Lakeside Retreat

Each year Arthur and several friends from college get together to reconnect for a weekend.  My friends know that if Arthur is going for the weekend I will more than likely plan a get together.  For the past few months they have been asking about when Arthur and his friends are meeting so we can go on a camping trip.  Finally the guys set the date for the last weekend in October which would be perfect for us to have a campout.  So we actually decided that camping outside that late in October might be a little iffy weather-wise so I was able to snag a cabin at a state park to have indoor accommodations.  As it turns out with a high of 80F this weekend camping outside would have worked just fine but having a kitchen and bathroom facilities was a plus for some of the group.

On Saturday afternoon we all met up at Milford Lake State Park.  We had reserved a small cabin that would sleep 4 and it was almost like a tiny-house or at least felt that way when 4 women drag along all the stuff they need for overnight.  It was located right along the lake edge so we spent part of the afternoon sitting outside chatting and enjoying the view.  We decided that hiking was in order being at a state park and we found an area where they had recently held a cross country race so paths were well mowed in the tall grass.  We wandered around enjoying the sunshine and crunching the fall leaves under our feet.

After our hike we were hungry so we dove into bowls of chicken cheesy chowder which it the spot on a fall day.  As we were enjoying the soup we notice the sun was sinking low on the horizon which meant we had to leave dinner and watch the sunset.  We ran down a trail about 1/4 of a mile to an observation tower only to find trees blocking the view.  So we turned around and ran back to the car to scope out a better viewing location.  One of the campgrounds was named Sunset Ridge which sounded pretty good.  When we arrived we jumped out of the car and made our way to a bench just as the sun dipped below the lake.  We enjoyed the beauty for a while and those who didn't run cross country in high school tried to catch their breath after some high-intensity sunset watching-- who knew it was an cardio activity.

Since darkness was setting in it was time to light a fire.  After all a camping is not complete without a fire and more specifically s'mores.  I love that sitting around a fire encourages conversation but when there is a lull in the conversation it isn't awkward silence but thoughtful reflection while gazing into the dancing flames.  Once we got some decent coals the marshmallow roasting began.  As the night air cooled we pulled out our plaid flannel shirts which made the evening more cozy.

Our final entertainment for the evening was stargazing.  We hiked up to an open area on top of a hill overlooking the lake and found a dark and brilliant night sky to spread a blanket beneath.  We are marveled about how the stars are out most evening but we never take the time to stop and appreciate this wonder.  It was also a treat that we saw five or six shooting stars too.  We laid on the ground, lost in the stars for probably an hour, until it finally got chilly enough we called it quits to go snuggle up in sleeping bags in the cabin for the night.