Takena Trails: Clear Lake

We took our little Takena trailer on our first campout this weekend to Clear Lake, in the Mt Hood Wilderness. It was a lovely place, with well-spaced, wooded campsites and easy access to trails and the lake beaches. The weather was clear and sunny, but it was breezy and a little cool both days. We arrived late on Friday afternoon and were lucky to find an empty, un-reserved site to stay in. The campground was full, but it was still mostly quiet and peaceful.

Note to selves: Try to camp mid-week...or make reservations!

Our trailer was very cozy and we are learning where to put things so we can find them easily, and are making lists of things to bring next time. (Paper towells, warmer jackets for outside in cool weather.)

We weren't sure if our wiring was correct to charge the trailer batteries during the drive up the mountain, so guess what? No electricity! But Ken brought along our propane lantern (just in case) and we used it for inside lighting at night, and it also produced enough heat to keep our small space comfortable when we were inside. Our sleeping bags were perfectly adequate to keep us toasty warm all night. We love the trailer, and it will be a treat to have electricity next time!

Note to selves: Find out the correct way to wire the trailer battery!

We spent most of our time outdoors wandering around and enjoying the lake beaches, and had a splendid warm campfire in the evening. I did a couple paintings, so be sure to check them out on my art blog. Clear lake is a man-made lake with a dam on one end, and there are lots of huge old stumps on the beaches. We used them for a couple photo opportunities. This next picture was taken by Ken with his ipad...see his shadow? That's so we could both be in the picture. Ha ha!

This picture was taken early in the morning with the mists still rising off the water.

On our way home, we stopped by Timothy Lake and did a short hike.

Our last stop was Kevin's house where the Takena will be parked. Look! Aiden is pulling his sisters around in the bike trailer! He did many laps around the driveway with them, and usually both dogs were following along behind.

Silly kiddos. Aiden is sporting a brand new hair cut. (Not much hair left!) Anika was caught making a face, and Annalyse is just looking cute.