Killer III

We finally went camping again after an almost two-year hiatus!  I think the last time we went was the summer of 2010 when we went with Tyler to Zion's National Park . . . if you don't count the time we set the tent up in the backyard.

This time we went to Poinsett State Park, just a 30 minute drive from our house.  We went mountain biking there in the fall and thought it was gorgeous.  And last weekend we went there for a little hike and freaked ourselves out by imagining menacing alligators around every corner (for the full story check out Paul's dream blog).  Now we've probably done everything there is to do at this particular state park.

Camping was a great time, like it always is.  We gathered wood and built a killer fire to roast our hot dogs and JUMBO mallows.  JUMBO mallows are delicious but require a little different roasting technique since they're so huge.  I think we got the hang of it though.

After the cold, cold night we packed up our gear and drove to the nearby Manchester State Forest to do some mountain biking.  We rode a 10 mile trail named "Killer III" and boy was it killer.  After a few miles of riding we ran into this creepy guy who looks like he might actually kill you.

Creepy right?  I was pretty weirded out by him until later we ran into this guy:

And then this guy:

And then this shivering kid with goggles on his head:

And on and on it went . . .

I didn't realize how many creepy statues there would be on the trail!  My favorite is probably the purple alien at Ridge Ride, with Indian Mound, Watermelon Field, and Twistys following close behind.  It was nice to have some "company" and especially nice to have reasons to rest!

We had so much fun.  Mountain biking is hard and exhausting but worth it when you have a great riding buddy and a beautiful day to enjoy!