Fall Camping

Brunhilda (our VW Vanagon) is enabling all sorts of camping that previously would not have been attempted.  Exhibit A: fall camping on the Olympic Peninsula!  We wanted to go visit my parents while they were working in Forks and we agreed to meet at Lake Crescent. 

We had a slight adventure to start out our trip, wherein a campground that we had thought was open turned out to be closed, so in the middle of the night we fetched up in a lovely lakeside parking spot...only to be woken up at 8am by a park ranger pounding on the door of the van.  Oops.  Nothing like a run-in with the law to get vacation started right.  But she was perfectly friendly, asked us nicely to get a real campsite next time, and left us to get out of our jammies before setting off. 

Run-in with the law aside, the campsite was spectacular.  The view from the van looked just like this:

Totally worth it.

We met my parents at the Lake Crescent Lodge for lunch on the sunporch.  The Lake Crescent Lodge looks like someone went back to the 1920's and pulled every adorable summer-camp trick they could find.

   

My mom is recovering from a horseback riding accident, but luckily my mother-in-law knit her this adorable cast cover, so she's still fashion forward, non?

 After lunch, the husband and I rented a canoe and went across the lake.  Canoeing is a new sport for me and I LOVE it.  Love it.  Look at this face:

That's exactly how i feel on the inside when I'm canoeing.  Something about the old-timeyness of the craft and being so close to the water yet not as scary-close as a kayak really does it for me.  Love it. 

 It's my new favorite adventure.  Maybe Santa will bring me a canoe?  But how would I haul it on my trusty Beetle??  Hmmm.

Till next time, mon amour Monsieur Canoe!