Since we had such a great time camping at Lake Kincaid a couple of weeks back, we decided to take advantage of the summer time we have left by going camping again. Before Lake Kincaid, we had come from a long camping hiatus because our last camping experience, while fun, was exhausting. We took SO much stuff that I was still cleaning stuff from the trip three weeks after. In addition, every time I went to the basement, the camping stuff was not put away and it cluttered our basement. All in all, it was a lot of work for just a little bit of camping time and didn’t seem worth it.
Well, since I’m on sabbatical, we decided to try it again and that’s where our nice experience at Lake Kincaid came in. Our criteria for location is simple – has to be no more than 1.5 hrs away from home, so if it’s a disaster or it rains, we can just drive back, no harm no foul. It also has to have a lake so we can use our canoe and paddleboard. Ideally, it should also have a pool or beach or hiking trails or something to keep our kids occupied.
Stonelick park met all those criteria and had the additional bonus of being 30 minutes away from us, so it was an easy pick.
It wouldn’t be a good story without a complicating factor though, now would it?…
This week I overdid it. Dennis says that my “planning” side signs me up for things that my “execution” side can’t always deliver without going through some pain – and he’s right. This week I wanted to study with the kids, clean the house, take care of the 5 foster kittens (who make a huge mess), cook, do groceries, prepare for camping trip, help my friend who has newborn twins and volunteer with the boys at the Foodstore Vegetable/Fruit fields. Oh and I’m also recuperating from a chest cold.
My Thursday started with working with the boys to redo our basement’s play area (moving multiple tables, organizing toys, putting things away etc) and I finished that task with a sore back. Then it was off to Kentucky to help my friend who has twin newborns and two older boys. My friend needed help organizing her basement and we spent 4-5 hours doing that. By the time I was driving home, my back was in agony. Then on Friday, we were heading back to Kentucky, this time to help in the Giving Fields. The Giving Fields is a United Way supported charity that provides fresh fruit and veggies to the area’s Foodbanks. The fields only have one employee so they basically work through volunteers (I discuss it in more detail here).
After the volunteer activity I had a laundry list of activities that I was supposed to complete to get us ready to go camping but I couldn’t do any of them. After putting the boys down for a nap, I crawled into my own bed with four ice packs for my back.
Since my back was hurt, Dennis and I decided to leave the canoe at home since there was no way for me to help lift it without hurting myself. We brought the paddleboard since it’s light. I am definitely feeling the need for a couple of no-task-days. Where I don’t have to do anything, or go anywhere. Where the boys and I just rest. I need it. My back definitely needs it.
Also, I’m getting old. Apparently.
Back to camping – Stonelick is surprisingly not “woody”. On the plus side, their campsites are huge ( a plus, especially after Lake Kincaid, where we basically were on top of our neighbors) but it doesn’t have much of “nature” as it relates to camping at the edge of some woods. We rented a “premium” site (usually meant for RVs and super close to the water). The site was at a cul de sac which the boys used a lot for scootering. There was also a dock and the boys spent a lot of time asking some poor fishermen questions. The next day we went hiking – the trails were very nice and the opposite of the sites. They were covered in old growth trees that were huge and created a big canopy. Given the low light in the bottom, it prevented large shrubs from coming up and we had only low level plans competing for the foot paths. In addition, some Boy Scout troop maintained patches of it and did a really nice job. During the walk we identified, birds, wildflowers and insects but the highlight of the hiking was the mushrooms. We even saw “chicken of the forest” which apparently tastes like chicken if you cook it.
After the hike, we went to the the lake to swim, play with the sand and paddle board. I was worried about hurting my back further when paddleboarding but the immediate emotional lift from being in the board superseded all else. Paddling in a calm, beautiful lake is amazing. Two other water “vehicles” (a canoe and a kayak) stopped by to ask me questions about the paddleboard (since they had not “seen anything like it before”).
Dennis took the boys out on the paddleboard once I came back and we quickly packed up when it looked like it would rain.
The other highlight of the trip was the “outside movie”. On our way to hike, we found out that they would be playing “Madagascar 3” on an outdoor amphitheater. We took the boys and sat on our towels to watch the movie while munching on popcorn that the park provided! Pretty sweet.
On Sunday, we went on another hike but this time got pretty eaten up by mosquitoes. Still, all in all, I love nature hiking as a family! Stonelick is a definitely “do again” place.
Te amo!