Lake of the Woods & Medford bound

ok, so maybe we did torture our 2 month old a little bit, but we made it to Lake of the Woods. She didn't really start letting us know she was ready to be OUT of the carseat until we were about 5 miles away from the lake. Once we got to the campground, I wound up nursing her in the car while we drove around looking for a campsite. SHHHHHHH. Are we bad parents...? Don't answer that....

Any way, it was worth pushing the extra hour....Stella was amazed by the tall trees....


and the gorgeous sunset....



luckily there was a camping spot available right on sunset point! it took a little bit of sleuthing with the camp host to find a good one...but yippee! i remember camping here as a kid. Brought back lots of memories. It was funny to go from the extreme quiet of the Alvord Desert to this kid filled downright raucous campground. We weren't the only ones with a little screamer on our hands! Stella hung up the towel early compared to the little one across the street who wailed late into the night. I just keep reminding myself how truly lucky we are.



We went way overboard & had hot dogs & jiffy pop for breakfast. Hey! Don't judge! It was our last night camping & that's all we had left in our food bag & cooler! It was really good...until about 4 hours later...in the car on the way to Medford.


We enjoyed some beach time & a dip in the cool, crisp & clear alpine lake. I'd forgotten what a truly splendid swimming lake this is. One of the best, I think. Right up there with Teton Lake & Lake Powell.




Stella just looked at the trees the whole time...

& then it was back on the road to the parents' house in Medford.





Funny, just when we got the packing dialed in for camping in the Subaru with WAY too much gear, the camping part of the trip was over. I forget it takes about a week or so to dial in the accesiblity & functionality of a packing job & by the time we arrived in Medford, we just unloaded our beautifully organized lot of bags into a chaotic explosion in my parents' sitting room. SORRY MOM! Well, now I have a way better idea of what to bring & what not to bring & I know now I definitely brought way too many clothes. Not enough handywipes. Just the right amount of diapers & too much extra pumped breastmilk. Note to self: CHECK!


Here is the route we took around our amazingly diverse & wondrous state of Oregon (minus the last leg to medford & then back up to Portland...hadn't inked that in yet.) I feel like I got to know an old friend a little bit better on this journey, but that there are still many mysteries & treasures to be found. Here's to many more adventures together!