Thursday, January 22, 2009

Camping Out - Cabin Style!

Deer Lodge CabinsMy son, Dylan, celebrated his 16th birthday last Friday.

Dylan's birthday wish was for the entire family to get together and go on a camping trip. He was hoping everyone would pitch tents but it was way too cold for that! So the family went in together and rented a log cabin in Jasper, Arkansas, which is a two-hour trip from our house.

Unfortunately, the entire family couldn't make the trip but we ended up with a nice size crowd anyway.

Dylan Polk celebrating his 16th BirthdayThe cabin was nice (click here for the slideshow: photos change every 10 seconds)! The cabin had one bedroom, one full bath, and a loft. Sounds cozy until you realize there were fourteen of us!!! :) Believe it or not, everything worked out great. The bedroom had a double bed and the loft had a double bed, a twin bed and a double futon couch. The open living area also had a couch, three love seats, two of which were twin sleepers.

On Friday night, thirteen of us slept on beds or couches (birthday boy-Dylan-slept on the floor in his sleeping bag). And then on Saturday night, six family members went back home, so that left lots more room for us to spread out.

Should you ever want to vacation in the Ozarks, I highly recommend Deer Lodge Cabins.

Dylan after he fell through the iceThe original plan was to do some hiking, some geocaching, and some fishing. There were three ponds on the property filled with bass, bream, catfish and sunperch. Unfortunately, the pond closest to the cabin was frozen solid and it was too cold to go check out the other two ponds. The kids had a blast walking on the ice and birthday boy, Dylan, eventually pressed his luck one too many times and fell through (see the pic to the right). He weighs 245 pounds so it didn't surprise me to see him fall through the ice. Teenagers are sooooo schmaaart!!!

Dylan, Daniel, James, and Jacob standing in front of a frozen waterfallAfter breakfast, everyone headed out to go on a hike and do some geocaching. I stayed behind at the cabin with Brady and a couple of my nieces. Like a bone head, I didn't pack Brady's hat and mittens, and it was bitterly cold. I took him outside after breakfast and he was miserable, so I knew it wouldn't be a wise idea to take him on a long hike.

The family came back a couple hours later and had many great pictures to show me (that's a waterfall of ice behind the boys!).

Later on that evening, my brothers started a fire in the fire pit and we all sat around roasting marshmallows and making S'mores.

Everybody had so much fun spending time together, that we've decided to plan a fishing trip next!

Thanks for reading!
Laura




Related Articles:

Happy 16th Birthday, Dylan!

Dylan: Doing Shakespeare In The Park

I Love Being A Mama!



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12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice looking kid. I love how y'all spent his special weekend. And I appreciate the cabin recommendation. "Cabin-camping" is our favorite way to vacation. The Ozarks sound like a great option for us. Probably 8 -10 hours from here. which is how far everything is from here.

My 16y/o got her license yesterday. first solo flight today. I'm a wreck, but I survived.

Laura said...

Carol @ She Lives - Hahahaha! :) Hang in there! Dylan will be getting his license soon too. I know you guys will love the cabin if you decide to stay there. If you do decide to go there, be sure and eat (at least one time) at the only restaurant in Jasper. My mom and brother said the food was wonderful. The town of Jasper is so quaint! I just loved it. Also, be sure and take a day trip to Ponca (which is nearby). Check out the elk living in their natural habitat! There is an Elk Education Center there in Ponca. Supposedly, there is elk that roam the property where the cabin is located as well but we didn't see any. My brother and his family drove to Ponca and checked out the elk. He said they had a great time.

Sharkbytes said...

What a great way to spend a birthday. Thanks for sharing.

Davida said...

Happy belated birthday to your handsome son, Dylan. The cabin looks beautiful. I'm glad the family had fun spending quality time together.

Davida

Anonymous said...

That's a great idea and I would much prefer the cabin over sleeping in tents although it was fun when I was young, but my poor old bones can't handle a sleeping bag anymore, I need my comfort and a bathroom. It's always nice when families can have get togethers and really enjoy themselves.

Wanda said...

Dylan is very handsome and what a beautiful place to celebrate his birthday! I'm glad you were able to spend time with some of your family too. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Have a great afternoon!

Sandee said...

How fun. That's a lot of people for one bathroom. The heck with the two bedrooms. Just saying. I'm glad everyone had a great time.

Have a terrific weekend. :)

Anonymous said...

The cabin looks nice! I miss the Ozarks. Spend a few years there and love it.

The Florida Furkids said...

It sounds like you all had a great time! That's a lot of people in that cabin!!

Sniffie and the Florida Furkids

Unknown said...

What a beautiful place. My guys love camping, I just go along for the rest and relaxation. Unfortunately I end up being the one who cleans the fish every trip!

Thanks for sharing the pictures!

Laura said...

Sharkbytes - Yeah we all had a great time. Thanks for stopping by!

Davida - Thanks! It was a lot of fun. We're looking forward to renting another place this summer and doing some fishing! I'll pass on the belated birthday wishes to Dylan. :)

Jude - Years ago, the whole family would get together and go to an electric camping site (so we could hook up fans etc.) and pitch tents. We all have blow-up mattresses which sleep very comfortably. But now, everybody wants the comfort of cabins. I, myself, like the tent-pitching better. It's so much fun! I'm just a big kid, I know! Anyway, the cabin was a necessity with the cold weather. I just wonder if I can convince the rest of the family to go camping "tent-style" again! :)

Wanda - Thank you! I think he's a good-looking young man myself! :) The cabin was so nice! I would definitely like to go back there again when the weather is more hospitable.

Sandee - It was a blast! Yeah, I was surprised we didn't have a problem with only having one bathroom, but it worked out fine.

Blur Mommy - I love log cabins! The staircase is made out of logs. So cool! Yes, the Ozarks are beautiful. Since you lived in the area, I'm sure you've been to Eureka Springs. That's such a neat town. I saw the Passion Play there.

Furkidsmom - Yes, it WAS a lot of people! But since most of the people were kids, they don't take up as much space. It was fun!

Doris - Hahaha! Ain't that the way it always goes? I didn't get much rest or relaxation - running behind my toddler. I had to come home to rest! :)

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday! Camping always brings us back to a healthier lifestyle with more exercise and less fattening foods.

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