Monday, August 18, 2014

Waldo Lake Camping Trip 2014

We're BACK home!  Did you miss us?  :-)  I missed you, my wonderful readers!  We were camping 13 days - we had a great time at the lake.  This image of me sailing was taken by my sister Roberta on our last full day.  I just had to put it as the first photo as it really depicts the joy and beauty of sailing on this crystal clear high alpine lake.  Some facts - this lake is the 2nd largest natural lake in Oregon, one of the purest lakes on the planet Earth and has the chemical makeup that is compared to distilled water, has 10 square miles of surface and has a visibility depth of over 100 feet.  Did I mention that we're "off the grid" at camp?  There is no water or electricity hook-ups (or internet!!).  Dayle took a new solar panel this year and it did a dandy job of keeping our batteries charged!  ALSO - this is our family's 27th year of having a camping reunion here!


But, I'm ahead of myself.  We left on Tuesday, August 5th before noon and got to the lake at 3:30 pm.  We were so fortunate to pull right into our favorite spot!  After getting fairly well set up, we headed off for a short hike to "the point".  Here is Dayle walking Buddy through the forest.


Interestingly, this is the only place where you can get cell service, so we called the kids at home to tell them we got there safely.  I saw a guy paddling a canoe by and snapped this shot.  Dayle is on the bench on my iPhone and there is Buddy looking for.. something?


Buddy is a Cairn Terrier and was bred to hunt for rats in rock cairns in the Isle of Skye in Scotland.  He just loves it at the lake where he can explore the rocks and look for frogs.


We hiked back to see the sunset over the lake.  We were happy to be back to "our" lake.


There were several small fires in the forests and the sun turned the most amazing shade of magenta as it set, due to the particulate matter in the sky.


The next day, after a busy time of setting up camp, I made a homemade guacamole lunch for us.  I made "Uncle Dan's" original ranch dressing mix for us to use a chip dip and to top our baked potatoes and I thought.. hmmm.. I'll add a spoonful of that to the mashed avocados, some salt and pepper and several drops of Tabasco Sauce - and it was the best guacamole ever!  I served it with tortilla chips and olives.  YUM!


My brother Rob and his wife D'Ann came in the day after we arrived and we managed to help him get the campsite next to us.  :-)  Later my sister Roberta arrived - Robert and Roberta are twins and are 6 and a half years older than me.  Our 4th sibling, youngest sister Denise, could not make it this year.  We missed her terribly.  On Wednesday we launched our boats - my brother Rob had made this clever cart for us to use and so instead of launching at the boat ramp, the guys and sis rolled them right down from our campsite to the edge of Shadow Bay.  We walked down in the evening to check on them and I snapped this shot of the bay and the lake in the evening light.  Dayle made my boat a wooden "bunk" to put on the rocks to protect the undersides of my boat - it worked wonderfully!


I zoomed in on the island.  Over the years people have built a rock "fort" on the end of the island.. kids are fascinated by it.  


The next day we set sail and headed straight to "Amy's Blue Lagoon" - named by my sister Roberta who took my daughter Amy and her friend Amy on a canoe ride when they discovered this wonderful spot.  I arrived first and got a shot of my brother and 2 of his grandson's sailing in.


I got a shot of Dayle taking a photo of my brother.. :-)  That's my sail behind him.


There were four women camping on the little peninsula at the lagoon - they were very nice!  They had two beautiful Labradoodle dogs that were fun to meet.  One woman was very adept on her paddle board and invited all of us to try it - the most courageous one was Dayle.. and he did very well!  D'Ann used our camera to take a photo of those of us swimming and Dayle on the board. From left, me, my brother and sister.  All the women shouted out "Dayle, you are a STUD!".  And he never fell off!


After our fun and swim, we headed out for more sailing.. this is Dayle and Buddy.


Here is Dayle working on "dinner".  Each year we buy a whole beef tenderloin to take to camp - he trims it and cuts it into steaks the size that we like, about a few inches thick.  Buddy thinks what he is doing is very interesting.


