We went back and forth about when we should hit the road. It's a five hour drive to Mammoth through the desert, the boring desert. We thought if we left early (4ish), there would be the possibility that the girls would remain asleep for part of our drive. We eventually decided we'd get up at 5:30 and leave shortly thereafter. We were on the road by 5:50, putting the girls straight into the car with their jammies on, hoping for the slight chance they'd go back to sleep. No such luck. And after being on the road for only 2o minutes, we had to make our first potty stop, for Rachel.
Making only one other stop for breakfast, the girls did a great job on the drive. Once we had finally arrived at our campground, the girls changed into clothes and we went about setting up camp. Over the course of the next hour, everyone else made their arrival to the campground, and by mid afternoon, Uncle Bart had constructed a tree swing and the girls were having a blast. The rest of our first day, we spent at camp.
Rachel did great sleeping in the tent and appeared to stay warm, with the exception of her hands. Every morning she was wide eyed and ready to start the day and conquer any adventures the day might bring.
The girls didn't leave the campsite at all on the second day. They were enjoying playing with their cousins and just roaming about between our two campsites. My Aunt and Uncle brought their dog with them and the girls loved chasing her back and forth as well. 
On Friday, we set out on a field trip to the State Historic Park of Bodie. Bodie was about an hours drive North, but with the entertainment of my cousin Carrissa sitting beside the girls, they both did great on the drive. We were surprised at how well the girls did once we arrived to Bodie. It's basically house after house, building after building looking into the windows. But the girls had fun exploring, and they especially enjoyed being able to wear their new camelbacks of water.
Throughout our days, Gramma had lots of surprises and activities for the girls to do. One day it was painting rocks to look like ladybugs, another day it was coloring their own mugs. 
The girls didn't leave the campsite except for the field trip to Bodie and then out to dinner that night, otherwise they kept themselves busy at the campsite. Here, Rachel sits on Carrissa's lap by the fireside. I love this picture.
Last year on our camping trip, Rachel was almost always covered in dirt, she was also in diapers! This year we had a five gallon jug of water sitting atop the bear box and washcloths nearby that made for keeping her hands and face clean. 
We had a really good time. It's always nice to get away from home and work and all that. It was nice to spend time with family we've not really spent time with in years. And of course, Rachel loved the days and days of playing with her cousins.Check out the rest of our camping pictures here, Mammoth Camping 2008.
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