Spring Break 09

Well as is usual for this time of year the spring rains have started in Central Texas. So we were a bit leery of going camping for spring break because 1. it always rains (something about me being cursed) and 2. someone always gets sick. Well it didn't rain this time. But we are fighting sore throats. We drove 3 1/2 hours to San Angelo State Park...the excursion drives very well, thank you. Patrick and the boys were very excited to go mountain biking....in the cactus??? Oh yes. There was quite a bit of cactus in the desolate looking state park. Carlie found it, Josh found it, Jacob found it. There was an abundance of prickly cacti!

Our first bike ride was through a very level trail which we thought would be great for Josh. Er--right! Had we only dressed him in a puffy marshmallow suit. The trail was 15 inches wide and heavily bordered by...yes, you guessed it...cacti! He fell in it, then he cried, then we had to drag him and his bike through to get out of it. So fun! We found a better trail...better meaning way less prickly cacti. NOT better as far as terrain. Lots of hills, lots of rocks. Josh doesn't get that if you go fast down the hill you can gain momentum to go UP the next hill. I was stuck behind Josh and pulling the trailer with Carlie in it...I ended up walking UP a lot of hills. At one point Josh's brakes broke as he was going downhill. He veered into a tree. Jared said he looked just like Wiley Coyote....sigh!


Carlie was less than thrilled with the camping experience. She got cactus prickles in her foot and it took us awhile to figure that out. Then it took 3 people to hold her down to get them out. Then she got prickles in her hand...another battle royale. And she kept falling off the bed and the couch in the trailer. Then she got a fever and the sniffles. She has discovered sniffling...yes...it is annoying and funny at the same time. Does her face look a bit swollen?


Then we headed over to Fort Concho. This man runs the vintage baseball league...notice the vintage uniform? He showed the boys the balls they used, the bats, and the gloves. He told them the different rules they played by back in the 1870s, like you could let the ball bounce once and then catch it and it would be an out, or how the pitcher could pitch sidearm as long as he didn't break the shoulder plane, or how the catcher was called "the behind". It was very very cool information. He also told us there is a vintage baseball league here in Texas. Now we have to be on the lookout for vintage games.

As the balls got harder the gloves got bigger...the fingerless gloves were pretty cool. Oh and the military fort itself was pretty cool!

Carlie in one of her happier moments. Looking like a lil old lady in her oversized gardening hat.

One of the coolest parts of the trip was when we went with a fieldtrip group out to the bison and longhorn herds. I found it a bit ironic that the ranger had 50 kids standing nose to nose with these 2000 pound bison and he says, "these bison are incredibly strong. If they got riled, they'd blow right through that bobwire fence and bowl you over. It'd be like getting hit by a truck!" Why thank you for that info. So...how's about we shut these 50 kids up and move them BACK from the piddly bobwire fence that offers no protection whatsoever.

Apparently the longhorn are considered much safer because there was no fence separating us from them. Just take a step back when they start headbutting. Ha ha.

Watch out Jared. That bison may be getting a bit frisky there. And that bobwire fence...well you know....it's really a more like a guideline apparently. But, DID you know that dried and ground up bison poo has medicinal uses? Apparently it helps chafed bottoms. After paying $40 for Carlie's last diaper creme I was tempted to give each kid a baggie and start collecting!

Josh is looking a bit concerned...probably wishing there was a decent fence somewhere to stand behind.