Bike trip with the Schmidts

About four months ago we planned a biking/camping trip with our friends the Schmidts. They are so great. Super fun adventuresome family, love the outdoors, hiking, camping, biking. Andy did most of the planning. He found a fabulous place for us to do a biking/camping trip with kids in tow - the Suiattle River Road near Darrington. It was really the perfect place to go with kids and bikes. We were able to get that feeling of being in the back country, which is becoming more difficult to accomplish with little kiddos.





So two weekends ago we went with our friends on our three day biking/camping trip. We started 12 miles up the Suiattle River Road where it is barricaded off from motorized vehicles. Back in 2003, because of severe rainfall, river levels rose and washed out a few areas along the road. The road is now in good condition (we saw a dually with a horse trailer that made it past the worst of it - turns out this guy had a key to the gate). There were a few places where I held my breath, but nothing dangerous. We loaded up our bikes and trailers and set off.







Anza, who is just a few months older than Jasper, biked most of the way by herself!

We biked up the trail about three miles and set up camp at Buck Creek Campground. This place was gorgeous and there was only one other small group of people around. The "creek" (let's call it a river) was breathtaking and roaring, so much that I made us pick a campsite a little ways away from it because I was afraid one of the kids would fall in and be whisked away.





We had such a nice, relaxing time. The kids all played together really well.





Day two we biked up the trail another 6 miles to where the river had washed out a bridge (which had just recently been repaired for foot, horse, & bike/trailer traffic). We found a nice sandy beach and the kids played and played. Chele was hilarious and built her own little beach. I kept looking at her and thinking I should help, but I was exhausted!!





Nothing brings a mama's heart joy like this:






Ah, the wonderful smell and feel of a fire when you are camping! We built some pretty impressive fires with the prolific firewood that was all around. There was also a few felled trees that we harvested some nice douglar fir wood from.






Catching smores on fire is always part of camping for us Egberts



Thanks Schmidts for a great trip!! Let's go again!