We had 5 days of wonderful sunny weather.. I did some decorating and tidying - we were expecting my friend Gracie from the blog Gray Sea Sailor.  The flowers are wild "Pearly Everlasting".



Buddy just loves to keep an eye on camp activities, especially other dogs.  


In the evenings during the first week I worked on a new bunting with more colors so I could hang them on two sides of our camping canopy.  There would be more colors.  Here is my pile of pennants as they grew.


I finally crocheted them all together - 11 of them - and hung them with clothespins.  I am going to find some clear plastic clips to use next year.  What do you think?


Our colorful campsite!  That is Dayle's small BBQ on the end of the table where he did a lot of outdoor cooking.


I hung a strand of flags in nautical colors (from the Martha Stewart line in Michael's craft store) to brighten the interior.  I also ordered a vintage red cowboy printed tablecloth off Etsy - which arrived the day before we left.. that's cutting it close!  I enjoyed the extra color of my two newest crocheted pillows on the sofa.


One of the reasons that we got this particular trailer is the nice sized kitchen area.  


Our two comfy easy chairs.. that's mine on the right.  My "nest".  


The bedroom - the queen sized bed works.. I just wish it was a king! :-)


I had lost my sourdough starter due to some alien microbe that turned it into a black fuzzy monstrosity in the fridge.. so I cleaned the crock really well and took it to camp to hopefully get a new start from my brother who is an official "sourdough" - he has kept his sourdough going for years and makes sourdough flapjacks often for his family.  I fed it and made a batter to fizz up overnight and now I'm back in the sourdough business!  See the little saucer with the nautical flag on it?  I have a collection of WW II Wardroom china from aboard a Navy ship.  I have a lot of it.  I'll have to show you sometime.  Most pieces have an anchor design on them.


I made the batter the night before, then you take 2 cups out of that and put it back in the crock for the next batch.  Dayle mixed up the egg, buttermilk, flour (Bob's Red Mill unbleached white flour), salt and baking soda for the flapjacks and cooked them up for us for brunch.  These have the most divine tangy flavor!  My brother gave me his recipe which I have to admit is better than my old one.. let me know if you want it.


UN-fortunately -- the weather turned bad on about the sixth day.  There was a LOT of thunder and lightning.. !!BOOOOM!!, **FLASH**, rain RAIN rain.  We were pretty much staying inside.. which was really fine as we all chatted about old times, our childhood and I crocheted.  This is the view from our trailer, see how close the lake is?


This is an old log that is rotting more each year we go.  This is our path to the lake and beach.


Gracie arrived to say hello late Monday evening.  Poor Gracie drove all the way from the Portland area to Sonoma, California to pick up her sister and bring her to visit the lake while we were there.  They rented a room at Willamette Pass Inn for two nights.  Gracie came to spend the day with us on Tuesday - unfortunately her sister wasn't feeling well and stayed at the Inn while Gracie visited.  Her sister missed a fantastic BBQ filet mignon dinner, with BBQed corn and I prepared baked potatoes - roasted for an hour and a half at 400 deg.  I wash the big baking potatoes, dry them, rub them with butter and sprinkle salt on them and wrap them in foil.  They turn out so fluffy and yummy!  My sister accepted our invitation to eat the meal we'd prepared for Gracie's sister.  :-)



My sis Roberta and Gracie declare that the corn is YUMMY!  It was down in the water in the cooler full of ice, so Dayle stuck it on the BBQ and roasted it and it turned out fab!  We dined in our cozy caravan while the rain poured outside.


Want some?


My brother and his wife joined us after dinner for some visiting - I loved introducing Gracie to my family as she and I have become such good friends.  We met by her reading my blog.  How cool is that?  When Gracie was ready to head back to the Inn, we walked in the cold and drizzle so she could see Shadow Bay.. where we'd planned to sit in the sun and swim out to the island.  ::sigh::  I asked Gracie if she'd mind if I followed her back to bum a shower.  Which I did.. thanks so much!


My grandson Hayden asked me to make him an Angry Birds Pig - so I found a pattern on google and spent my crochet time working on this green thing for him.  


