I slept rather well on the lodge bed. It was very comfortable. With the curtain drawn, it was hard to determine the hour or the sky’s condition without jumping up and peeping out the window, so I glanced at the clock setting on Mindy’s nightstand. It was 7:30am. I was really thirsty, had to pee, and was eager to get up and moving. A glance out the window confirmed what I assumed. It was morning and it was very sunny. After taking care of my personal hygiene issues I donned my running shorts and shoes and took off for a run through the immediate area.
Like before, there was light fog in the area making the scenery even more beautiful. This time I spotted a large buck prancing through the woods between the lodge and the cabins. He must’ve been a ten or twelve pointer. Further along, I took the cabin/dock side trail desiring to check on our boat while out. It’s mostly downhill to the lake but a long, arduous uphill back. I ran along the entire cabin/dock area and then up a maintenance- only trail that lead to the “buzzing” building one can easily hear from the lake. I assumed it to be some sort of pump house. I heard it the last time we were here and was curious about its origin but never made it down. Arriving at the locked gates I peered through glancing over the infrastructure like a curious reporter. Best I could determine was that this is the lodge’s own sewage treatment plant.
I made my turn and headed back to the lodge, the only difference was that it was all uphill. UGH! Along the way I spotted another buck, only this time it was a young one. He was bedded down along the road just off in the trees. I stopped and had a look. He didn’t budge. I ran on happy that he stayed put long enough for me to gaze his way. I made it back and up the steep incline completely winded. I just don’t run enough hills back home. I was back in the almost pitch black room by 8:25am after approximately 30 minutes of running. Mindy was obviously still sleeping. I grabbed my Tony Dungy book and went to the balcony to read and bask in the morning sunlight.
About fifteen minutes later Mindy got vertical and made us each a small cup of coffee in the one cup-at-a-time coffee maker provided by the lodge. I showered before heading off to breakfast. We thought when we left the room that we’d eat a hearty breakfast then take a hike, just like we did in July. However, the wait for the breakfast buffet was about thirty minutes long, and by the time we were seated and had eaten it was already 10:30am - time to check out of the lodge.
We headed back to our room only to find house keeping already inside preparing to clean our room. Damn! We asked that she give us a few minutes to actually checkout. After all, it was only 10:35am. It didn’t take us too long. Probably ten minutes we were out the door with our gear. I loaded the cooler with ice form the lodge then carried all of our gear to the Trooper. While I loaded the Trooper, Mindy took the keys back to the desk to officially check-out. By 11:00am we were at the dock refueling the boat for another day on the lake. The ten gallons of gas we brought was the perfect amount. That brought the tank to full. At the outset we headed south and took a nice long ride at a moderate speed. Eventually we pulled into the boat swim area where we inflated our Swimway rafts for a float. Mine was losing air fairly quickly. I got out after about ten minutes. Mindy stayed in for a while longer. Another boat pulled up within about 50 feet of us. They were a noisy bunch. After about fifteen minutes of that we bolted for the other side of the lake hoping for a bit more peace and quiet.
We cruised to the end of the north ski zone then back a little ways. There we discovered a deep cove that wound far back off the main lake. I nthe cove, we found a somewhat secluded little inlet off of it where we anchored and spent the rest of our afternoon. Mindy floated while I read some of my book. We pulled anchor around 3pm and made our way to the dock. The afternoon sure went fast. We had no trouble trailering the boat. Unlike early July, the boat took on minimal dirt. The light scum line rubbed off easily. We were on the road for home by 3:30pm – about the same time Jimaken called to tell Mindy that he was leaving the Reds game and headed home with the kids. She let him know that we might not be home still until 7pm. We knew that we’d be home sooner but looked forward to the hour or so before the kids arrive to settle in. We made good time on our travels home. We dropped the boat in storage and made it home even before 5:30pm.
The first thing I did was walk Ykraps. He seemed happy to see us. I spent the next 30 minutes putting everything away and watching the PGA championship. Tiger Woods was once again the man to beat. Bottom line, no one could catch him. He won! Mindy began making dinner as soon as she returned from taking a shower. We had Texas burgers on marble rye. They were scrumptious! The kids returned just as we were sitting down to eat. But to be fair, it was 6:57pm. We should’ve expected them. They sat with us while we ate. Both Jacob and I were looking forward to the night’s NFL preseason game pitting the Seahawks against the Chargers. The game came on at 8pm. The kids were allowed to stay up after a bath until 830pm. By kick-off, I was feeling extremely nappy. I watched the game from the family room floor all the while lying on two large pillows.
