In Martha's World...: back to Bliss

Traditions, old or new, are a wonderful thing. They give us something to look forward to and they provide us with a wealth of memories to cherish. This past week my BFFs and I went camping at Lake Tahoe's incomparable D.L. Bliss State Park. We've had the same site in the same campground for three years in a row and have declared it a tradition. A new tradition, by some standards, but a tradition nonetheless. (Among our campground neighbors was a large group of women, some of whom have been camping at Bliss the same week each year for 20 years!) Our reservations were made six months ago in the dead of winter. We started out counting the months, then the weeks, then the days until we could once again behold the beauty of Lake Tahoe and spend quality girlfriend time in the great outdoors. Oh, the joy of cooking over an open fire (and a Coleman stove), playing cards by lantern light and sleeping on an air mattress in a tent. We tried some new things this year, like baking cornbread in a Dutch oven (yumm!) and making ice cream in a coffee can (YUMMM!). And DEBBIE brought the cookies this time. They were so good, its just too bad she didn't bring enough to last the whole week. Oh, wait, she did! I guess we were just a little short on self control seeing as how they were gone by the end of the second day. (Don't forget, Debbie, I want that recipe!) Then there was the kayak. This would be the first time I got to use my second hand kayak and the first time I had ever paddled a sit-on-top type. I learned in a hurry that one doesn't scoot over in the seat when the wind is blowing and the water isn't exactly smooth. To my surprise, I fell into the cold water and my kayak turned upside down! Luckily, I wasn't far from shore and the water was only about waist deep. I was easily able to right the kayak and get back aboard with little fuss. There were no further mishaps. I can't wait to go kayaking again! After some coaxing, both Debbie and JoAnne tried it, and both were pleasantly surprised. When we first got to the beach that morning there were a couple of women getting ready to get their kayaks in the water. Debbie learned that they were a mother and her 16 year old daughter, and they were departing to Emerald Bay to spend the night at Boat Camp (which is where we encountered the below pictured bear). They said it was about a 2 1/2 hour paddle. What a great experience! Hmmm...what else...

When I was lounging in the sand in Calawee Cove I thought of my newly created blog and wrote in my head about this trip. I did the same in my tent, just before slumber. Again, on the long ride home, I went over in my mind all the things that I wanted to convey here. However, as I write this now I'm wishing that I would have had a pen and paper with me on that beach and in the tent, and a tape recorder in the car, because my memory is not to be trusted! Suffice it to say that we had a great time and are already planning for our "Blissful" rendezvous next year.

Lessons learned this trip:

~ Flexibility = Harmony

~ Having a good plan is one thing, properly executing it is something different altogether. Being able to come up with Plan B is the key to success.

~ Sometimes less is more

~ Partial disassembly the night before leaving makes a huge difference (Good idea, Deb)

~ Its OK to grab a burger if its convenient, especially after a long hike

Things to remember for 2009:

~ Do better menu planning and pre-preparing of meals, especially dinner

~ Simple foods should not be overlooked, especially for breakfast

~ Get out of camp early enough to have a whole day at the beach

~ Take a picture of our camp site in full regalia

~ Work on reducing our carbon footprint