Here it is almost done.. I finished it up with eyebrows and sewed the eyes down.  I must say - Hayden is VERY happy with his pig.  Now I have to crochet a red Cardinal Angry Bird for Caleb.  Yay.  


I zoomed in and got a shot of the fire across the lake.. the next time we sailed out my sister and I saw 2 more near this one! 


Back on the point for a phone call to home.  Here is the bench there.  I was able to get reception sitting right on the bench, yay! 



This photo of the water has a story.  Ready?  On Friday the weather finally got sunny again, so my sister, Dayle and I headed out for a sail.  I wanted to get a snap of the beautiful clean water to show you.  While fiddling with my camera I blew off course a bit and ended up floating over a shallow rocky area.  I pulled up my dagger board (keel) and successfully missed all rocks.  Dayle, Mr. Hero, felt I needed his help, (which I did not) and headed directly into danger.  I yelled "Don't come in here!  I'm FINE!".  Did he listen?  What do you think?  No he did not.  Did he pull up HIS daggerboard?  No he did not.  Guess who hit a rock at high speed and it knocked him flying and the dog too?  Keep on reading.  Yes, I will be testing you.  I'm serious.  :-)


Meantime, I sail off and head to the lagoon.  Sister sailing astern port-side quite a ways off.


Here is Dayle, finally making it to the lagoon.. he's looking a little low in the water.  But the dog looks cute.  


When he hit shore, this happened.  This is not a good thing.  He blamed the dog.  Yes, he did.  Something about wrapping his leash around the mainsheet.  You heard me right.  The dog did it.  I was just happy that I had my camera nearby.  :-D  So.... he bailed out the cockpit and we thought all was well.


Sis and I went swimming.  I took my waterproof Lumix out and got this shot of our 3 boats with their reflections in the water.  Dayle did not swim as he was wet enough already and a bit grumpy.  :-)  What had happened is when he hit the rock, it broke a hole into the hull and it filled up with water so he lost his flotation.  Hopefully he can fix it before next year.  He limped back into Shadow Bay.


My brother sailed through with a grandson aboard.


I organized the annual family photo.  Found a neighbor camper to take the photo for us.  Here we are, my brother's whole family, my sis and hubby and me.  Next year I hope my boys can come again.


Dayle packed up his wounded boat on Saturday while sis and I had our last sail.  The orange and yellow sail is sis and a two masted little sailboat sailing by us.


My sail.  My veteran readers have heard the story, but for the new ones I'll tell you about this.  I'll try to be brief.  A guy attended a video conference in Las Vegas, this boat was commissioned to promote the movie "Tequila Sunrise" starring Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell.  To try to win the boat you tossed your business card in.  The local video distributor won it, and without knowing it's value, he put it for sale in the local newspaper.  Sis called me to give me notice of it in the paper.  I call, ask him is this was his best price, he knocks it down $200 more and I say, I will come and look at it.  I go, see everything brand new in the box and say.. "I'll take it!".  (I paid about 20% of it's value.)  There is not another one like it on this Earth - cool, huh?  The Sunfish is the No. 1 sold sailboat in the world.


On our last day sailing, my sis and I took turns taking photos of each other.. this is Roberta.  Not bad, huh? :-)


Our brother Rob came out and joined us.. here are "the twins" - we were all three sailing fast and keeping abreast, it was cool.



My niece Jessica brought her white Labrador to camp and Buddy wasn't sure about that big dog.  :-)


My brother and SIL had all their kids and grandkids there, so the last 2 nights we had these big campfire gatherings.  D'Ann baked her DIL Amy a birthday cake and we celebrated.  I gave Amy one of my crocheted hot pads as a gift.  Here is D'Ann lighting the candles.


All good things come to an end.. here I am ready to pull out hauling the boats.



Heading down the road from camp with Diamond Peak in the background.


