The Compound

Going out of town is a rare event for our family. It's such a hassle with all the work that is involved, is usually out of our budget and often results in more yelling from me and crying from the kids than laughing or having fun. So, we stay home, or enjoy short and close to home outings. Every now and again though, we try the out of town thing. We've been overdue for one of those adventures, so this past weekend we packed the kids up (along with everything else that would fit into the car) and left home for a few nights, hoping for the best. Our original plans for Memorial Day weekend was to spend about 7 hours in the car to get to a cabin at Blue Lake in Idaho. Fortunately, we dodged a bullet with those plans when they fell through at the last minute and instead went to Detroit Lake in Oregon which is just 2 hours away from home. There were a total of 32 people (not including babies) that stayed 3 nights at a house tucked in the woods just a few miles from the lake.

The adventure was just that, an adventure. There was indeed lots of crying from the kids mostly from tumbles, falls, bumps, scrapes, a bite from Lazzy, and the not enough sleep/too much sugar combination. All of us got very little sleep because of the less than ideal sleeping situation we had there and Ezra got sick with a fever and had diarrhea the entire time including several stinky diaper changes in the middle of every single night. We were also greeted Friday evening with rain and a lightning/thunderstorm. We saw very little sunshine the whole time we were there. Despite all of that, we actually had an amazing time.

Though just the idea of a get-away with 30+people may sound a bit overwhelming and un-vacation like, not to mention the logistics of it all, it was worth it. Whenever we go places with the kids, things go so much smoother when there are more people to help with them and other kids for Esperanza to play with. The place we stayed at included a main house where about 20 people slept (including the kids and I), then outside there was a 4 person tee-pee (where Armando and a few others slept), a 2 person tee-pee, a separate building which was a bedroom, a building with a sauna on one side of it and a full bathroom on the other along with two fire-pit areas and several cleared spaces for tents that people set up. Now that I'm writing this, I think I will call the place The Compound - it fits.

One of the many little adventures we went on while in the area was a hike to Breitenbush Hot Springs (not the ones at the resort/conference center). There was a small group of us that went. Armando carried Ezra in the hiking backpack carrier and I carried Esperanza in the Ergo on the way there (she was in a bad mood - shocking I know). Once we arrived, everyone dipped there feet in the hot springs to relax for awhile. While I was enjoying a peaceful moment alone by the river with my feet dipped in the hot stream that flowed from the mountains into the river, I heard a scream. I turned around only to find out that not only had Esperanza stripped down to her undies and gotten in the pool of warm water, but had slipped on something and went under water. Apparently that scared someone enough to scream. She was fine. Ezra of course was wonderful the whole time. Before leaving the hot springs, Esperanza took a potty break and Ezra got a little snack from mama. On the way back, Esperanza was in better spirits and really enjoyed the hike without a single complaint (maybe the dip in the hot springs helped her out a bit).

 Back at the Compound. We cooked and ate most evening outside on the grill and gathered around the campfire. The Compound had a 'Cowboys & Indians Mid-Western' kind of feel to it (tee-pees, totem poles and old pioneer wagon wheels were outside with cow hides, old riffles, cowboy themed magazines, old tribal documents and animal skulls and horns hanging around inside the house. 

We hit the sandy beach at Detroit Lake for some play time with the kids. The clouds broke apart for a few hours, making it warm enough to enjoy the afternoon. Someone brought a canoe so the kids took turns going out on the lake in the canoe, we fed the huge geese and ducks some bread, the kids played in the sand, waded in the water and had fun with the water guns someone bought for all of them.

On a different day, Armando and Esperanza met Scott and his daughter Livia at the Lake where they did a little fishing and caught several fish!

Back again at the compound. More gathering around the campfire, an after hike with daddy nap for Ezra in the backpack, cooking in the kitchen, some playing around, a little bike riding and some 4-wheeling