Monday, July 06, 2009

Sunday at Tygart Lake

We took a picnic dinner up to Tygart Lake Sunday. After a late pancake brunch, we packed the car for a long day of outdoor exploration. It was funny to see all five of us crammed into the Beetle, but we made it to Grafton with relatively few bruises.

The Woodland Trail starts near the park office, winds up across a ridge and drops down in the campground area. The first leg of it is pretty steep, as our novice hiking companions pointed out between their ragged breaths. It was well marked, we didn't lose the trail once!

We spotted this deer skull, and although tempted to take it home for use as a decorative accent, we decided to snap some pictures of it instead and leave it for the next hikers to find.

Everyone took a break once we made it to the campground. The bathhouse looked exceptionally nice and clean, it got Delia's seal of approval (no spiders in residence, that we could see). The campsites seem uncomfortably close together, but we did think #33 looked fairly spacious. It is down over the hill a little bit, near a trail that leads to the lake. If we get a chance to camp here sometime, that's the one we'll shoot for.

It took us another lazy half an hour to walk back to the park office, and then we fired up a grill to cook Hot Dogs (and Not Dogs too). As soon as the food was ready, Keith stoked up the coals, added some scavenged wood and put the coffee on.

He did stare at the coffeepot the entire time. I guess the old saying "a watched pot never boils" does not apply to Keith, who swore up and down that his undivided attention made the coffee brew faster.

Campfire coffee is one of my favorite things in the whole world.

The girls played in the playground and climbed rocks, just like my sister and I did (and Ryan and Keith did) when we were kids. It was incredibly fun.

We wrapped up the day by shopping for souvenirs in the tiny gift shop (Delia bought a set of wooden dice and some gum) and then the kids (and by that I mean Delia, Becca, Ryan and Keith) played video games in the rec room. We can't wait to go back!

6 comments:

Melita said...

tell me exactly how do you make campfire coffee?

Serafina said...

Well, we use a percolator and brew the coffee over a fire. I'm not trying to be lame, but that's pretty much all there is to it. I don't know if it is the woodsmoke or just the idea of adventure that makes it taste so good.

Melita said...

so is it kinda like coffee from a french press over an open fire? minus the french press and insert percolator obviously... :)

Serafina said...

Never have I made coffee using a French press, so I can't say for sure, but I think it is similar. The water passes through the grounds more than once, which is probably what makes it better than the drip brewed kind.

Unknown said...

Delia standing on that rock looks like she is demanding a shrubbery.

Heidi Ho said...

The next time you come this way, call us! I think I would enjoy a campfire coffee myself!!! :) Sounds absolutely yummy.

I hardly recognized Becca. Wow!

As for camping, Jason swears by "Pleasant Creek". It ends up being fairly close by foot to the lake, but a bit longer by car. It's just on a different shore than the Tygart camp ground. You have to go down 119 south for about 5-10 miles. The lots are much more private.

Tish and Sarah camped out last week where you were and had the same "close quarters" complaint. She was on 17....TOOOOOO close to her neighbors!