I am camping near a lake again. This time I can walk a few minutes to a small sandy beach. Ahhhh. Tonight I thought I heard the water sizzle when my steaming, sweaty body slid under the surface. So wonderful. I want to camp at lakes when possible in the future. I am in a National Forest Service campground which is fairly large. However some of the spaces farthest from the lake are huge, like mine. I have a large backyard all to myself.

no one near me on all three sides

I decided to put up the awning. It is hopeless in the Wyoming winds so I forget that I even have an awning. Also, getting it up with only two hands is a bit of a challenge, but I did it. The awning adds a nice, shady touch. Since I am camping under tall trees I worried about getting enough solar power. I moved it around throughout the day and seem to have a full battery.

The drive to Seeley Lake was stunning. I crossed the divide, at which point the terrain changed dramatically. This side gets rain, so the terrain is greener. I am close to the Pacific Northwest now, and I can feel and see the changes. As I write, it is 8:45 PM, and there are hours of daylight left, probably more in open areas.

This is bear country and I cannot cook or store food in the camper. Before I left Choteau, I deep-cleaned the kitchen and food storage areas with a strong cleaner. Odors gone!  Here, It works out great to cook outdoors with the Coleman burner and then pack stuff back in the van. Even toiletries and canned soda must be in a bear-proof location. The instructions didn’t say anything about bottles of Bud Light Lime, so I have a few of those in the camper.

I could stay here for some time, since most of my preferences are here: spacious, forested campsite; lake I can swim in; Internet; small town nearby. I imagine the weekend will be a bit rowdier but so far, at least in this loop, the guests are a bunch of us old quiet folk.

In case you are wondering, the new chairs and the super sleeping pad are great. I still stretch everyday, at least twice on the picnic table, and we walk. I rotate between sitting areas when working during the day. At dusk when the skeeters are out, I work inside at the dinette, but not for too long. For future trips I will need to make a change to the dinette cushion but I use a lot of pillows for now!

All is well. Photos of the beautiful lake tomorrow.