Camping Fiasco

Wow, never published this post since the pictures didn't come out too good. Here's the post as I left it last. It is from late June:

I went out camping with Lisa and Nicki this weekend. There were huge thunder and lightening storms all around the sawtooth mountains which we were camped at the very base of them, huge granite peaks! The lightening was awesome and the thunder more so as it was so loud and close. We spent a ton of time soaking in the hot springs while it was pouring rain. There were tons of deer everywhere. We also saw a bunch of elk and a pair of Sandhill cranes. It was very nice until Aika was bit by a dog. She was just up in his face and he was trying to assert his personal space but caught her ear in the scuffle. It ripped her ear up really badly, there was a ton of blood and it shook me up. We were so far and remote (a 3 hour drive from phone service) that we couldn't do much for it beside stop the bleeding and keep it clean so she will always have a big rip in her ear now. I told her to tell her sister she was wrestling bears! It looks really bad but she is doing just fine, she's her perky normal self. Then we were hiking and I got chigger bites all over me, it's akin to chicken pox with all the little red welts and the itching. So I was pretty miserable and then, Nicki slipped on a rock and hit her arm right at the wrist really hard. So we hiked back to camp super quick and did a M.A.S.H. type bug out to come home. We drove very careful and got into town around 9pm last night. Called Cobi and told him all the story right as we hit cell service. He took care of me with a lavendar bath, some benedryl and we washed and treated Aika's ear right when I got home. Chad whisked Nicki off to the emergency room for x-rays. She called and it turns out she broke the bone in two places. Eeek. So this was a very weird weekend indeed! There was supposedly a mother bear and two cubs near our camp but we never saw them. Probably a good thing with the luck we had this weekend. The few short great moments though included soaking in the hot springs just the three of us drinking wine, eating cheese and chocolate and chatting amongst the backdrop of gorgeous granite peaks and lush green forest while deer sauntered through the meadow behind the springs. So you see, sometimes it's not all wonder and enjoyment in paradise, but hey, you're still in paradise right?!! :)