flaming gorge 2009

We just had our Daines family vacation to Flaming Gorge this past weekend.

Flaming Gorge is one of my favorite places on earth and we've been going there since I was a wee child...two weeks old to be exact. Lots of memories have been created there, from the trailer, to buying rings at the Lodge, to making a tree fort in the "forest" behind the trailer, to catching loads of fish and eating them the next day for breakfast, to catching my first fish on a flyrod on the Green River (probably my dad's proudest moment of me), to begging my mom not to tell the story "Falling Rock" anymore. Flaming Gorge is a great place.

Unfortunately, the water is way too cold in June to boat, so about the only other thing to do is fish, and fish we did!

Other things not documented in pictures:

-Jonah waking up at 2:30 in the morning and being wide awake. The only way to get him back to sleep was to take him on a car ride. So we drove to the dam and back at 3:30 in the morning.

-not having heat or hot water the first day. It rained and rained and we were all bundled up in the trailer freezing our buns off waiting for the propane guy to come fill up the tank.

-the best dinners. My mom can make a delicious dinner just about anywhere.

-my dad trying his hardest not lose his cool while teaching Scott how to flyfish the river.

-another rousing game of Psychiatrist. This has become a tradition and is always hilarious.

Some quotes from that game that only my family will find funny:

-"Oh I know! You're my eyes!"

-"Who do you look like?" "Osama bin Laden" "Oh...you're ZORRO!"

-"It HAS to be Zorro's brother!"

-"Are you an orchestra?"

-"Are you an earwig?"

Laurz and I decided to match so we wouldn't lose each other while floating the river. Actually it was more like we just walked out of our rooms wearing the exact same outfit.

Jonah getting psyched for his first river-floating experience. Needless to say, he did not enjoy this lifejacket one bit.


The only fish caught on the river was by Scott at lunchtime.

There may have been a little cheating on Will's part...please don't tell the Forest Rangers.

So happy to be out of the lifejacket at least for a few minutes.

The next day was fishing at the ultra-secret family fishing spot. Unfortunately, no fish were caught on the bank, but the kids who flyfished on the float tubes all caught at least one.

Perhaps the funniest moment of the trip was the following of Libby:

I was so glad I caught it on tape. She told me she was going to play like she was on the TV show "Wipeout" so I thought I'd better film and that's what she did. Not even on purpose.

The whole family minus parents. A great time was had by all.