Down on the Blue

I snagged this picture before the boys took off on their adventure with Laun. They left later in the evening so they had already fallen asleep for the night. It is a rare thing to start off on a trip with children who are already asleep. I love how Porter is resting his head on Clayton's shoulder.


Coming from Tucson, this was both beautiful and cold.

You have to love the 'Porter game face', even when he is eating snow.

This is more like "deep thoughts with jack handy"

Ryan and Jon both got deer. Jonny would not wait for me to get one, he had to get back to Darleen.

Speaking of deep thoughts, here is Ryan with an idea...

The above picture is actually Ryan pointing at the spot where he shot his bear. Below is part of the 7 mile blood trail that we followed with Clayton and Porter in tow. I don't know how they made it, but they tore that trail up. It was a nasty hike.

There is nothing like Unit 27 in the fall. This was a deep canyon that got little light.

The picture does not justify reality. The mountain was so steep that Porter would climb up 10' and slide down 20'. It was a hell of a climb, and it I was proud of both of the boys.

That night, the boys checked out. They were wasted. This was in Brady's cabin and I thought that Clayton's face told the tale best.

Here was a zip-line that the boys loved. Clayton would hit the ground at certain parts. This provided extra humor for Porter and I.

It is like Catherine says, every cloud has a silver lining.

The boys (along with Mason and Pierce) built this fort to protect them from the elements.

Brady shot this bear. This was a big ol' boy.

I had a great time with my boys. I took them knowing that it would reduce the chances of getting a deer. Catherine is the primary president and had a sacrament primary program that took place during the trip. She was so nice to let the boys go with me after some discussion.
I like hunting, but really like going to be with family. It is always fun to go with my brothers and in this case with Clayton and Porter. Jared did not have a tag but brought his boys and we had quite the time.
Jared has a double saddle that has two seats. It may be the strangest thing ever seen on the back of a horse. Porter and I doubled up on it and eventually figured it out. Porter would lean forward when we would go down steep mountains and almost grounded us a couple times. Much to Catherine's disappointment we did not get a picture (if she were there the would be many) of this monstrosity.
Clayton rode Little Bitty (Ryan's paint mare) and did quite well despite a little lead in the saddle. At one point his horse fell in mud that went up to the chest of the mare. The poor horse even buried her face in the mud. It got a little sticky and Clayton the bronc buster came out on top.
There are many things that I missed out on in life that I want my children to have. Boys, I love you and look forward to every moment with you. It is also so nice to come home to sweet Catty and crazy Marlee.