My goodness.. I hope you made it to the bottom of this journal.  Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the photos and story.  If you're a blogger, I'll be back to my normal reading and commenting now.  I hope you're enjoying the late summer.  When we returned our lawn was mowed and all the deck flowers happy and blooming, thanks to the good care of our DIL Kristi.  Talk soon!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

41 comments:

  1. Oh what a fabulous time you all had Teresa and I thoroughly enjoyed reading and seeing the wonderful pictures although not the part of Dayle and Buddy, man over board lol
    Lovely Gracie was able to visit and have caught up with her time away too over on her blog.
    take care xoxoxo

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  2. I've been patiently waiting for you to get back and tell us all about your trip. Glad you had such a great time. I had a great time reading all about it----almost as if I had been there, too. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Beautiful pictorial - it was like being there with you all.
    It looks like Buddy sure has a great time camping even if his daddy blames him for tipping the boat over. LOL
    So happy you're back in the land of WiFi - I think I can safely say we have all missed your daily postings.
    Welcome home!!!

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  4. Well after seeing all these sunny perfect photos, I definitely want to go back to Waldo Lake and try again to enjoy it in better weather :) You and Dayle were perfect hosts, though, and made my rainy day visit pleasantly memorable [and yummy]! Thanks again, Teresa and Dayle for keeping me warm and dry and introducing me to your lovely family...great memories!
    So sorry to hear that one of your boats got injured, but glad that you also had happily smooth sailing. I really enjoyed this post, Teresa, and will send Carolyn a link so that she can enjoy it, too. We took her to PDX this afternoon. xx

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  5. It looks and sounds like you all had a fantastic time! It sure is a beautiful area! I'm amazed at how clear you said the lake is. That must be so much fun to look deep down into the water. And, I know I've said it before but I sure like the kitchen in your RV! :-)

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  6. Teresa, I just recently discovered your blog. I am a native Oregonian, living in Kitsap County now. I loved looking at your vacation photos. We travel with a 5th wheel, I would love to try camping in that park! So beautiful! Your dog is so cute! Best Regards....Marie

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  7. I want to go sailing.

    Sad to hear about Dayle's boat but I know he will get it patched up soon.
    We hardly got any rain out of those big thunderhead storms - lots of grumbling though.

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  8. What a great post Teresa. I wish I could have come to visit with Gracie. Rainy days in campers do not bother me one little but. :-). Your pictures are wonderful and he memories that you make each year are even better. My our bunting looks just perfect hanging on the canopy, cheerful and welcoming to everyone, and the cotton should have done just fine in all the rain! As for your question of how I fell...I was sitting in a chair and the leg collapsed, dumping me onto a concrete patio and off the edge. Mandy thought for awhile that I might have broken my arm but thankfully it's just co scraped and bruised.
    Hope to see you again soon too.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  9. Okay, can I be adopted into your family? You have the best reunions EVER!

    "Shadow Bay" - those are lovely words. What an amazing setting. That water, those trees (that food!). Loved the sailboat photos and the story about Dayle. I think his nickname should be "The Dog Made Me Do It". :)

    The sourdough is very interesting - yes, I would love the recipe for both sourdough and the flapjacks if you can share them.

    Thanks for a really enjoyable post. That last photo is a stunner.

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  10. Oh - forgot to say that I like the bunting attached with clothespins! I think clear plastic clips might not look as nice. The clothespins give a sort of cheery rusticity (if that's a word). :)

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  11. Welcome home! Stunning lake and great photos! I especially enjoyed the photo of Buddy checking out the meat Dayle was working with:) Your photo of dinner with Gracie makes me exceedingly hungry!! Awesome that most of your family and Gracie were able to spend some time up there in paradise. Thanks for sharing your trip with us:)
    Blessings,
    Aimee
    PS: I am interested in getting solar panels for our RV too. Did you have yours professionally installed or???

