Shaver Lake 2017

We are back from Shaver Lake!  What an incredible trip we had.  I can't tell you how much we love being there!

Here were some snapshots and highlights!
Bravo Farms on the way to Shaver, outside of Fresno.  They are changing it but the tree house is still a fun reason to stop:

When we pull in to park, we all get incredibly excited to finally have arrived!

We always take a quick walk to the pond, just to check the water level and watch the frogs and then to our favorite meadow to collect flowers:

 

Our friends the Thrashes were with us for 4 days and they made the trip so special for our family!
This was pretty much EVERY morning:

 

We headed to a sequoia grove that we love to visit and then to Dinkey Creek for swimming:

We divided up into girls/guys cars and I'm just going to say it, our car had more fun:

 

 

Then on to Dinkey:

 The thrashes had carved boats for each kiddo and we did races in the currents:

A friend had sent us with an INCREDIBLE care package and it was the center of our afternoon talks and connecting time:

After dinner one night, we found and INCREDIBLE fort by the pond that someone had built and the kiddos LOVED it!

The boys went on a Father/Son fishing adventure one morning:

The girls went on a nature hike and collected wild flowers and then got Shaver's famous Chunky bread for a treat:

We spent a day at the lake!
oh my goodness, we got an AMAZING spot!

We headed to dinner at the the Hungry Hut and then on to the cabin for root beer floats and target practice with BB guns:

That night, we put the little kiddos to bed and kept Hazel up and watched the stars and she  saw her first shooting star.  It was such a sweet memory to make together!
We were so sad when they left...

 I love that we will get to watch them all grow up together!

 Almost 19 years of friendship!

After they left, we headed to Indian Pools where you enter behind China Peak resort.  I want to remember this place, because it was easy walking, beautiful swimming and amazing fishing!

 

 

 Ryder caught his first brown trout,  generally found in higher altitudes than rainbow and brook trout.
He got tossed right back:

 

 

 

 All along the stream, there was wild honey suckle growing and it smelled SO GOOD!

Then next day we did a meadow trail hike. The loop had been thwarted by all the of the loggers that are trying to get rid of the dead trees, left by the bark beetle.  We had fun anyway.  We hope to do it again because other than the actual trail, everything was beautiful.

If there is a map, Eden will insist on holding it.  And being first.

 We got ice cream, which made our dusty selves feel better:

Then onto the cabin for steak and relaxing time:

We ate s'mores by the fire pit and sang songs that Grandpa Pierce had taught us.
("In the land of , Yama Yama...")

Ryder and Kit had built a fire pit last year and it is such a treat to have it!

On our last day, we played games, took the morning slow, and then headed off to shoot the .22

Ryder and I were very proud of our shooting...❤︎

 The time at the cabin is always so good!  We used to say that a vacation was when we didn't take the kids and that when they are with us, it's just a trip.  We have turned a corner and could not be more wrong.  We LOVE when we get to get away together, but being away with our kids, as independent as they are, and having them enjoy something that you love and seeing them experience something for the first time and see the joy in their faces... We were out of our regular environment where we could actually feel like we could "vacate" our normal life, and could just enjoy being away together.
This vacation always gives us so much, and with this little take away, it gave us more than we could have counted on.  We can't wait to go back!