The annual migrations - COVID edition

After a few weeks in California we decided to go on our annual migration.  We hadn't planned on coming to the US this summer let alone visiting family in Utah and Idaho.  Even though there were various restrictions and recommendations, we went anyway.  We drove straight through the 12+ hours from California to Utah.  We usually stay over with friends in Reno.  But things being the way they were we kept to ourselves.  There wasn't any of the usual traffic, but it was still a long day.  In Utah you were supposed to register when you entered the state.  Only a few people did.  We didn't.  At that time there were still only a few cases in Utah outside of Salt Lake City and Park City.  Northern California had more, but still relatively few cases compared to other parts of the country, and was quite shut down compared to Utah.  New York was the national hot spot.

We had a great trip.  It was completely relaxing since we didn't chase around and do big things.  We visited my parents and brothers and just didn't do anything special.  It was great.  So often when we get together it is an Event.  This time I had time to talk to everyone and just spend time together.  We celebrated Cinco de Mayo and Star Wars Day.  We went on walks and bike rides, played games, and watched the Mandalorian.  

LDS Salt Lake Temple under construction

The flowers on Temple Square are always beautiful, but especially in the spring.

I love the combination of shirts here for Star Wars day (May the 4th be with you).  They really are good friends.  She calls him her emotional support human.

The candy had a rough time in the pinata.

Just dance!

Scout camps in Switzerland and California were cancelled this summer like so many other events and activities.  There were only 10 BSA camps open this summer and for many of those the seasons were short.  My Sister-in-law and niece are in a BSA troop in Utah so they invited us to go to Camp Loll with them.  This was the second migration for the summer, not something we usually do.  We were excited to go, but Nevada didn't get any smaller in the weeks between our visits.  We spend a lot of time in the car on these migrations.  We pass the time listening to podcasts (me) or watching videos and playing games (kids).  We listen to music and sometimes sing along.  We listened to all sorts of things including Hamilton, Abba Gold, Blues Brothers, and a funny CD called Gear Jammin' Greats.  It's perfect for road trips.  It's a compilation album of trucking songs from the 70s including classics like Six Days on the Road, Convoy, and I'm a Truck.  John bought it the summer he was driving tomato trucks in central California 25 years ago.  It makes me smile.

Before heading up to camp we had an impromptu family reunion.  On Friday we went ice blocking at a park then played 9 square and camped in my brother's yard.  Early the next day we headed up the canyon to Pineview reservoir for a day on the water.  Such a fun weekend.  

For those unfamiliar with the fabulous sport of ice blocking it is pretty self explanatory.  You sit on a block of ice and slide down a grassy hill on a hot summer day.  Bonus if you have a towel to put on top of the ice block.  You still get a wet behind, but you are less likely to stick to the ice.  I remember the ice blocks being bigger.  Maybe they shrank, maybe I grew.

9 square in action

Pineview sand? castle

After the 12+ hours to Utah we still had another 5 hours to get to camp.  Fortunately we were able to say with my brother in Idaho, only 2 hours from camp.  Camp Loll is just over the Idaho border into Wyoming a couple miles south of Yellowstone National Park and north of the iconic sawtooth peaks of the Teton mountains.  It is a beautiful drive.  You go from the flat farm valley surrounding Rexburg then off the highway through Squirrel, Idaho.  Squirrel is a beautiful place.  Widely scattered farm houses surrounded by fields of potatoes and barley.  You know you are in Squirrel because there is a lonely little cemetery with a sign that says Squirrel Cemetery.  The paved road ends soon after Squirrel as you ride up through the mountain meadows, quaking aspen and sunflowers.  You are getting close to camp after you move up to pine trees, bear grass, and lupine.  It is a stunningly beautiful location, quite isolated from any towns or city lights.  At night I heard sounds I didn't recognize.  I thought at first it might be a distant train whistle, but there aren't any trains nearby.  We found out that it was bugling elk that were keeping me awake, thanks to the NPS Yellowstone sound library.  Add that to the birds that start singing at first light and the scouts that are woken up by the birds and you get some early mornings.

View of the lake from our camp site.

Side view of the big rappelling rock.

