CAMPING

at

BASS LAKE

.

A dear friend of mine..

(And when I say "dear friend" I mean the one

who took Mia and I sleding in January and

did not mention that you are supposed to steer

the sled until after I had crashed at top speed into a iron gate)

invited us up to enjoy the great outdoors

for a few days. And because Mia had

not yet been camping or "RVing"

I accepted the generous offer to go.

I expected the worst,

bugs, snakes, bears, mountain lions

bigger bugs & dirt....what was I thinking??

I packed enough bug

spray & hand sanitizer to last a month!

After a quick hours drive (without any wrong turns)

we were out of the city and in the wild!

Surprisingly, the wild had stores, a restaruant & a pool...

among other things;)

...

The moment we arrived, Mia was greeted

by our hosts Jacob & Connor;)

After a short safety course given by Ranger Jacob,

they were off to explore & get dirty.

Below...the wildest things in all of Bass Lake...

The Rivas Twins!

I suggested they go swimming...to rinse off the dirt.the water was a bit chilly...according to Mia. After a very quick dip in the chilly mountain pool, we decided
to take a drive and see Bass Lake.
>>>>
We stopped in a small village called The Pines.
It was very charming..there were

stores to shop in and one had a

balcony with a view of the lake.

We made a small souvenir purchase, a green rock that

we repeatedly lost and then found

for the rest of the day....this earned it the name

"the lucky rock."

Then we continued on with our guided tour of the

lake, stopping in to visit with friends....

friends who have a beautiful home right on the lake.

They graciously invited the kids to stay & swim.
Previously, Mia had told me in no uncertain terms that she
was not going to swim in "that lake". It just wasn't going to happen.
She almost didn't want to go camping at all...
So I told her it was going to be like staying on
Tom Sayer's Island in Frontierland.
Mia's mind was changed when she saw the
other kids having a grand time playing and swimming.
So into the lake she went!She wasted no time in commandeering
a suitable floating vessel.
However, there were many (Jacob) who
attempted to overthrow her.

and succeeded at it....

repeatedly.

but she did not give up..

Finally, being outnumbered, she retreated..

and settled for something a bit smaller...

This is Bell. Bells ball is in the lake....poor Bell.

Connor, this kid can & will do anything.

sky. trees. water.

time to go......

back at camp....

Everyone had worked up an appetite

playing & swimming

and taking pictures all day......

so it was time for dinner.

.

.

After a short debate on weather to cook & go out..

we opted for the latter.

We had one option for our dining enjoyment

this evening...and that was The Forks.

When you walk into The Forks, you have a choice...

You can go left, to the live fish

bait & camping supplies department.

OR

You can go right, to the cafe; where large

dead & stuffed wild life heads adorn the walls.

We went right.

If you are one of those people who assumes

that because a restaurant sells live fish bait

the food will be...unpleasant.

Let me tell you...

the chili-cheese fries were the very best...EVER!

And based on the fact that my dear friend

inhaled her cheeseburger

in record time and considered ordering a 2nd..

I say the food was excellent!

It would be worth the drive even if there was no lake!

Ducey's, lake side Later that evening, after a long and very fun day
in the great outdoors..it was finally time for bed;)

Good Night!

Don't bite the bed bugs!

No bears came to visit during the night, however

a few bad dreams found their way in from watching

shark week right before bed.
GOOD MORNING!

Time to cook breakfast..

I assisted by staying out of her way.

Exploring and playing in the club house

filled the morning ..

Just before lunch, the "senior tour guide"

called a very important kids meeting to discuss

the rescheduling of the boat ride.

After lunch, we headed back to the lake:)

Once I adjusted to the

rocking of the dock...I was fine.

Ice cream for a late afternoon snack!Holly & Mia

We did not get chased by bears, no bug bites or bee stings.

We shopped, we went out to eat, we swam in the lake,

and we saw a lot of trees.

We even enjoyed some cake & ice cream.

And then it was time to go home.

(I heard the bears showed up right after we left;)