This summer's Friends Campout was in the Fingerlakes region of New York again. We moved the campout weekend to July to accommodate Dylan's wedding, which is on our traditional 2nd weekend of August this year. The timing and location just happened to work out perfectly for us to stop by Palmyra for the Hill Cumorah Pageant and head out to Niagara Falls for a day before joining our friends at Watkins Glen for a couple nights of fun, frivolity, and campfire cooking.
Hill Cumorah Pageant
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| Early evening in the Sacred Grove |
The pageant was very fun. We got there early enough to make a visit to the Smith Farmhouse and the Sacred Grove before finding our seats for the show. We got awesome seats saved for us by the family of one of our ward members -- it's great to have connections! The pageant was spectacular, of course, but I got the biggest kick out of the pre-pageant festivities. The cast members all wander around through the crowd, so it's kind of like princess-spotting at Disneyland . . . everyone wants to get their photo with their favorite character! Naturally, so did we.
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| With Joseph Smith, aka Austin's college pal Christian Hancey. |
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| Wicked King Noah and his wife saved us seats. Thanks! |
Niagara Falls
We got a slow start the next morning after our late night at the pageant, so we knew we would only have time for one big encounter with the falls. I've always wanted to go on the Maid of the Mist boat ride, but some tourists at breakfast convinced us that the Cave of the Winds was the way to go. I'm so glad we listened to them. We got ponchos and sandals as part of our admission price, then rode an elevator down to a series of wooden decks right beneath the falls. Lucy put on a double poncho then got herself completely soaked, just as she had hoped.
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| Sweet matching sandals. |
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| Still (temporarily) dry. |
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| Not anymore! |
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| Rickety walkways and rushing water. |
Watkins Glen State Park
I thought this camp location was great. We had plenty of space and privacy, which is unusual for state park camping. We all had our own camp sites but we moved the tables together into one central location (Mumford's camp -- always the most popular) for meals and campfire and general hanging out. We had one good strong downpour on Saturday morning, which meant that the water was almost as spectacular as Niagara when we hiked up to the falls later that morning. In keeping with tradition, we did some swimming in a natural body of water. This year, we followed it up with a swim in a very nice pool at the campground.
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| Bruce on the bottom of a pile of boys in the hammock. |
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| Hike up Watkins Glen |
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| The whole crew. |
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| Ready to attack a Ben & Jerry's Vermonster! 20 scoops plus toppings! |
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| Not deterred by chilly Seneca Lake |
Baseball Hall of Fame
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| Happy happy Austin. |
Driving home Sunday afternoon, we realized that we would be driving within 15 miles of Cooperstown, NY. We made an impulsive but immediate decision to exit the highway so Austin could cross the Baseball Hall of Fame off his bucket list. Austin was hilarious, it was like he reverted to a fourteen-year-old kid as soon as we got inside. He was talking so fast trying to tell us about all the players and teams and stories that we could hardly understand him. He was simply giddy, rushing from place to place, trying to take it all in while helping his mostly bemused family understand why this place brought him so much joy. Best detour ever.
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| Philly Phanatic Phans. |
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| Imparting important baseball facts to Gavin. |
All in all, a fun and unforgettable family weekend.
