Week in the woods

We just got back from a week of tent camping at Raystown Lake, PA. It was an absolute BLAST and we could have easily stayed another week. We actually contemplated it, even though we'd have to move all out stuff to another campsite. The drive there took about 3 1/2 hours, and was pretty hilly. There were times we weren't sure if the truck/boat were going to make it up...

When we got there, we couldn't check in yet, but we did get the boat in the water. It was an odd experience to say the least. Here, at EVERY boat ramp, there's a dock and metal cleats to tie your boat to. At the lake - nothing. Just a boat ramp and lots of water - definitely a 2 man job. One person backs the truck/boat into the lake and the other drives away. So, Tony drove the boat away, and me and the kids parked the truck/trailer. Then, he swung back to shore to pick us up. Whew! We vowed not to spend all week thinking about how we were supposed to get to boat back on the trailer...

We had some lunch and then could finally get to our campsite. Tony's 26 hours of research on this park and ALL it's campgrounds were well worth it! I really think we had the BEST site of them all. We were completely shaded ALL day, had only woods to the side/front of us, and could walk right down a path to our boat. We think this was the nicest campsite we'd even been to. The sites were big, and had 2 levels. And, everyone there was pretty quiet - in bed by 10 and up by 8. Here's what it looked like as we were setting up...
We used our new big tent for the second time. And yes, we did take an air mattress - a first for us, but it was great! Lottie slept in one room of the tent - we just laid down a sleeping bag with a sheet, put her in, and zipped up the divider. She laid down every night and went right to bed around 8... Not bothered by any noises and slept through until about 7:15 every morning. Couldn't have done better :) Lucas slept on the mattress with us...
The boat's spot, just down the hill from our site... The lake bottom is ALL rock, so we anchored it out a bit and had to swim/float our stuff on and off.
Here's Lucas running down the path from our site to the water:
Unpacked and ready to relax!!!
The GLOW-BALL!
TUESDAY

Got up and had a Subway sub for breakfast - delish! Lottie was in heaven.
Walked to the playground near the campsite...
Headed out to our first day of boating fun...
We headed to the only beachy area around... most of the lake is 60-180 feet deep and there are hardly any shallow spots. It drops off almost as soon as you get in the water. Downside - we had to anchor a little off shore, swim/float to land, then go to beach where we couldn't see the boat. Thus, we didn't stay too long!
We went back to the campsite for a bit and then headed to the grocery store. While there, Lucas picked out some ice cream - Drumsticks in a box - and insisted on the kind with no nuts. Boo! We only wanted 3 of the 4 in the box (there was no way I was gonna give Charlotte a whole one), so Tony gave the extra to a random guy drinking beer in an old pick up in the parking lot :)
Then, we headed out on a little evening boat ride. As he did at least once a day, Lucas looked like this:
And Charlotte was just cute :)
WEDNESDAY

Lottie looking too darn cute waking up in her area of the tent
Pancakes at a local diner
Out on the boat
At night, Lucas was sooo tired that he fell asleep in my lap by the fire... don't mind how bad I look in the pic!
THURSDAY

This was the day Lucas was waiting for - the day Aunt Tre, Uncle Pat, and cousins Max, Keira, and Ty were coming!!! In the morning, we hit the playground.
Then, more boat:
Tony's sis and family got there just after dinner. The cousins played on the playground and took a walk in the dark. Keira and Lucas wore cute headlamps and walked the camp loop saying, "come back here light!"
FRIDAY

Poor Lucas was so tired in the mornings. Never wanted to wake up!
Playground first thing...
Then breakfast
Next, out on the boat... anchored at a little rocky shoreline where the kids could wade just a little.

I actually drove the boat quite a bit so Tony could relax a bit. It was soooo much more relaxing than driving at home, cause I didn't have to worry much about water depth!
More playground!
SATURDAY

Walk to the playground, of course...
Hanging out...
More boat - anchored at the same beach as we went to the other day. No pics yet... Tre had a cool waterproof camera. And since we had to float ourselves and our stuff to the beach, it was easier for me to leave my stuff on the boat. So, when I get her pics, I'll do another vacation update...
But, on the beach, Lucas swam in his lifevest for the first time and had a ball. Lottie let us bury her from the waist down in the sand and sat there for the longest time. Ate TONS of watermelon and crackers, and then acted like a nut - running and falling into the lake!
After the beach, the kids ALL fell asleep and we got a little adult time on the boat. Tony and Pat didn't miss a beat, they found this cliff with 60 feet of water underneath to jump off of... It even had a climbing rope already set up.

Here's Pat getting ready
And Tony mid-jump!
After getting cleaned up, we went for ice cream.
Then, we went back to camp to cook dinner... Yeah, dinner after dessert - only on vacation!
SUNDAY

Breakfast!!! Lottie ate 2+ brats all by herself! And playtime...
Lottie taking her only morning nap in the tent...
Then, out on the boat. This was the best day ever! We anchored in 50 feet of water. And, the water is soooo clean and pretty. You can look down and see your toes as clear as can be... We kept the kids in the lifevests (even wore some ourselves some of the time, just to make things easier!) and hopped on in. Lucas cried for the first 15 minutes. He doesn't like not being able to stand up, but after calming down and some special coaching by Aunt Tre, he was a little fish!

Lottie and Ty weren't too crazy about the deep water, so they were chilling on the boat most of the time...
5 sleeping little people...
After cleaning up, all 9 of us headed to dinner. The kids were great and we stuffed ourselves silly! The funniest part was listening to Pat explain to Max about how to get your $$$ worth at the all you can eat buffet! Gorgeous sunset on the way back...
Charlotte went right to bed!
Monday morning we said goodbye to Tre and company. Then, we went for a boat ride. I drove and everyone else rested.
Then, the dreaded moment was upon us - getting the boat back on the trailer with no pier to tie up on. It actually went much better than expected, and thankfully the ramp wasn't busy at all.

An awesome vacation :)