A canoe trip to remember for a lifetime

Sometimes everything falls into place and a canoe camping trip turns into a perfect 10. This weekend was one of those times. Thursday morning four of us drove to the Adirondacks to a spot a group of us try to get up to every year for a long weekend, Ginger and Rick in their kayaks and Caryl and me in my big yellow Wenonah kevlar canoe.

We started a new tradition without realizing it! We usually stop at the pancake house in Old Forge for lunch. Two years ago we found a new place on the way home for dinner. It is the Buffalo Head Inn in Forestport, NY, just south of Old Forge. Ginger called this the "bookends". . . stopping at the pancake house for lunch on the way up and the Buffalo Head Inn on the way home on Sunday! Did I tell you Ginger is a creative person???

It was a lazy weekend. We found our favorite campsite vacant on Thursday. The sites here are at least a quarter mile apart and we saw few people over the weekend. It was like having this big beautiful lake all to ourselves.

I think I was a little child the last time I took the time to gaze at the clouds and pick out pictures or figures in their formations. I spent most of the four days just sitting and watching the view or preparing our meals in my cast iron camp dutch ovens that I love doing. For dinner on Thursday evening we had pot roast cooked with potatoes and carrots and an appetizer of bacon wrapped water chestnuts in a sauce of ketchup, brown sugar and Worcestershire. Friday morning I made Mountain Man Breakfast which included bacon, green bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, eggs, and I can't remember what else. Friday dinner was sweet and sour ham, again in one of my dutch ovens. . . Are you getting the sense that we don't eat the usual freeze dried stuff on these trips??? Ginger put together an excellent dish on Saturday with pasta, stewed tomatoes, and ham, among other things. This morning, Rick took our left over eggs, ham, green bell pepper, and cheese and put together a scrumptious dish.

Each evening we had a roaring campfire and enjoyed the wilderness experience along with good conversation.

We all live fast-paced, stressful lives. These four days were the best cure for just getting away and putting the rat race behind.

Over the next day or two, I will be posting pictures of the weekend.