One day I went with the older scouts to the 90 foot rappelling rock.  The view over the valley was spectacular.  The camp lake looked so small and far away.  You could look across the valley and out on the horizon you could just see the tip of the center tooth of the Teton range.  It's been awhile since I did any climbing or rappelling, but it was still a lot of fun.

On a different day and different 25 foot rock My Girl tried rappelling for the first time.  She was nervous about it, but overcame the fear and did a great job.  She even went down a second time.  I am so glad she gave it a try.

The camp director has been there for ages.  He had two sons there on staff with their little kids running around.  The staff were experienced and excellent.  The director had pulled in all his favors from years of work to get the volunteers needed to run the camp this summer.  No one was sure if the camp would happen or not.  It was all up to the county health department.  With many assurances of mask wearing, hand sanitizing, and social distancing the camp was allowed to happen.  It was one of only 10 BSA camps open this year.  The program was quite traditional with all the merit badge classes one would expect including the water front badges offered in a freezing cold lake.  The camp fires and flag ceremonies were full of patriotism and reverence with a healthy dose of silliness.  The songs and skits were fun and funny.  Our troop isn't one for much singing.  Except for a well done and very memorable operatic rendition of the Phineas and Ferb theme song at camp last year.  

On one night they had Scottish highland games.  It was quite impressive to see what games they came up with that were fun and scouty and designed to keep the scouts at a distance the health department would approve of.  Most impressive was the fact that the staff included not one, but two bagpipe players and a young woman playing Scottish fiddle tunes while the scouts played their games.  What does that job listing look like?  

Wanted: Experienced volunteer camp staff.  Must be happy to live without cell service, wifi, indoor showers, or flushing toilets.  Must be able to sing, perform skits, teach classes, calm anxious tweens about to go over the edges of tall cliffs and be willing to face down bears and multitudes of very large mosquitos.  Bagpipe players and fiddlers preferred.  

In reality several of the adult staff are high school teachers who invite the best of the best in their schools to come work at camp.  Only a few are hired through the regular application process.  This summer with schools and jobs on hold the staff were people who had been coming to camp for years.  One of the staff members was up at camp volunteering since him mom was working in the cantina.   It turns out that my brother and I were neighbors with his dad when we were growing up.  It was fun to tell him stories about his dad and grandpa.  Our commissioner was a youngish college professor who was teaching online for the summer.  He had been on staff as a teen.  It had been a positive life changing experience for him.  He and his family still camp with his friends made on staff many years ago.

One of the camp traditions is the Polar Bear challenge.  This is a common enough thing at scout camps.  Typically it involves an early morning dip at the waterfront.  This one is a little different.  This Polar Bear is a 10 second shower in a little waterfall fed by snow melt.  They can't let you stay longer than 10 seconds because of risk of hypothermia.  And yes, this is the stream that feeds the camp's icy lake.  All that for the ice blue bead.  My Girl and I did the swim check in the lake on the first day but didn't get in the water after that.

Wednesday was hike day.  We chose the hike to Terraced Falls.  Depending on who you ask it was 8 or 10 miles.  Part of the troop went to Union Falls, a 20 mile round trip.  I've done 20 miles in a day before and this just wasn't the day to repeat that.  My boy wanted to stay in camp for the day.  At another time I might have insisted, but I let him stay this time.  It turned out fine.  He stayed in camp and got to try blacksmithing.

Bear grass blooming

We hiked along the camp lake to the official trailhead and crossed into Yellowstone.  No gate.  No line of cars.  Perfect.  After entering the park, much of the trail runs along the Falls River.  

We saw several falls and rapids before we came to the big one at the end of our hike.  The whole thing was gorgeous.  It was a beautiful hike and just right for me that day.

During down time in camp a couple of the leaders taught the scouts things like wood carving and stone knapping.  I made a wooden spoon and my girl made an obsidian arrow head.

It was such a great week well worth the effort to get there.  

After camp we spent a couple of days with Grandma and Grandpa doing laundry, catching up, and resting.  Then it was time to go home.  We went home the long way through Southern Utah instead of our usual route through Reno.  We arrived in time for a late afternoon swim and a sunset walk through a desert botanical park.  It all reminded me how much I love the red rocks of Southern Utah.  Another time we'll stay longer and see more.  There is always more to see and do.

P.S.  After we got home the odometer on our trusty minivan read over 223,000 miles.  That's a lot of migration miles.