, four wheeling in a station wagon (never a good idea), carrying the babies for miles in pillow cases because we broke down and had to walk, fording mountain, river, stream, and wild animal encounters…etc.? Add that to the fact that Dad has a bit of a Messiah complex and when we weren’t being rescued, we were rescuing someone else from the calamity that befell them.?? While I do question how much of my childhood plays into the careful planner that I am today, I also must admit that my childhood was fabulously fun.? Dad will read this and say “and you lived to tell about it didn’t you?”? 🙂

Dad’s list for these types of trips typically look like this:? 1.? Bring grandkids.? 2.? Bring fishing poles.? 3.? Bring hunting necessities.?? End of list.? Scratch that.? No need for a list with only 3 items.

Doni’s list looks like this (all written down on a literal piece of paper).? 1.? WATER? 2.? Food? 3.? Sunscreen? 4.? Lifejackets? 5.? Two pairs of extra socks per kid? 6.? Bug spray? 7.? Towels? 8.? Extra set of clothes for each kid.? 9.? Extra set of shoes for each kid? 10.? Extra set of shoes and clothes for me? 11.? Wet wipes? 12.? Chapstick? 13.? Hats? 14.? Pullups for Tori? 15.? Babies for Tori? 16.? Plates and silverware for food? 17.? Backpack to carry Tori in 18.? Epi-pen 19.? First aid kit ? (there was more but that is all I remember off the top of my head).

I must give Dad credit because he actually did bring more items than usual on this trip including bug spray.? 🙂

Dad told me that he, Daniel, Mom and I would go to our destination point together and that we would have to walk about 1/2 mile one way with the kids (seven of them).? I thought this was doable.? He also said we would be crossing some water but that it wouldn’t get deeper than my thighs and that he would bring a covered inner tube so that we could cross the kids in the tube.

This was mostly true.? The water was NOT thigh high however.? I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and I had to SWIM across the deepest part to get to our destination wearing my clothes and crocs.

Sweetie stayed on the opposite side of the bank with Tori, Cozy, and Ty.? Good thing she came.? :)? They only had to ford calf deep water.

It was exactly what I expected (meaning it was a Papa kind of trip).? It was also very fun and the kids had a blast.? I would miss out on a lot in my life if I didn’t dare to join Papa on his quests.? :)? Tori, with the spirit of her grandfather, was pleased with all that she saw and did.? She especially loved the dirt and the water.

Remember when I referred you over to Papa’s blog a couple of months ago because he had discovered what looked like fossilized bones?? That was our destination point.? The paleontologist that Dad contacted has not had a chance to personally view them but we decided we wanted our own pictures as Dad’s were taken with his phone when he initially found them.?? What could this possibly be?? Makes you wonder doesn’t it?

First is a pull back of the area:

Closer

Doesn’t this look like a spine and tail?? We took a lot of pictures with a tape measure as well and there seems to be too much symmetry to be some type of natural formation.? I hope a professional will go out and look at this because we are all really curious about it now.? Fun day trip for my kids too – especially if this turns out to be a true fossil.

Our trip would not be complete without some sort of encounter…

That is a rattlesnake!? When I finished looking at our “fossil”, I swam back across the river.? As soon as I exited, this rattlesnake entered about 20 feet down from me.? Daniel, feeling the male need to conquer, jumped BACK into the river and followed the snake back to the other side verifying that it was indeed a rattler.? (I know….why oh why oh why).? In the first picture you will see Daniel standing on the right bank.? He was looking at the snake.? The left side of the shot is a pull back of where the “fossil” is and the right side is where the snake went.? I was totally creeped out and couldn’t wait to get back to my kids who were then waiting on the opposite bank.?? My brothers have always called this area rattlesnake valley because they encounter them on most every visit.? Oddly, I don’t.? I think I am trying my best NOT to find them.

We also encountered lots of free range cows/bulls and ranch mules.? They were quite friendly and one of the larger mules kept following Papa to be petted.? I smiled from a distance.? :)? Tori, after hearing about the snake encounter, said “Mommy.? Nake.? Me.? OWWW!”?? Later when she spotted a cow she said “Mommy!? Cow!? Me kill it!”?? LOL.? I advised against that.? Ever my little warrior princess.

Note to my dear friend Liza:? I did not bring MY camera across the river.? Dad put HIS rebel on the inner tube and swam it across.? 🙂 :)? Dad and Jim – polar opposites.? 🙂