Camping On The Lake Shore

A busy weekend I had, but relaxing, and stressful at the same time. My family, along with three other families went on a camping trip to Howard Prairie Camp Resort, the "resort" is equipped with a beautiful lake. We rode down there with our family friends and split up the cost of the camp site. We met with the other families and one of the men brought his seadoos and huge inner tubes. It was a blast. The first day, we got up at six AM. We rode six hours to Medford, Oregon and set up camp. The lake was so blue from afar, and the shore was so rocky. Once our camp site was set up, we immediately changed into our swim wear. One of my favorite places to swim is in a lake. A pool is too clean for me, and a river is much too fast with the current. A lake is perfect. My mom, my sister and I went on the big inner tube and my mom didn't like it very much. She needed it to be slow, where I am a dare devil (and have previously been on one before) and I love to go fast, and catch a lot of air. For most of the day, we just lounged in our beach chairs and caught some sun on shore or in the lake. 

Of course, in the evening, we would gather around the large camp site and sit around the fire. Everybody would be roasting marshmallows, where I would just eat a couple squares of chocolate. I'm not much of a s'mores person. I like graham crackers, I like chocolate, but I'm not a huge fan of marshmallows. They taste like sugary air to me. Conversations got somewhat "raunchy" around the camp fires, some of it was heart felt and some was just plain hilarious. 

Every night, we gathered around the fire, and I wouldn't eat a s'more. The last night, I did have a lot of peanut butter cups. I get this chocolate mood where my nerves are a little bit on edge, I love where I am, but I want to be home, kind of mood and chocolate helps me feel better. I think it has that affect on girls. 

The second day, I woke up and immediately snapped a picture of the early morning. It would always be dewey and cold in the morning (as always), and it would have a misty look to everything. It was where the sun and cold met. 

That morning, we had a lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs mixed with green peppers, ham and cheese with some hash browns. It was a great breakfast. Right away, after breakfast was cleaned up and dealt with, we hopped in the lake. I had a chance to go tubing again, and I went with some people from our camp group. While tubing, we drooled because we wouldn't help but keep our mouths open. We were screaming, and laughing. The speed of the seadoo that was pulling us was just so much pressure and it was hard to close our mouths or lift our arms, you know how it is. Once we were done on the tube, I was pretty much done in the water. I just sat on the shore and admired the scenery. I love lake swimming, but I don't like being in wet swim wear for long periods of time.

I loved how open it was. The way the shore met up with the camp area, and it was a wall of trees. 

That same day, after I changed out of my wet clothes and into dry clothes, I decided to take a break from taking pictures and being on my phone. I charged my phone and brought out of my journal and colored pencils, and started to draw little veggies and plants. I am no artist, but some of the few things I can draw are little herb gardens, and I find them adorable. The other family that we were sharing our camp site with came back for a snack and I was sitting at the outdoor picnic table, drawing and coloring away. All of a sudden, I felt something claw me. I jumped and I'm like, "Oh my gosh! It's a giant bug!!!" And then I thought, "But it's a claw, the dogs aren't up here!" because the third family we were with had brought their dogs, and kicked my foot and a chipmunk ran away. So, I got bit by a chipmunk. Luckily, it didn't break my skin and I haven't foamed at the mouth. I sprayed it with Bactene, so I think I'm okay. It was a funny thing to happen though. That day, nature really did not like me. I was scratched by a funky, pokey plant, I scraped my foot on a rock, it was nature against Courtney day I guess. All funky situations. 

I still think chipmunks are adorable. 

Later that day, I went back down to the lake shore and I caught my dad riding the seadoos. 

That night, we had fajitas for dinner and after the camp fire, we all went to bed. 

The next morning, we had pancakes for breakfast. Also the whole time, there were so many bees around! It was so crazy! You can guess what we did after breakfast... the lake! 

I rode on another tube, a less stable tube than I had been on previously. This tube was labeled "Full Throttle", and that's what it was indeed. I caught air so many times, I would be two feet above my seat. We caught some good wake and the girl I was riding with flipped out of her seat and into the lake. It was crazy! There times I thought I was going to flip out. 

It was intense. After every time I went tubing, I would be sore all over. 

Then it was my turn on the seadoos! Since I do not have a boater's license (I need to get one), I could not drive one myself, so the owner of the seadoos and tubes drove me around on the seadoos. 

It was a blast! A little intense at times, and I did scream, but it was a lot of fun. 

My dad had a good view, right on the lake! He was lounging in one of the canoes and we drove past him, and we sprayed him a couple of times. I felt bad, but it wasn't my idea! I couldn't control the seadoo!

We then had lunch, and went back to the lake. I tanned in my beach chair for a while, and then went in the lake on my little ring inner tube. I watched some people from our group go canoeing and go on the seadoos. It was very relaxing, just floating on the lake in my little floatie. 

I saw my mom and dad board a seadoo and I had to get some pictures. My mom must have been in a daring mood... 

After it started dimming at the lake, we went back up to our camp site and had spaghetti for dinner. After dinner, we headed for the camp fire. The last night, the last camp fire. This is the camp fire I ate the peanut butter cups. 

The next morning, Monday morning, we got up early and began packing up. It was bitter sweet, it was nice to be going home, but sad because I had fallen in love with that place. 

Here are some more pictures. 

This was a really 'rad' truck. It looked like a semi-truck, and a pick up truck at the same time. 

It was definitely picture worthy.

The whole time I was craving some root beer, which is so weird because I never drink soda, hardly ever! So, we went to the little store there and I got myself some root beer. It was such a lovely taste. 

It was perfection.

Down on the lake shore, there was this rock and it looked like it had a toe on it. I added some rocks to be toes, and it looked like a foot. Again, picture worthy to me. I love things like that, quirky little nature finds.

It was just lovely