Is Gray a Fall Color?

Last weekend, we camped at Lake Carmi State Park in northern Vermont (almost Canada!). It was cloudy and cold (barely broke 50 degrees) but a lot of fun. Sarah had two days off from school, so we drove up Saturday and returned Tuesday.

As usual, Sarah and Abby had a ball in the tent. My new North Face Cat's Meow sleeping bag lived up to its name, and I was super cozy -- a big improvement from our last time camping in Vermont in October 2015 when I was too cold to sleep.

We brought the boat and were able to keep it by our campsite. Shortly after Don tied it up, we watched a mink catch a fish and swim to shore.

The wind shifted direction during the first night, forcing Don to wade out and move the boat to a safer location around 3 a.m. The next morning, he found it full of water. Fortunately, the drain plug had just come loose, but he got a workout with the hand pump.

Abby took her first-ever boat ride, which scared the pants off her. I sat on the floor and hugged her the whole time. The second time out was much better. She relaxed enough to explore the boat a bit and found the fish intriguing.

Don and Sarah went fishing every day. Don caught a 16" walleye the first time out, and he and Sarah caught smallmouth bass and a bunch of huge perch later on.

Abby and I did a lot of walking around the park and found five geocaches. She is a great hiking buddy!

The weather was supposed to clear a bit Sunday afternoon, so we took a drive to Jay Peak, hoping to catch some spectacular fall vistas. Instead, all we saw was a whole lotta fog. And Sarah got car sick. 

When we got back, Don and Sarah listened to the Vikings game on the car radio, while I sat in camp with Abby and did a crossword puzzle.

Despite the gray weather, the trees around the park were pretty, and Tuesday morning, we actually saw blue sky before packing up to leave.

Don spent the rest of the week drying and putting away wet gear and cleaning the boat. He is a saint. He gets all of the credit for these wonderful camping trips. He does the majority of the planning and prep, all the cooking, and all the packing up and putting away. Sarah and I are blessed to have him.