The time was upon us once again to venture into the greater Sandy Beach area in Glendo, Wyoming. A little later in the season this year than past expeditions we were curious on several factors that would determine the trip. Would the beach line be much farther out? Would the beetles from last year be there in full force? Will Stella ever truly get her groove back? These were all easy enough questions to ponder in advance but the biggest player in the trip turned out to be the weather.

Me, Loni, Steve, Zach, Jessi and her kids, our dogs, and Lucy (Jessi’s dog) all arrived to the site at about 2 in the afternoon on Thursday, August 14th to break camp. We found our previous year’s spot vacant, as well as being one of the few non-reservable spots in the area, and claimed it as our own. Just inside the tree line with an open shot to the beach it proved ideal last year and seemed even more welcoming this year. We broke camp, got the grill and all the gear set up, put up the volleyball net, and dropped the boat in the water. We had to haul the boat all the way back around the lake to the marina as the launch site closest to where we were was beached by a good 40 yards or so this late in the year. We anchored the boat along the beach and settled in at camp for some grub, beers, and a fire. It started sprinkling a bit and everyone eventually made it to their respective tents and called it a night. It rained throughout most of the night.

The next morning we all eventually arose to a fairly overcast sky with the occasional drizzle. Everyone got some breakfast in by about 11 when it started raining.  We all huddled up in ours and Jessi’s tents and played some cards and games and stayed dry. The rain cleared out within an hour or so and we spilled back out into the general campsite area. Steve chopped down a tree, or rather a main dead trunk of a larger tree, and we chopped it into smaller logs and drug them up to fire pit. The sun came up for a bit and we scoped the beach for a while. Alanna and Chris joined us that evening and set up camp. It was actually Alanna’s birthday and we sang her a song for a piece of a giant birthday cookie that was quite delicious. Prior to the cookie we had a host of meat cooked up on the grill that we all feasted on. Around about that time Ethan rolled in. It was raining, dark, and he brought the rangers with him.

So the “Sandy Beach” campground area is mostly pre-reserved these days except for a few spots that are walk-ups which we were nestled amongst. The people at the gate to the area didn’t understand that well and told Ethan that no one was registered at our spot. So I told him to go around the back way and come in through the “Do Not Enter” side at which the rangers were sitting at apparently. So these rangers roll up real slow behind him and thought that I was driving the car as I was standing there after he got out. The fatter of the two shined his flashlight in my face and asked, “Boy, how many years of education do you have?” While I’m rarely setup this well to slam a witty remark back in the speaker’s face I took the high road and ignored the question all-together. Once we got the rangers straightened out we moved into our tent to avoid the rain and have some beers. That was pretty much how the night winded down and we all got some rest.

Saturday morning, day 3, was now upon us. Swoboda and Chris showed up fairly early in the morning and pitched camp. We got some breakfast and boated over to the marina to pick up the pontoon we’d rented. We got the pontoon back to our beach, loaded it up with beverages and food, and shoved off under beautiful skys. Ok, so not so beautiful. It was overcast and the air was chilly. The air was actually colder than the water in many respects and after putzing around to the lake and over into a cove I decided it was time to go ahead and get in the water and try a little wake boarding. Not to be outdone Loni got in and took a  few laps as well. As it got later in the day the water was getting a little rougher and white caps could even be seen. The pontoon was due back at 5 which was fast approaching so we headed back to the marina to drop it off.

Of course as soon as we got back to the beach it turned into a gorgeous afternoon. Some of Jessi’s friends arrived, Michelle, Shanna, Jesse, and Charles and we got some decent volleyball action going. We basically just hung out and enjoyed the area for the remainder of the evening and got a good fire going once night fell. We busted out some l.e.d. lit frisbees and covered a good sized area of the beach as we chucked them to and fro. Back at the campfire Zach kept us entertained with some rousing guitar licks, original songs, and some sweet acoustic covers that most everyone could sing along with. With the weather on our side Saturday night around the campfire lasted much longer than previous nights before we called it a day.

Sunday morning was gorgeous with temps in the 80s by noon. Loni, Jessi, Charles, Jesse, and the girls took the boat out for some tubing and general lake enjoyment. We traded off and I, Chris, Shanna, and Michelle took it out and Michelle and I both got the wake board cruising under the hot sun. Most folks were packing up this Sunday leaving just the original gang who arrived on Thursday. We mostly just relaxed, played a little volleyball, and took in a stunning sunset by nightfall. We met our new neighbors that morning and they joined us around the campfire that night for more songs led by Zach. The dogs were in bed before we were; tuckered out from far too much fun over the past 4 days. Eventually we made it there too pretty tired ourselves.

Monday morning arrives, our last day on the beach. Temps were a little higher likely reaching into the low 90s and the lake was like glass. So we packed up some stuff but felt the need to get out on the water one last time. Loni strapped the wake board on for one last ride as well and the rest of us got a final dose of sun before loading the boat up and returning to camp for the final pack up.  Scout found some dead fish guts to roll around in right before we left so we enjoyed that smell as we headed back home, dirty, sandy, tired, and still a little unplugged from the rest of society.

Good times. Good people.

Pictures (Our Cam)

Pictures (Alanna’s Cam, Saturday on the pontoon)

-Matt