Another adventerous trip this year up to Steamboat Lake! Yes, it was our annual camping trip with family and it did not disappoint with memories that will not be forgotten. It seems that every year we take this trip, there is always something that happens that makes the trip ever so interesting. Why should this year be any different? No matter how much we prepare for this vacation, there is always that little snag we hit.
As we began our drive climbing up Genesse Hill (right out of Denver into the mountains) our truck started acting strangely. The turbo kept shutting off, so we basically were going up the mountain at a speed of about 30 mph. Fabulous with pulling the trailer behind us! We had to keep pulling over, shutting off the truck, restarting it to "reset" the turbo function and get going again. I think we could only go about 5 miles each time before it would shut off again. We were eventually able to get up to Eisenhower Tunnel, but we just hoped that going downhill on the other side of the tunnel would be enough to reset the turbo on its own, which it did. We still had to climb Rabbit Ears pass to get to Steamboat. So we knew that if the truck kept acting up, we would just have to deal with it until we got to the campground and unhook the trailer. 5 hours after leaving our home, we finally arrived at Steamboat Lake.
Once we got everything set up, the muffler started blowing out white smoke. We knew then something was seriously wrong. Instead of beginning our "relaxing" vacation, we began stressing about how we can fix the truck. There wasn't much we could do at that point. It was a Sunday. Even though Steamboat Springs has a Ford dealership, they weren't open. We had to wait until the next day to call them and see if we could get the truck in to be serviced.
We mainly do this trip for the fishing. In the past years, Steamboat has been known to have great fishing. I felt so bad for Jason because he spent half the week dealing with the truck instead of being out on the lake doing what he so loves to do. We were able to get the truck in on Tuesday morning. We were so thankful they had the parts and were able to fix it by Wednesday. But it was one hell of an expensive trip for us this year! Almost 3k later, we had our truck back in working order. We still had to drive back home on Friday, with the trailer in tow, but I'm happy to report that went well.
Because of all the rain and snow we've been getting in Colorado this year, the fishing was not quite what we wanted it to be. Hard to have a fish fry when no fish are brought back to camp! There is still a lot of snow in the mountains, and it rained on us really hard the last 2 nights we were there. The wind was a bitch the whole week, but the first day we were there was beautiful and everyone got sunburned. So we'll just say the weather did not cooperate with us very well.
And to top off fantastic things that happen when you camp...Ashley broke her big toe the third day we were there. Nothing like adding more drama to the pot! I really felt so bad for her because there was nothing we could do about it. We go see the foot doctor this week and I'm sure there is not much they will do for it either. Unfortunately for Ashley, her feet are her life with dancing. (I just wish she would realize she needs to be more careful!) But a 13-year old girl will do what she wants. And if she wants to wear flip-flops while camping, well I guess that's what's going to happen. She was supposed to audition for the dance team last night and start summer dance this week, but instead she will be laying around at home for the next month or so. I'm sure she will be getting lots of reading done instead!
Even with all the problems we had this year, we still tried to make the best of it. It's always great to see and spend time with Jon and Sue, J and Erin (and now JT), the Buschy's and the other Hoyts. We always have good food, great drinks, and good family fun. Whether we are playing games or being around the campfire making s'mores, we always have fun camping. I just wish some year it would be problem-free.
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