2015 Marmon Valley Farm Campout

We left and it was light out. Woo Hoo! I had one of our new scouts – Frederick – in my car, so I got to know him a little bit. It is always nice to hear new stories and hear from new families. I played the Guardian of the Galaxy soundtrack again, and once again it was a hit. I will probably be sick of it in another decade or two.

We got to Marmon Valley Farms and unloaded into our cabins. These are cabins that I have never stayed in before. There are plenty of beds, but not much room to spread out and play games or hang out. Right after we unloaded, we went to the welcome center and our host told us a little about Simon Kenton (he lived from 1755-1836), and gave us some info on our weekends activities. We found out that we had access to half of the heated welcome center where there are tables, chairs, flush toilets (woo hoo), and plenty of space to play games and hang out.

After a quick trip to the ultra super hyper freezing animal barn, we made all the kids come to the heated room to hang out and play games. The Polar Vortex is alive and well! We were looking forward to a warmer tomorrow.

We went to sleep and it was cold and when we woke up it was still cold … and now snowy too – yeah for cabins!

We trudged the 5 minute walk through the new fallen snow to breakfast and had a hearty breakfast of biscuits and gravy, jam, eggs, hash browns, juice and milk. Breakfast plenty for any cowboy.

A little bit of playing on the farm – hay bales, goats, tiny tiny horses, llamas, bunnies, sledding and then it was time to do some wall climbing.

On the wall it was 19 degrees. I cheered on many boys. Some made it all the way to the top and some made it just a few steps. They all did their best and I loved to watch the personification of determination. I was so inspired that I gave it a try after they all finished. I made it about halfway up before I couldn’t find any more hand holds or foot holds, and my fingers were numb to the second knuckle. Your kids are impressive.

Lunch was equally hearty. Shredded barbecue pork, chips, coleslaw, peaches and cookies. I wanted to eat soooo much. Everyone heard their 4th speech about staying warm on the trail ride and Marmon Valley folks offered hat, gloves and/or coats to anyone who needed them.

After lunch we headed back to our heated hangout room to dry out in preparation for our trail ride. That afternoon many games were played again.

The trail ride began with a quick lesson off of the horse. We learned how to operate the horses with short reins and a slight pull to one side or the other. They put us in 2 groups of 10 and we were off onto the trails.

I was on Suzy and she was a perfect lady for the whole ride. I was near the front so I didn’t see many riders. I loved the ride. It was quiet and we listened to the quiet of the woods, we saw deer, we heard the crunch of snow under hooves. It takes the mind to some restful places. I did not hear any complaints of the cold, so I assume everyone was dressed well. After the ride, we brushed the horses a bit, said our equine goodbyes, and headed back for a hearty supper.

After we ate it was time for the last gaming session of the evening. I think all the kids played 2 or 3 different games at least – Coup, Who is the Traitor, Dwarven Mines, Avalon, Fluxx, Chrononauts, Fish or Cut Bait were a few that I saw.

Games were not the only thing on tap for the evening. We also went on a hayride, This was the most eventful hayride I have been on. A tractor pulled us on some roads through the woods, and there was plenty of snow. About halfway through, the tractor got stuck near the top of a hill. The tractor spun its tires for a while. We then cleared out all the folks from the wagon, and still the tires spun. We put the heft of a few boy scouts on the job and all of a sudden the tractor moved!! We sang songs almost the whole way back. Mostly we sang the Cheese song and Boom-Chicka-Boom.

On campouts like this I sometimes wonder what kids will remember as the best part. I know that some love playing in the barn, some loved playing in the snow, some loved sledding, some loved the food, some loved the games, some loved hanging out with friends, and some enjoyed the planned activities – climbing wall and trail rides on the horses. Given the WIDE variety of activities this weekend, I was surprised that almost all the boys said the horse ride was their favorite part of the weekend. I had a couple tell me that their favorite part was the hay ride.

Thanks once again for sending your boys and making this a great trip for all of us!