Having all our vacation plans dashed for the year was a hard blow during Covid. We had a big spring break trip to Paris and Amsterdam all planned and paid for that got dashed. We had a big trip to Kauai with our Brady family besties all planned for July. We were trying to hold out hope that Hawaii would open up but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. We made the decision to book a cabin up in the mountains so we could meet up somewhere half way and at least see the Brady's and get away for a few days.
We met up in Shasta in 2018 and had a blast so we decided to repeat that trip. Apparently the whole world is renting cabins this summer because you cannot really take other vacations so everything in Shasta was booked up. We ended up booking a cabin on Lake Almanor, CA having pretty much no idea about the area. Lily and Gemma spent weeks working on their "Shasta" binder. They refused to call it Almanor, they're just sticking with Shasta. They made plans for activities, packing lists etc. They spent an entire week packing their bags and I checked absolutely none of it. Between work and getting food ready to go they were on their own.
On Friday morning we woke at 5:30am and were packed to the gills. Winsty got to join us on vacation since the kennels are not open and we knew he and Goppy would not enjoy each others company.
We checked in with the Brady family and they were well on their way. The drive was longer for them since Lake Almanor is further south than Shasta. Sorry guys!
We made one stop on the way up at a rest stop. We had packed a lunch and Winsty needed a stretch. We wanted to avoid many stops and any crowds. Luckily the rest stop was all newly painted and cleaned and they were there cleaning the bathrooms as well. Most people were wearing masks and only removed them to eat. We took a dunk in hand sanitizer before returning to the car. These are some strange times I tell you.
We all arrived in Lake Almanor at our rented cabin around 3:30-4pm. The kids wasted no time exploring and picking out a bed. We wiped down all the surfaces with lysol wipes and brought sleeping bags for everyone to use. Considering the entire county only has one case of Covid we felt pretty safe.
That evening after dinner we busted out the s'mores. There was no fire pit so we made use of the BBQ grill. After plenty of chatting we all settled to sleep. The four girls all had a room upstairs and Danny had a bed in the upstairs Den and Ann and David had a bedroom up there as well. The downstairs bedroom was for Alex, Winston and I. The house has a funky layout where you have to go through the downstairs bedroom to get to the upstairs but otherwise it was fine.
The next morning we were up and bright ready to go to the lake. We got matching shirts for the girls which they all loved. They also had coordinating swimsuits we had planned ahead of time too.
The Dad's were in charge of blowing up all the inflatables for the lake. Luckily there was a swimming beach just a few minutes walk up the road. Otherwise all the lake access is blocked by private homes.
We hauled all our gear to the beach and wasted no time going in.
Gemma and Natalie had matching purple swimsuits and Lily and Kat had navy blue.
We still wish we were wearing them in Hawaii but that will have to wait for next summer.
Even Alex took the boat out for a spin. The weather was great, warm but not too hot. The water was cold but not freezing.
Everyone loved playing on Terry the Turtle. The perfect spot to sunbathe.
The kids were all so excited to be around friends and have fun playing together. It has been such a long time stuck at home.
Sweet Danny boy shares my affinity for cheetos. He said we could call him cheeto as a nickname and by the end of the week that is the only name he would answer to.
The kids spent the majority of the time in the water. Only getting out for lunch or more sunscreen. It was not crowded at all and everyone at the beach had plenty of room to spread out.
We brought our easy-up to provide enough shade for everyone and also to block off enough space for our group on the beach. After a long day in the sun we walked back to the cabin to relax and make dinner. We brought all our food from home and planned out meals so we would not have to do too much on vacation and also not have to go out to stores or restaurants.
After dinner we decided to take a walk through the town to check things out. Not much to see just one main road through Prattville and one little restaurant Carol's Cafe.
There was a lake front cabin for the Davis family. Too bad we didn't have the keys.
Our sweet little brother mascot Danny. He likes the no poop zone.
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