After the kids were in bed, Mindy suggested that we watch the game from bed. I agreed, but knew what would happen. I’d fall asleep. And after about twenty minutes of viewing, I fell asleep!
Like before, there was light fog in the area making the scenery even more beautiful. This time I spotted a large buck prancing through the woods between the lodge and the cabins. He must’ve been a ten or twelve pointer. Further along, I took the cabin/dock side trail desiring to check on our boat while out. It’s mostly downhill to the lake but a long, arduous uphill back. I ran along the entire cabin/dock area and then up a maintenance- only trail that lead to the “buzzing” building one can easily hear from the lake. I assumed it to be some sort of pump house. I heard it the last time we were here and was curious about its origin but never made it down. Arriving at the locked gates I peered through glancing over the infrastructure like a curious reporter. Best I could determine was that this is the lodge’s own sewage treatment plant.
I made my turn and headed back to the lodge, the only difference was that it was all uphill. UGH! Along the way I spotted another buck, only this time it was a young one. He was bedded down along the road just off in the trees. I stopped and had a look. He didn’t budge. I ran on happy that he stayed put long enough for me to gaze his way. I made it back and up the steep incline completely winded. I just don’t run enough hills back home. I was back in the almost pitch black room by 8:25am after approximately 30 minutes of running. Mindy was obviously still sleeping. I grabbed my Tony Dungy book and went to the balcony to read and bask in the morning sunlight.
About fifteen minutes later Mindy got vertical and made us each a small cup of coffee in the one cup-at-a-time coffee maker provided by the lodge. I showered before heading off to breakfast. We thought when we left the room that we’d eat a hearty breakfast then take a hike, just like we did in July. However, the wait for the breakfast buffet was about thirty minutes long, and by the time we were seated and had eaten it was already 10:30am - time to check out of the lodge.
We headed back to our room only to find house keeping already inside preparing to clean our room. Damn! We asked that she give us a few minutes to actually checkout. After all, it was only 10:35am. It didn’t take us too long. Probably ten minutes we were out the door with our gear. I loaded the cooler with ice form the lodge then carried all of our gear to the Trooper. While I loaded the Trooper, Mindy took the keys back to the desk to officially check-out. By 11:00am we were at the dock refueling the boat for another day on the lake. The ten gallons of gas we brought was the perfect amount. That brought the tank to full. At the outset we headed south and took a nice long ride at a moderate speed. Eventually we pulled into the boat swim area where we inflated our Swimway rafts for a float. Mine was losing air fairly quickly. I got out after about ten minutes. Mindy stayed in for a while longer. Another boat pulled up within about 50 feet of us. They were a noisy bunch. After about fifteen minutes of that we bolted for the other side of the lake hoping for a bit more peace and quiet.
We cruised to the end of the north ski zone then back a little ways. There we discovered a deep cove that wound far back off the main lake. I nthe cove, we found a somewhat secluded little inlet off of it where we anchored and spent the rest of our afternoon. Mindy floated while I read some of my book. We pulled anchor around 3pm and made our way to the dock. The afternoon sure went fast. We had no trouble trailering the boat. Unlike early July, the boat took on minimal dirt. The light scum line rubbed off easily. We were on the road for home by 3:30pm – about the same time Jimaken called to tell Mindy that he was leaving the Reds game and headed home with the kids. She let him know that we might not be home still until 7pm. We knew that we’d be home sooner but looked forward to the hour or so before the kids arrive to settle in. We made good time on our travels home. We dropped the boat in storage and made it home even before 5:30pm.
The first thing I did was walk Ykraps. He seemed happy to see us. I spent the next 30 minutes putting everything away and watching the PGA championship. Tiger Woods was once again the man to beat. Bottom line, no one could catch him. He won! Mindy began making dinner as soon as she returned from taking a shower. We had Texas burgers on marble rye. They were scrumptious! The kids returned just as we were sitting down to eat. But to be fair, it was 6:57pm. We should’ve expected them. They sat with us while we ate. Both Jacob and I were looking forward to the night’s NFL preseason game pitting the Seahawks against the Chargers. The game came on at 8pm. The kids were allowed to stay up after a bath until 830pm. By kick-off, I was feeling extremely nappy. I watched the game from the family room floor all the while lying on two large pillows.
After the kids were in bed, Mindy suggested that we watch the game from bed. I agreed, but knew what would happen. I’d fall asleep. And after about twenty minutes of viewing, I fell asleep!
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