Lake Louisa State Park
Our weekend at Lake Louisa was ALL ABOUT FAMILY. It was Mother’s Day weekend, so we all headed out to Lake Louisa State Park for the weekend. The park is only about 30 minutes from home, so we have all been over for day trips, but this was a first for a whole weekend of camping. We brought the camper and the rest of the family stayed in one of the cabins. A whole weekend away with my in-laws, Matt’s brother, sister-in-law, nephews and niece. This might make some cringe, but I am lucky when it comes to Matt’s family in that I really enjoy spending time with them. I only wish my family was closer and could have joined in the fun as well. We were all a little late arriving Friday night, but just in time for my top three favorites. We sat around the CAMPFIRE at the cabins roasting SMORES and drinking WINE. Honestly, I do not know who enjoyed it most… the kiddos who loved the ooey, gooey smores, my in-laws because we had the whole family together, or the bugs that had the most delicious feast as evidenced by all of my bug bites. Maybe it was me that was enjoying it the most because I barely noticed the bites until the next morning. SO MANY BITES….
We slept in later than normal on Saturday and enjoyed a bit of a lazy morning. When we finally did wake up, we drove over to the cabin where BREAKFAST WAS WAITING. The park is huge, and it was a 3 mile drive around the lake. We wanted to walk the trail between the two, but had not figured out the location of the trail or how long it would take and our stomachs were SO HUNGRY. Once we had filled our bellies, we decided to find the trail that was supposed to create a short cut from the cabins to the campgrounds. We headed off with some of the gang including our niece and oldest nephew. They both wanted to see the camper. I think they were imagining the camper to be significantly larger and cooler than the reality. As it turns out OUR NIECE IS NOT “OUTDOORSY” in that she has a great fear and hatred of bugs. She lasted about 5 minutes before we needed to take her back to enjoy the comforts of the cabin. It might have been a good thing, as not too much further along I almost stepped on a snake. EEK. SOMETIMES I AM NOT OUTDOORSY either, but that certainly made the bugs look less threatening. We eventually made it back to the campgrounds, safe and sound from all the dangers of the woods. It was actually a clear and wide path between the two, perfect for hiking and not really any “dangers”. Our nephew finally saw our camper and I THINK HE LOVED IT. Not sure whether it was the camper or just the peace and quiet from everyone else. Our niece saw it later that day and was also appropriately impressed. When our youngest nephew saw it the next day, he did not think it was as impressive as others he has seen, but he did say it had a bed which was pretty cool… so that is something! I suppose two out of three is not too bad. We headed back to the cabin to pick up the rest of the gang and head out to the lake. We were ready for a little fishing off the pier and canoeing on the lake. Matt brought his canoe that he has not used in years out to the campsite this weekend, and he was finally able to take it out on the water. I enjoyed the view with Matt’s mom, as the boys enjoyed fishing and getting out on the water. Matt went out a couple of times with our nephews and his dad. They were taking turns out on the water and fishing off the pier. Our nephew CAUGHT HIS FIRST FISH, after some other fisherman on the pier gave him a slightly better lure. If only they knew that that simple act of kindness brought so much joy. My husband was exhausted after all the time out in the canoe, but had so much fun on the water. It was fun watching him enjoy the time with everyone, especially his dad. I think we all earned a BIT OF RELAXATION and a leisurely dinner.
Before heading out on Sunday morning, we had a BIG HUGE GRIDDLE BREAKFAST at the camper with everyone. The breakfast potatoes are amazing, every single time. It was a great way to end the weekend and sneak in a couple of family pics with everyone.
Overall we loved this state park. It is a huge park with cabins, rv camping, and tent camping. There are tons of trails for hiking, horseback riding, and running. The park includes three lakes, including Lake Louisa that has a beautiful beach and picnic area. We saw people swimming off the beach, which is a choice I would not have made given the dark water and frequent alligator sightings. We took advantage of the pier at Hammond Lake, where we did some fishing and canoeing. They had a small camp store that had a necessities and cold water. The cabins were huge and clean, but my favorite part was the huge screen porch. It is perfect for family get togethers. The campground was definitely spacious and clean. The restroom facilities were very clean. I liked our site, but wish we had been on the outside of the loop instead of the inside. We were looking right at another campsite that had three dogs, and Bingley has a hard time containing his barks when he sees other dogs. Also, I do not really like to look right at other people. Even though the site was not the best I have seen, I would absolutely stay at the park again.
It was a great weekend with the family celebrating Mother’s Day! All of us LIVING OUR BEST LIVES for the weekend!
