Klamath Lake vacation

First of all, the Klamath Lake vacation was not about roughing it. It was about family, nature, water, fun, good food, comfortable beds, and simply being. For four nights, we all rented a two bedroom, two bath, two story house on the shore of Klamath Lake which had what they called a bunkhouse or studio above it with a third bedroom space (you can see it to the left and above the house in the photo). That meant for sleeping our kids got the main house while Farm Boss and I took the studio. That meant a climb up the driveway every night to go to bed which was only a factor to me once.

The house is charming with windows in every room overlooking the lake. It has a big stone fireplace at one end of the living room and lots of sofas and places for cousins to play. Considering the grandchildren range in age from almost 2 to almost 11, the space was welcome. It has decks all the way around it with steps leading to the gravel beach and a safe swimming area (although in those reeds were leeches which means no dallying as you wade out to where it was deep enough to swim), a dock, good fishing spots, and an easy place to launch canoes (we brought four).

Sitting on the gravel beach, there was that the kind of peacefulness you suck into yourself. There were other people out there on their boats, but our beach was very private. I watched the children playing, swimming, swam myself, enjoyed the air, the way the day had a rhythm to it that was so relaxing.

Sitting there, maybe talking, watching the birds out on the lake, enjoying the breezes, the changing light, seeing my children and grandchildren interacting with each other, was my kind of vacation. I expected it would be good before we went, and it didn't disappoint at all.

We did not plan a lot of activities. I had two unexpected additions. The first one involved a lack of good judgment on my part. After the first full day, I began to feel terrible right after dinner. I helped clean up but literally had to convince myself I wasn't dying as I walked up the gravel driveway to where we were sleeping.

My arms ached so much that I thought at first it was from the exercise of paddling in the canoe. Couldn't be the swimming as it's not like I swam that much. It took me a little while to realize that I had not been drinking much/hardly any water. It was hot and I had been exercising in different ways. As soon as I began to drink a lot of water my body could deal with the dehydration. You can bet I didn't let that happen a second time, but there was another surprise ahead which will be in a future blog.

When I was younger I always thought I'd like to learn to canoe, but I wasn't sure about it. I mean it's not the same as boating. There are things you have to learn. You use your body more, your balance. Learning it at my age, I wondered about that balance part; then came the opportunity to try it on Klamath Lake two years ago. Last year we bought our own canoe and every time I am out on the water, I love it.

It changes my whole perspective when I see the shore from out there, when I float along so quietly, helping to move and guide the canoe. Canoeing down a little arm of the lake , seeing geese or other waterbirds gliding ahead of me, it makes me feel one with the lake in a way I don't even when swimming myself.

All photos from Klamath Lake. Next set of photos will be of the birds of Klamath Lake.