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  12. Teresa, I have been WAITING with eager anticipation for this post! And it was all that I hoped, and more! Your photos are so stunning. Waldo Lake is beautiful, and I can certainly see why it is your special place. The photos with the sailboats in them are so gorgeous! Poor Dayle, and his boat. I hope he can fix her up for the next time to go out on the lake. Greg and I would love to have a little boat like that. We used to have a little Hobie, but sold it a few years ago. These are perfect on Big Bear Lake!
    And hooray for Dayle, getting up and STAYING up on the paddle board. Impressive!!! I have tried this only once, and it is not easy!
    All of the food looked so good. And I would love your recipe for the starter and pancakes! Yum!
    And GRACIE came! How fun. Too bad it was raining. But it was so beautiful. Both in sun and rain! Was the water warm? It sure is pretty water! Oh, and the bunting!!! LOVE the bunting! What a fun, and happy pop of color it adds to your campsite. Love the crochet pig too. Very cute. Loved this post! What a happy thing to read!!! Glad you had another wonderful trip to your very special lake!!!
    xo Kris

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  13. What a great time you have had, I really enjoyed browsing all the photos, some truly beautiful lake views. Loved the bunting, a real delight. The food looked sumptuous and made my mouth water and what a bonus to have a fellow blogger visit. Some beautiful memory making.

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  14. Wow, what a wonderful trip Teresa, it looks like you had a fantastic time with beautiful weather. I'd love to try sailing one day, and I love that the lake is so clear and pure, just like lakes should be. Your boats are really eye-catching. Flapjacks are different over here - our flapjacks are a mixture of oats, sugar and golden syrup. You had me confused for a minute! I'm glad you had such an amazing break, and how lovely to be together with your family and your friend. Enjoy the rest of the week. CJ xx

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  15. Welcome home Teresa and what a wonderful time you had. This was a lovely post to read. I am just preparing to go away......the weather here has turned quite chilly but as long as there is a break in the clouds it will be great to get away. Take care xx

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  16. What a wonderful trip you had! I love everything about it. The food looks awesome and you had so many good times with family. Your camper is really a home away from home, it looks so comfortable and spacious, with homey touches everywhere. We make sourdough pancakes too; my husband has had his starter for many years and he uses it in pancakes for himself and the kids every weekend (it's more of a special treat for me; I usually have raisin bran or similar for my breakfast. They're skinny and I'm not. :)) I'm so glad you had a visit with Gracie too. Thanks for sharing this lovely post.

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  17. Welcome back Teresa, I missed you! We are still in Florida, so on vaguely the same time zone (and climate?) as you. I believe it's turned autumn-y back home.
    Your trip looks amazing :) My side of our family aren't very close (this makes me sad) and my husband doesn't have much, just his Mum, thus is why we resolved to make our own family :) I really hope when my kids have their own kids that we can all be as close as you and your family so obviously are :) Your location, with your embellishments, looks gorgeous, but what really makes it special is who you are with :)
    My favorite pic is of Buddy expectantly watching your husband prep that meat!!!
    Hugs, Jillxo

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  18. It looks like you had a wonderful time away, even if the weather did turn bad for a few days.

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  19. Wow, what a gorgeous place. Seeing your Sunfish makes me nostalgic for the one my in-laws used to have. We had a lot of fun sailing on a little lake in Michigan. Nothing quite like a trip to the lake.

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  20. I really enjoyed reading about your wonderful holiday, Teresa. Thank you for sharing. I'm so glad you had a good time but I missed you. It's great to have you back! :)

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  21. 27 years of family camping! That's awesome. What a beautiful area. And what a big group. Sorry to hear about Dayle's boat. He should know you are a master sailor. Ha! Your bunting looks great! I bet you have the snazziest camp site around. Have a great rest of the week. Tammy

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  22. I am so glad you and your family had a wonderful time at the lake. It's so pretty there. I love that lake! Very pretty. Love that you had a chance to do your crochet as well. The bunting and the frog look awesome. Missed you while you were gone, so glad you are back sweet friend. :) ((hugs)).

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  23. Super !
    Thank you for the trip.
    It was the paradise with many adventures.
    It's so good to read you again with all the pictures.
    Julie xxx

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  24. What a truly amazing time you all had, I would love a holiday beside a lake I think, especially if at some point there was some decent weather. Lovely that Gracie could join you for a while as well. Poor Dayle and his boat, what a naughty dog Buddy is ;)

    So good to have you back in blogland, and yes, you were missed!

