Vacation 2016 Days 4 & 5

Sunday
We tried the Baymont Inn pool and hot tub after breakfast. Great start to the day.
Then we set out for our next potential overnight destination--Mirror Lake State Park.
Unable to reserve a camp site, we showed up to check availability--one spot left!
Again, fairly close to vault toilets, and not too far from showers. We didn't set up the extra canopy, not expecting rain.
We toured the campgrounds on the tandem and came across many group cookouts and beautiful sights.

Campsite #28; assembling the tandem; preparing Sunday lunch--ham, potatoes, artichoke salad

Michael surprised me (and probably himself too!) when he decided to splurge on a dinner cruise!
At 4:45 we boarded the Winnebago for two and half hours of great music, scenic beauty, a stroll on the walkway to Witches Gulch, a gorgeous sunset, and a fabulous meal.

Back at the campsite we played Kings in the Corner with me practicing the recently revealed subtle secrets to the game. He still won.

Monday
There was one more area attraction Mike wanted to visit before heading back home, to relive childhood memories--Devil's Lake with its huge boulders. There are numerous bouldering guides, looks like a rock climber's paradise.

We thought it would also be good for bicyclists. There were several marked bike paths on the map.

So we set out on the tandem, and soon discovered these were meant for mountain bikes and certainly not suitable for tandems!

We came as far as this point and turned around.

Another problem we encountered in the park was the number of people out and about on the paved paths--Labor Day-weekend crowds enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery.
Surprisingly we heard several different languages and accents. As we walked around, we'd try to figure out where people were from.

Next best plan: take the driving tour of Devil's Lake State Park, take in the varied terrain and learn the history of the area.
At stop #8 we learned about the Civilian Conservation Corps that operated a work camp for some 200 young men during the Great Depression, completing a variety of projects for the U.S. government.

Then it was time to start the long drive home. I read out loud for hours and we finished our book just as we were arriving in Upland.