Mogollon Rim

We had Fall Break this week and the kids begged us to go camping. So Jason took a couple of days off and we headed north to the Mogollon Rim near Payson, AZ.

It was so beautiful. Even though I live in the desert and long to be in greener pastures, I am glad that Arizona has places that I can visit and get respite from the sagebrush and saguaro cactus (unlike other states I could mention but won't).

Here are some pics of our fun camping trip!

We found a great campsite at the Christopher Creek campground.

Yo dude! This place rocks!

Alyssa is making a bed for her barbie.

Setting up the tent. Alas, it fell apart after this trip, but it has served us well and has given us many wonderful camping memories.

This is how my husband starts a fire. How about yours?

Saying "Good Morning" to the pooch.

Just waking up.

The mornings were pretty cold, but we had hot cocoa and a morning fire to warm us up.

Hanging by the fire.

Getting hugs from Daddy.

What a dirty face!

Here is a shot of our campsite. What you don't see is the mountainside across the street that is filled with many fun places to explore.

Love this dirty smile!

Kamary loves to create and pretend. The kids actually made a huge shrine, but I didn't get a picture. :(

Relaxing with Minnie.

During the day we headed to Woods Canyon Lake. It was so beautiful. There was a trail that went all the way around the lake. We only took it part of the way, but loved it! We even got a little taste of Autumn.

Here's a shot with the lake and a fisherman. They rent fishing boats for $45 for 4 hours. That's going on our "things to do" list!

Lauren & Alyssa.

At the lake.

Lauren's dipping her feet in the lake-- giving the "princess" pose.

Roasting hot dogs over the fire. My kids love roasting things. They keep coming up to me and asking, "Now what can I roast?" This time we did the normal hot dogs and marshmallows but also added shrimp and mushrooms. Yummy.

Alyssa found a secret hideout.

Her hideout was only a few feet from our campsite.

Getting ready to pack up the car. It looks empty now, but we packed that thing full, using up every available space!

Another Brynlie smile-- can't get enough of them.

Hanna's roasting one more hot dog before we douse the fire and head home.

Minnie found a comfy place to rest under the picnic table.

We really enjoyed our trip. It was kind of hard coming back to the desert. At least we have pictures and memories that can tide us over until next time!