    Helenxx

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  25. Why sure I missed you, and I'm quite sure everyone else who comes to your blog did too. I don't know when you would have had time to miss any of us, you sure were busy, and how wonderful a time you must have had. All that fresh air, clear water, good food and family. Love all the pics. Got a chuckle out of the Dayle and Buddy mishap. Isn't it always "the dog" who is guilty. But he's not talking, so Dayle is safe, lol. Love your camper, it is truly a home away from home. That kitchen is spacious I can see why you chose that one. Glad you got some crocheting done. It is always fun to crochet for children, they are easy to please and so appreciative. Glad you made it home safely. Let me know if you want to take on another Scrabble player. I play Words With Friends on Facebook. I like both games.
    (((HUGS))) Susanne :)

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    1. Susanne, feel free to start a game of WWF or Scrabble with me!

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  26. Hello Teresa and welcome home it's good to 'see' you. What a stunning place. What a wonderful time you had. How I would have loved to be there. The bunting looks great!! Although I'd prefer good weather I do like being tucked up and cosy and crafting when it turns bad - especially on holiday :-) Hugs Anne x

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  27. This looks like PERFECT camping time to me! Such a beautiful place and I would love to have a trailer like yours!

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  28. Each photo a GEM.. I LOVE your banner!! I've never seen such a colorful sweet banner.
    I'd camp with you all anytime. I would love some filet mignon

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  29. What a wonderful perfect summer holiday!!!!! Camping in style and Oh so colorful!!!! What wonderful fun!!!! Have a fab week!!!!
    Love
    AMarie xxx

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  30. Wow! I hav been on a trip and the best trip ever. I loved the views, smelt the gorgeous food and enjoyed the sailing. I am so glad you had such a wonderful time. Sorry about Dayles bust though! It will soon be mended I am sure x

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  31. Welcome home! What a lovely post about your camping adventures, Teresa! I enjoyed reading it and seeing all your gorgeous photographs. The lake is so beautiful, with such amazingly pure water! Your crochet pennants are so lovely and colourful, what a great job you made of them. Lovely that Gracie visited there too :)
    Helen xox

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  32. What an amazing adventure!!! I loved each and every picture, I feel like I was right there with you. So glad you had a wonderful time.
    Meredith

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  33. Wow Theresa, this looks like such a beautiful place and your photos are wonderful. I LOVED the colourful sails and the story of yours.
    Thank you for inviting me over.
    Welcome home.
    Jacquie x

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  34. Oh wow .. what a holiday !! I enjoyed every minute of it. Teresa, you write such interesting and varied blog posts - I always enjoy reading about your adventures. Thanks for sharing part of your life with us. Your photos were amazing too. xox

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  35. I made it to the very last . ! I enjoy your lake holidays, family holidays hold my most special childhood memories. We used to all go camping but those days are long gone! We go away with my Mums brother more now which is lovely :-)

    Once again you have the most beautiful photos and I love that Gracie came to visit! x

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  36. Wow, I wouldn't have missed reading that for the world! I love that all your family get together like this and spend time having fun, what a great tradition.
    Lovely to have you safely back.

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  37. What a great camping trip! I love your rainbow afghan on the sofa. I'm sure it brightened your rainy days. Your trailer kitchen is larger than any kitchen I've ever had here in Japan!!

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  38. What an amazing place. You have more space than we Brits can dream of out there. And how lovely to see dear Gracie pop up in your post. Great post :)

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  39. I totally missed this post somehow! I hate it when that happens. What a fun, fun entry! Such a fun trip and good food. I enjoyed every single photo and story. Your bunting turned out great -- love the jingle balls! It looks great hanging around your cover. That meal with the steak and corn and potato...OMG, it so made me salivate. I love a good rain storm while camping as long as it's clear when you want it to be. I can imagine the sound and the atmosphere inside the camper while it was going on. Lucky Gracie! I'm glad she had a chance to come and experience a little of it with y'all. I'm glad you're back. Missed you, but I knew you were having fun! ♥

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  40. Such fun! Where was that test you promised? =D

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