Firsts

[Typical "what I did last summer". Nothing deep here except the lake.]

First time out for cramping this summer; first time with theDawg ever. Just an overnight, but a good dry run (humor) for later and longer junkets. We three filled the car with assorted stuff and headed out Friday, with a stop at the Alaska Club North for a warm up hot tubbing and shower, going east toward Chena Hot Springs and the Alaska State Recreation Area. After a bout with 237,419 mosquitos, carefully counted, at one of the sites, we settled in at Red Squirrel crampground, where the only open space was just that -- a very open space. Luck found us a way to a more accomodating site, though, when the picnic group broke up in the afternoon and freed a crampsite/pavillion by the lake. I pounced on it and we were off by the woods.

Judging by the sky, this was an astute choice of site. I cleverly put up the tent on the concrete slab under the pavillion roof and we settled in for a relaxing evening. Lily (theDawg) demonstrated her Labrador Retriever side with a swim and a bit of stick fetching from the lake while the German Shepherd side investigated every possible square centimeter of the whole site. Nice combination, that. I didn't know she liked to swim! I DID know she likes to remove water from her coat with a vigorous shake and stood well back on her exit from the water. She was almost dry when we put her to bed for the evening in the car and slipped into the tent, sans pillows. I did say dry run.

Of course, as is customary with our camping, it didn't stay dry. The rain started at 11:00 pm, countinued through the night, and is still at it Sunday afternoon. Rain on the lake was pretty, though, even at midnight. (Alaska summer, you know.) Maybe cramping on a pad under a roof is cheating, but it kept us dry all night and through breakfast. Hot tub and shower on the way home. All in all, a good shakedown cruise in preparation for next week's adventure. No pictures, though. Maybe next time.