Clear Lake on Mount Hood

It's been far too long since I've had a chance to post an update to our blog. And I hope to give you two entries within the next few days. We'll begin with our last trip we took in early July. We and 3 other families took up residence in a campground just the other side of the pass on Mt. Hood called Clear Lake.





The lake I'm told serves as a reservoir for irrigation in the Maupin area. So the good news is that the water is very clear and clean. The other good news is that they let you swim in it. The bad news is that the water is very chilly. Maybe a bit warmer than the ocean in Oregon this time of year.



The campground is pretty small. Only about 30 or so sites. Some are very close to the lake some are on the other side of the little road, still very close, and some are tucked a way a little farther away in the loop.

We grabbed one right by the lakeshore and found it to be spacious and had just the right amount of shade and sun, depending on what you wanted at the time.

From this view:



You can see all that separated us from the lake. Here's a view looking from our campsite to the peek a boo view of Clear Lake.



With Oregon camping the weather is always a factor to be mentioned and we lucked out this year. We arrived on Thursday night fairly late, and it was cloudy and pretty darned cold. But I quickly built a fire and we unpacked before it got totally dark and I had a couple beers and called it a night.

But the rest of the trip would be beautiful. Later that evening, the skies cleared and the stars came out and from then on it was clear skies.

I could go on and on about what we did, what we ate, but it's all kind of the same as every other trip. So I'll just let you enjoy some pictures and keep the dialogue to a minimum.






Mai Tais


Lani


Kili







The best part is finally relaxing.. realizing that you don't really have to do anything. For some reason when that moment hits you, usually on the 3rd day, more air than usual escapes your lungs.. and your shoulders roll down just a bit, and you realize what's really important in life.



For me the best feeling of the whole trip was going into the lake for a few minutes, then walking back to camp and lying on my chair in the sun. The warmth felt so good. And I realized how really little it takes to be content and feel good. Really feel good. Inside and out.

If this blog finds you in a spot where you can't camp, or even drink a mai tai, I hope maybe you can find that relaxed feeling too, if only for a brief moment, so that you can realize what's important, as we go about living our daily lives.