Friday, August 13, 2010

"Camping"

Things have been a bit quiet here at LIAYF this past week. That's because Mrs. LIAYF, Lukas and I have been on our first family "camping" trip.

I used the quote marks because we didn't actually pitch a tent and sleep on the ground, but rather stayed in our own small fishing cabin. With mattresses.

I know to some of you die hard campers that may not count as real camping, but to us it certainly did as we cooked our food outdoors, roasted marshmallows & made Smores around the camp fire, didn't shower in four days, and most significant of all were without an Internet connection the whole time.

Plus, we told Lukas we were camping so that is our story and we're sticking to it.

The camp site was at Cama Beach State Park on Camano Island here in Washington State, and as the name suggests they were located just off the beach overlooking beautiful Elger Bay on Puget Sound. As a bonus, there was also a Center for Wooden Boats annex at the camp site, so campers could rent out motor, sail, or row boats to explore the surrounding bay.

We also took the opportunity to plan a couple of hikes suitable for an energetic 3 year old. Lukas' first official hike (accomplished all on his own) was an approximately 3 mile round trip to Cranberry Lake, which was really just a large bog with an abundance of vegetation growing out of it.

I'm pretty sure we would have completed the hike in half the time, had we not had to stop at every Salmon berry bush along the way to nourish ourselves.

In all, the place couldn't have been more family friendly as the 40 small cabins were mostly occupied by families with younger children. Thus it didn't take long for Lukas to find several other kids his age to tell what to do make friends with. Plus, it was far enough removed from the bright lights of the city that we also had an amazing view of the Perseid Meteor Shower on Wednesday night.

Oh yeah, I made a lot of wishes that night. Don't worry, I'll not forget all the little people once they start coming true.

In fact, we had such a great time that we decided to stay an extra night and will be planning early for a return trip next Summer with a larger group of friends.

It will most likely be the next time I am offline for 4 straight days.

18 comments:

Chris said...

Oh man...what adorable pics! Sounds like you guys had a great time!

Mrs. M said...

Cabin camping is MY kind of camping -what fun!! :)

Shelle-BlokThoughts said...

That looks beautiful and fun. My kind of trip... for the smores alone.

Juli said...

Love "vacation disconnect". Looks like you had a great time! -J

Knatolee said...

I'd be fine without the internet but not without the shower! :) Looks like you guys had a great time in a beautiful place. And salmonberries, yum, I remember them from when I lived in BC.

Didactic Pirate said...

Looks like a great time! And for the record, we here on the Didactic Pirate ship prefer our camping with some sort of roof over our heads too.

Homemaker Man said...

So jealous you got to see the meteor shower. Also, in a house with mattresses sounds like my type of camping.

Papa K said...

Looks like you guys had a good time! Honestly... I hate camping and "camping". I kind of a wimp. I don't like not having air conditioning and someone having cooked my food for me.

Keith Wilcox said...

I haven't been camping in about 20 years. I'm pretty sure I'd get eaten by a wild animal. The cabin sounds just fine to me! :-)

If I Could Escape . . . said...

Looks like a great time and for future reference what you lot did is called "glamping!"

Steve said...

What a great trip. And 3 miles is an impressive first hike.

john cave osborne said...

i was actually camping this past weekend as well. only i wasn't with kids, but, rather, a bunch of unruly near-forty men.

your pics are absolutely classic. glad y'all had fun.

portable Garage said...

I would love to have such a holiday. Very nice pictures. Wouldn't it be great if you do camping?

Anonymous said...

Even though I am an Eagle Scout, these days anything without room service qualifies as camping for me. Looks like you all had a great time.

Irrational Dad said...

Very cool! We're planning our first family camping trip for the 10th of September. It'll be the inaugural voyage of our new-to-us popup camper. Glad you had a great time.

Anonymous said...

Love the pigtails on the cute blonde!
:) Missy

Suzanne said...

Great family adventure. I think cabin camping is not bad. Camping is one of the most popular summer activities in United State. Every year, the many beautiful outdoor spots attract families and groups of friends to embark on a camping frenzy.

Anonymous said...

missouri auto insurance I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work Look forward to reading more from you in the future. Jose , texas auto insurance