Sunday, July 22, 2012

2,479 Miles Later......

We're back in Cincinnati after a two week long excursion. We've never taken such an extreme trip before- from camp meeting to wilderness camping. Here are some snippets of our journey.

Our first stop was three blocks from home to pick up an antibiotic for Philip who had/has bronchitis. We are  thankful God enabled him to preach and meet his responsibilities as one of the camp evangelists. Since he was so sick we decided to leave a day early and break up the trip to Pefferlaw, Ontario, Canada over two days. The first evening Seth and Heidi Wetherald graciously allowed us to stay in their home and the boys enjoyed getting to know Emmy and Ellie. It was a joy to see Brother Clair Sams again and sit under his ministry. I particularly enjoyed his "paradox" messages: "The Unchanging God who Changes" and "The All-Knowing God who Forgets".

The boys enjoyed being in children's services twice a day and they said a highlight of the trip was making new friends....unfortunately, mommy did not get pictures of those friends. Between services they enjoyed playing together and having some room to roam.
After leaving Pefferlaw we traveled to Oswego, NY to see our friends, the Canfields. Since we had to pass through Niagra we opted to stop and see the Falls. They boys enjoyed seeing them for the first time but weren't prepared for how wet they would get.





Stephen kept saying, "If you want to jump in mommy, you can jump in. Daddy, if you want to jump in you can jump!" He wasn't able to convince anyone to go for it.


We enjoyed getting to see Mrs. Ethel Canfield, Elizabeth, Evangeline, and Emily but were sorry to have missed Doug by several hours. They took us to see the sunset over Lake Ontario and it was beautiful!


I wish I had gotten some more pictures of their house - what a NEAT place! Particularly the three story curved staircase - just a delightful place to explore.
This next picture was snapped because of what happened not 15 seconds before I took the picture. Daniel leaned up to me and said, "Look mommy, Stephen is sleeping and his mouth is hanging open." When I turned and looked, sure enough Stephen was asleep so I said, "Oh good, he's sleeping so you need to be quiet so that he can get some rest before we get to our campsite. Please keep quiet. " When he didn't respond with a "yes ma'am" I turned around, saw this and had to laugh!

After leaving the Canfield's we headed for Crane Pond in the Adirondacks. The Kizer family had shared the information about this camping spot and we decided to give it a try. The road in is unpaved and normally there is a section that is under water but due to the drought it was a dry riverbed for us (I was thankful!). That was our main concern/challenge because we don't have a four wheel drive, just a family van. If we can do it.....anyone can!


Once you arrive at the parking area, it's necessary to either hike or canoe in your supplies. Having three chidlren, and having packed everything, including the kitchen sink, we opted for canoeing in. It was about a 1/2 mile row to the campsite and that canoe was packed to the brim. Much to my relief, not one time did it tip over in our travels!


This is all the stuff that needed transported. We opted to take the tent, parents and children on the first trip and while the boys and I set up the tent, Philip went back for the rest.



This is why we chose such a remote, out of the way, location........it was perfect. (truth is - Wal-Mart was about 30 minutes away!) This picture was taken one morning right before breakfast while standing at our campsite.

The entire lake was ours for the first day and a half. There were some people who came in to fish but no one stayed until the last night we were there. An entire lake all to yourself - ahhhhhhhh........the loons were beautiful at night, it was so quiet and peaceful, we fished (enough to eat a meal) for bass, the boys went "swimming" on the hot afternoons, and the evenings were nice and cool. God answered our prayers of no rain and no bugs!

Allan is ready for breakfast! (You can see our food hanging from the tree- we didn't get to see any bear while we were there.)
 This was the food prep and washing station.
 Our fire pit and cooking area.
 The tent area.
 Family worship one evening.
 The boys working on getting wood for the fire.
 A HUGE turtle that came around while we were fishing. It was about 14 inches long and 11 inches wide - nosy big guy!





Fishing wasn't fantastic but it was fun and we had enough for supper one evening.

 The rock area in the middle of the picture is a great swimming place but since my guys can't swim they fished there instead.

The lily pads and flowers were beautiful.
 Daniel being.....Daniel.
 Allan fanning the fire.
 Stephen being.....Stephen.
I wish I could have gotten some video of the loons but every time I tried, they'd stop making their call or it was at night.
All five of us deemed it a success and hope to do it again. Some people have asked if I (Marianne) really like camping. The truth is - I do. When we get ready to go camping I turn a mental switch to ignore dirt and once I do that - it's very restful. Now, if I lived in the country and everyday breathed clean air and experienced stillness then it might not be as fun. But periodically I need to wash my spirit from the grime and filth of the city and allow the beauty of nature to breathe new life and vibrancy into the deepest parts of me. I enjoy cooking in my cast iron cookware over an open fire, keeping things simple, and being free from the cares of electricity and technology. I like the peacefulness of simple living and camping is that for me. 


After packing up and leaving the Adirondacks, we traveled to PA for the Miller family reunion on Saturday. This was a highlight of the trip! My Grandma Miller is still living and all of her living seven children were able to come. I think the only people we were missing was one aunt, one uncle, three cousins and their families, and my brother and his family. But I'll save the pictures of this leg of the trip for the next post.


5 comments:

John Parker said...

Cathy and I enjoyed reading your blog about your awesome vacation and travels and seeing the pictures! You're amazing! So glad you're making these memories!

Charity said...

Fun! I can't imagine a lake area with no bugs, though. Life in the South doesn't give us that. Looks sooo refreshing and beautiful!

sarahmfry said...

Oh Wow. That camping spot looks amazing. I loved seeing your adventure! We haven't been camping this summer, but are hoping to at least spend a night in the tent in our yard.

I know what you mean about nature setting things right. When we drive out to the cabin, I can just feel something unwinding inside. My soul needs green, that's for sure.

I was thinking how fun it would be to do a combined camping trip someday....?

Kara Plank said...

Looks like a really great trip! enjoyed the pictures!

The Dickinsons said...

Enjoyed catching up on your lives. Looks like Jesus gave y'all a nice trip. Your camping spot looks really pretty and fun. Thanks for sharing with Daryl and Laura where y'all have camped in KY. They went and loved it and we hope to go back with them someday. =)

Blessings,
~Heather~