Konza Prairie

A couple of weeks ago, our friends went with us to the Konza Prairie which is part of a prairie reserve in Kansas. There are trails though part of it which allows people to be in the prairie, but the state prohibits dog, horses and motorized vehicles so that the delicate eco-system can stay in tact. All of us actually showed up on the wrong weekend, but we still took advantage of the day and enjoyed the scenery. Some of it isn't always what we think of as beautiful, like the bush with the giant thorns that Clint is standing next to.

The next weekend, my friend Jeanette and I took her boys back to see the actual presentation part, and that is where her son Owen was able to have the buffalo horns on his head. We all had a great Saturday enjoying the community. Clint and I have had more fun doing things out in the community here there we ever have before. Just this Saturday we went to a farm and were able to pick green beans and very delicious cherry tomatoes. My favorite! It was cool to be out on this big farm and being the only ones picking the fruits of the Earth. I'm not sure I would want to do it every day, but it was a lot of fun and we not have yummy fruit and vegetable in our kitchen!

Camping in the San Bernadino Mountains

Can't start a camping trip without some good old pork rinds! Yummy. We took the bikes up into the San Bernadino Mountains just outside of Lake Arrowhead. During the summer it is way too hot to ride in the desert, so we go into the mountains and enjoy the 80 degree temperatures and for me the bloody noses. Well worth it for the fun we had! Camping in the woods, under the starts, where the local bear can scrounge the campgrounds or your sleeping quarters. We were warned about a young bear that had been visiting the campsite and to keep an eye out. Bears, if brave or hungry enough, have been known to total cars to get to the goodies inside. Even a piece of chewing gum in your vehicle can lure them to shredding your car into pieces. Thankfully for us, this bear didn't show the night that we camped.

As many of you can tell, Dad is the more experienced rider out of the three of us. Hence a little more confidence in his capabilities! Rock climbing and racing through water. What fun!

Riding Steal Horses

As you can see Clint, and I are having a wonderful time after Dad showed us how to REALLY ride these things. The funny part is that when Clint went through the giant water hole the second time, on my brother's bike, the water got in the bike and stalled it out. Clint had to get off in the water and push the bike out. Silly boy! At least he and the bikes got a washing.

Sunsets in California

After all the playing in the dirt we did, we had an opportunity to hike up on top of a small hill, a large mountain in Kansas standards, and we were able to watch the sunset. I even hit my head on the over hanging bolder that I was crawling under! Stupid hat!

Camping on the moon

We had a blast on our camping trip, despite the fact that it looked more like the surface of the moon we were on. We found this new species of tree! The Pinus Charus. Can you believe it. We were in the local newspaper and everything... It is becoming a rapidly popular species of tree due to the sever climate conditions in the west coast.

On a more serious note, wild fires from last year swept through the Big Bear/Arrowhead area and burned much of the area that we take the quads to during the summer. It is amazing that even through all this destruction, there is still beauty and new life.