Bass Lake

It was our year to organize a location for a camping trip with my Dad's side of the family.  

 Our camp site at Bass Lake was large enough for the RV's and tents, a pen for anut Ruthies dogs,  our kitchen set up for preparing dinner and washing the dishes and a fire pit.

It lacked running water and flushing toilets.  But no worries we still had a place to display the quilts aunt Bev raffles off each year,

a place for the arts and crafts she brought for the kids to do,

a location for the luau themed wedding reception for my cousin Stacey and her husband Travis,

and of course somewhere to set up the big screen and projector for movies.

You know, pretty much your basics for every camping trip!!

While the actual site was a bit dry,  the lake was close by and it is beautiful up there.  I snuck off in the mornings for a run along the edge of the lake or to ride my bike along the winding road to the dam.  It  felt so good to start off the day breathing the crisp mountain air and to see what the lake looks like when it is actually smooth.  There is a 5 mph speed limit on the lake form 8pm to 8am.  After that the lake is a mass of boats and jet skis and waves the size of which I usually see only at the beach!

Most of the adults in our group spent the day at the beach on the shore of the lake or hiking in Yosemite.

My boys wanted all the time they could get on the tubes behind the boat.

I was happy to accomodate them.

They went wild out there trying to see who could get the most air  crossing the wake or who could hold on the longest.

Jason, Garrett and I got out early enough one morning to get in a few turns each on the wakeboard and knee board before the lake tunred into an ocean, and that was a blast.

 But other than that my days were spent pulling the crazy kids on the tube until they literally konked out!

Me and my three boys were the last ones to leave the lake at the end of the trip.  We had a handful of mishaps that none of us will soon forget.  The first happened about an hour after Jeff left and I filled up the boat with gas only to realize that I didn't have my purse!  Um...oops! Then when it was time to pull the boat out, I had a few more moments of desperation.  Logistically it was a nightmare that I hadn't anticipated.  We were offered help from a man, the likes of which my children have never come into contact with.  In my panic I took the help that was offered and ended up with a few missing chunks and scrapes on the prop of the boat.

My guys and I treated ourselves to dinner at a yummy Mexican resturaunt when we had finally gotten out of the lake.  I am sure we did more laughing than eating that night, but it wrapped things up just right.  No one but Garrett could keep a straight face and ask the waitress who Nino's children were and why did they have their own menu?  We went home with a little too much sun on our cheeks and full tummies, and that's always a perfect ending if you ask me!