Our Journey to Green Canyon
Originally published on 02/10/2019
Larry and I are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here in Eastern Idaho, there are many opportunities to journey into the mountains and still be relatively close to home. Our ward has an overnight camping trip at the end of every summer at a nearby rendezvous called Green Canyon. It is a time for members to enjoy the company of other members, kids can play, there is a pool indoors, and a nice campsite to sleep in your tent or camper.
Larry and I decided to attend last year. We didn't have a tent the year before so we passed on the adventure. This time, however, we decided that since we didn't know where it was, we would just plug it into the GPS we have in the car and go... Now, I really must preface that as a child, my mother and I would journey out to unknown places, back before there was anything remotely like a GPS, and get lost and have a grand time. We found all sorts of destinations that were out of the way! This trip for Larry and I was no different.
As I allowed the GPS to guide us to our destination, Larry and I talked and laughed and enjoyed the time alone, just us and the dogs. I rather enjoy not having children because we can take little trips like this and not have to worry about extra luggage, clothes, toys, etc. Just dog food, leashes, and water, and we're good to go. Anyway, the GPS system had us turning into the same turn as Harriman State Park. I've never been to Harriman, and it is on my list of where I want to go this summer. We have a State Parks Pass, so this will let us in free.
At some point not long after turning towards the State Park, there was no more paved road. This is pretty typical for Idaho, so I wasn't really worried. The road graders do a fair job up to a certain point but cannot do the entire roadway back into the hills. It started to get rather rough terrain. We didn't have a truck at that point, just our Ford Taurus, and it was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable. No cars followed us in, and only a few trucks or cars were seen going the opposite direction.
After about an hour of driving this way and that (the GPS long since finding our position in space and time!), we determined we were not going the right way to Green Canyon. Larry plugged "Green Canyon" into his phone's Google Maps and discovered we were WAY off course! We turned around and went back the way we came. I hit a nasty pothole , but everything seemed to be okay. We stopped for a bite to eat in the town of Ashton, before hitting the road again.
It turns out that Green Canyon is really quite close to where we live! The car GPS was trying to take us to Green Canyon Road... not the actual Green Canyon! Oy! We found the place without a problem, but we had no idea where to go to find the campsite that our ward had reserved for its use. We walked all around looking for familiar faces to no avail. I finally went inside the building and heard my name. My glasses had fogged up from all the steam inside, and having just been outside in the cool weather, so I had taken them off and couldn't immediately identify the owner of the voice.
It turned out to be our Bishop and he told me where we needed to go in order to find the other members. We pitched our tent near the bank of the river. Then we got to talk with the members. Some were only there for the evening, others were staying overnight. I still didn't know very many people at that time, but it was a nice setting to get to know those who came. I really enjoyed my time away from home.
I'm also grateful that Larry has really warm sleeping bags! It can get downright cold at night here in Idaho, even in the summertime. We fell asleep to a light rain, stayed dry in our brand new tent, and woke up a bit stiff but rested. The members of the Bishopric make breakfast for everyone the next day. It consisted of scrambled eggs, sausage, and pancakes. Again, nice time having conversations to get to know other members in a social setting, and not just at church.
After breakfast, we got everything packed up and into the car. It was a much easier drive back home. Very little time at all! We actually had a reunion to go to that day, too, but that's a story for another day!
Photo found at greencanyonhotsprings.com
Larry and I are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here in Eastern Idaho, there are many opportunities to journey into the mountains and still be relatively close to home. Our ward has an overnight camping trip at the end of every summer at a nearby rendezvous called Green Canyon. It is a time for members to enjoy the company of other members, kids can play, there is a pool indoors, and a nice campsite to sleep in your tent or camper.
Larry and I decided to attend last year. We didn't have a tent the year before so we passed on the adventure. This time, however, we decided that since we didn't know where it was, we would just plug it into the GPS we have in the car and go... Now, I really must preface that as a child, my mother and I would journey out to unknown places, back before there was anything remotely like a GPS, and get lost and have a grand time. We found all sorts of destinations that were out of the way! This trip for Larry and I was no different.
As I allowed the GPS to guide us to our destination, Larry and I talked and laughed and enjoyed the time alone, just us and the dogs. I rather enjoy not having children because we can take little trips like this and not have to worry about extra luggage, clothes, toys, etc. Just dog food, leashes, and water, and we're good to go. Anyway, the GPS system had us turning into the same turn as Harriman State Park. I've never been to Harriman, and it is on my list of where I want to go this summer. We have a State Parks Pass, so this will let us in free.
At some point not long after turning towards the State Park, there was no more paved road. This is pretty typical for Idaho, so I wasn't really worried. The road graders do a fair job up to a certain point but cannot do the entire roadway back into the hills. It started to get rather rough terrain. We didn't have a truck at that point, just our Ford Taurus, and it was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable. No cars followed us in, and only a few trucks or cars were seen going the opposite direction.
After about an hour of driving this way and that (the GPS long since finding our position in space and time!), we determined we were not going the right way to Green Canyon. Larry plugged "Green Canyon" into his phone's Google Maps and discovered we were WAY off course! We turned around and went back the way we came. I hit a nasty pothole , but everything seemed to be okay. We stopped for a bite to eat in the town of Ashton, before hitting the road again.
It turns out that Green Canyon is really quite close to where we live! The car GPS was trying to take us to Green Canyon Road... not the actual Green Canyon! Oy! We found the place without a problem, but we had no idea where to go to find the campsite that our ward had reserved for its use. We walked all around looking for familiar faces to no avail. I finally went inside the building and heard my name. My glasses had fogged up from all the steam inside, and having just been outside in the cool weather, so I had taken them off and couldn't immediately identify the owner of the voice.
It turned out to be our Bishop and he told me where we needed to go in order to find the other members. We pitched our tent near the bank of the river. Then we got to talk with the members. Some were only there for the evening, others were staying overnight. I still didn't know very many people at that time, but it was a nice setting to get to know those who came. I really enjoyed my time away from home.
I'm also grateful that Larry has really warm sleeping bags! It can get downright cold at night here in Idaho, even in the summertime. We fell asleep to a light rain, stayed dry in our brand new tent, and woke up a bit stiff but rested. The members of the Bishopric make breakfast for everyone the next day. It consisted of scrambled eggs, sausage, and pancakes. Again, nice time having conversations to get to know other members in a social setting, and not just at church.
After breakfast, we got everything packed up and into the car. It was a much easier drive back home. Very little time at all! We actually had a reunion to go to that day, too, but that's a story for another day!
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