Another Day: Weekend in Soldotna

We picked Thomas up from hockey camp last Friday night.

When we dropped him off the week before, I really hadn't thought about the ramifications of 8+ hockey playing 12 & 13 year old boys spending a week together in a cabin......a cabin that apparently did not have good ventilation. Maybe it was just the fact that they HADN'T showered all week? Or, maybe it was the wet swimsuits, clothes, and towels thrown all over the room? Or, maybe it was closed up hockey bags full of 21 ice hours worth of sweat filled gear that hadn't been aired out all week? Who knows? It's hard to pin down the exact culprit. Besides the smell, the cabin looked like a hurricane had gone through it. And it looked so innocent from the outside. Sigh. Thomas said it was "clean" compared to the night before. The cabin counselors told them they had to clean it up, because parents would be arriving the next night. I don't see how it could've been worse, and it's best I don't try to conjure up that image. His reply to my shock at him not having had a shower all week? "But I got in the lake twice." (With a big cheesy grin.) He was actually glad to get a shower that night. He wanted to take it in the camper, but we made him go to the bathhouse at the campground where there was better pressure and more room.

Just a little disclaimer......no it's really not a big deal to me if you haven't showered for a week.....under "camp" circumstances. But, this was HOCKEY camp. If you are not familiar with how much these guys SWEAT when they play, let me enlighten you......after one hour of playing, Thomas could probably fill an 8 oz Dixie cup. It's not the smell that bothers me so much as the reason behind the smell......smell means rot. It doesn't take long for bacteria to start growing....especially on the gear. Grrr.....not healthy. And not right for the people in charge to not make sure those boys took a shower. Guess I wouldn't make a very fun camp counselor?

We had decided to make a weekend of it in Soldotna, and found a campground with a ranch theme. They had a huge pasture with horses, llamas, and a goat. The poor goat. She was a mama, but her 20 lb baby had been taken off by an eagle a few days before we were there. Can you imagine???? They had an orphaned llama and were trying to get the goat to adopt the llama.

We were drawn to this campground because they did guided horseback rides. However, the Saturday we were there, the horses they use for the rides were off the ranch for some reason. They said Emma and Matthew could still ride though. Worked for us. Emma has been asking for a long time to ride a horse, so we were excited for her to get to ride. We found out immediately why the kids could still ride.

His name was Tommy. (Emma and Matthew thought it was pretty cool that their horse was named after their big brother- LOL) He is too old to go off with the other horses. 30 years old to be exact. That poor horse. Because of his age, he's used for the younger kids. He's not going anywhere or spooking anytime soon. I actually felt bad for him and had to be reassured that it was ok for him to do this. After the communications I'd had with the people who owned the place, I knew they weren't the type to put the horse in a compromising position just for money we were paying for the ride, but really, he looked so pitiful that I needed the reassurance that he was OK. (and they weren't making much off of us....they only charged $20 for a 30 minute ride.....they each rode for 15 minutes.) The girl led the horse and we followed on foot through a trail in the woods.

Matthew telling Tommy thank-you for the ride. Does Tommy not look like a tired old man, or what? On full screen, you can see the lines around his mouth.

That is one happy girl. When she started her ride, Matthew said, "Now Emma will go like this...." and he showed me with his hands how body was going up and down on each side every time the horse took a step.

I have a feeling that Tommy went back to the barn and slept the rest of the day.

After the riding, we had lunch then went driving around and found our way to the beach.....after coffee, hot chocolate, a walk around the farmer's market (of which there were no farmer's,) and a stop at the visitor's center.

Mt. Redoubt- active volcano

Why is it every time we see water they have to throw in rocks?

Sandhill Crane along the Kenai River flats.

Short walk down to the Kenai River near where it runs through town.

See my future retirement/summer home in the right hand corner? It's hard to see, but it has a walkway down to the river. Fishing the Kenai River out my back door.

I think he's "seeing" it too.

This was Emma's face............

........when she saw this.

HA HA HA HA He was holding her jacket for her and I guess he got bored. What a manly man. Emma was cracking up.

Ahh...back at the campground to end the evening with smores. Too bad the wood had gotten wet the night before with a little sprinkle we'd had. It wasn't soaked, but damp enough that it didn't want to light. Matthew was so patient. Cal wasn't. He was getting just a tad bit annoyed. I had to take Thomas for a walk "in search of kindling," cuz he had all the answers and Cal wasn't impressed with his knowledge.