Dave and I have been debating a cabin and cabin experiences for years. I love the isolation, trees and water; Dave loves the fishing, boating and campfires. We’ve stayed at a lot of great Airbnb’s and explored a lot of different towns and lakes. Our criteria have shifted – we thought we knew exactly what we wanted: 2 hours away max, away from people, a deep and no wake lake close to a town with major services. Then we found the place we needed but weren’t looking for.
We’ve been studiously AVOIDING this part of our state, as parts of it are so touristy and it’s a haul to get there. The lake we visited is quite shallow in parts, and speedboats are around. The cabins are close together and we all took meals in a dining hall. We weren’t isolated at all; we traveled with two neighboring families who’ve been talking this place up for years. We knew lots of people there too! But the woods, lake, cabins, food and atmosphere were divine.
After tucking the kids into bed, the adults would gather on the one porch where we could hear everyone’s kids and tell stories until way past the adult bedtimes. On top of a magnificently fun lake experience, someone else does the cooking, cleaning, boat maintenance, grounds work, etc. We had everything we needed and more, so indulgent without being decadent. It felt like gourmet camp.
It sounds terribly trite, but as we drove away and the locals waved us out (for real – 100s of people lining the roads out of town!), we realized the drive doesn’t matter as much as we thought, even for a long weekend. And we love traveling with friends. A trip with the kids CAN be relaxing. And as Dave said, the morning snuggles with the early risers (Griff) on the porch watching the birds was worth every minute and penny.
So we shelved the cabin talk, at least for now. We signed up for next year, and feel like we crammed a summer’s worth of fun into the last weekend of the season. And yes – I’ve got hot bananas and diapers overflowing out of my car trip bag, my novel buried deep under the popcorn and water bottles. I’m so chill it doesn’t even phase me. And that pretty much sums up why we’ve been dreaming about a cabin to begin with.
