Back From Camping!

Hey, all!

Sorry for the long absence again -- this time I was away having a good time, as opposed to being sick.

We went away on another camping trip, this time to Lake Waldo!

A most beautiful campsite!

For those of you who don't know, Lake Waldo is one of the purest/clearest lakes in the world and it's only about 2 hours away! We stocked up the camper and left late Wednesday (bad idea...more on that later) and stayed until Friday. So it was a pretty short trip.

Regarding the late departure -- we really must remember never to leave the house after 1pm on any day that we intend to go camping, because it really does not work out very well. No time to enjoy much of anything at the destination, plus stressful trying to settle in and make dinner while the light is waning. Ack! >.<

Also, it was drizzling when we got there, which was not what I was expecting. Another thing we must always remember: check the weather forecast of our destination! I was definitely assuming it'd be wicked hot like Lake Detroit was.

William piling on the layers~

Anyhoozers, the next day (Thurs) was better and I took the kids down to the lake while Dash drove into the "nearest" town (1 hour away) to do some work.
That is another rule we must learn to adhere to -- do not try to go camping if either one of us has a deadline that falls during our time away. Just don't!! Rarely is Wifi going to be reliable, and besides it takes away from the whole "family outing" that we are intending to have.
So yeah, Dash was gone for what felt like most of the day with that, and it was still so chilly that the best we could do was wade it the water and shiver with every breeze. Brrrr!

No, swimming does not require a helmet~!

Dash's return along with some evening sunshine helped cheer us up again and we had a great end to the day.

Beautiful sunset~~

The Dashiells Four!

Again, Ella has her fingers in her mouth. Guuuuh!

On Friday, the weather truly warmed up and Dash and Ella even took a dip in the lake in the morning! William was still not having the cooler-than-comfortable water temperature, and all of you who know me know that I do not like cold water. >_< I know that as soon as I get my head under the water, I feel fine...but it's getting that far that's the hardest part~! Oh well, maybe next time...

At least William was prepared!

Anyway, we left by noon and stopped in town again so that I could send off one of my own books that I had due (double deadline whammy!) and then stopped by McCredie Hot Springs!!
This was definitely the highlight of the trip.
Firstly, it was downpouring along with thunder and lightning -- such a beautiful treat!!!!!

 

And when the rain let up, we walked a mere 100 meters or so on a trail next to a highway stop...and came upon the hot springs. You could see them coming up, because there was all this steam rising into the air off the sides of the rushing river. Indeed, there were little pools of natural hot spring water that you could enjoy for free and clothing-optional even! There were only a few other people, and it felt so great to soak in the warm water -- such a great contrast to the rainy air.
Some of the pools were so hot, in fact, that I thought I'd scald my feet! And I'm the type who cranks the shower all the way to the hottest setting. So that tells you this stuff was wicked hot.

Sorry I don't have any photos from that part of the excursion, but trust me it was like paradise! Brought me back to Japan~

We are going to go camping while Kathy-neechan comes to visit too! She is the perfect camper company because she is so easygoing and helpful and adaptable. I can't wait to see what she thinks about our camper in action too! :)

I hope you're having a great wrap-up to your weekend, and until next time: Happy Back from Camping!