We Chose Wisely

For the past three years, we've gone to the Shad Landing area of Pocomoke River State Park for our annual camping trip. We love it and I'm sure we'll return, but this year, we decided to branch out and do a little exploring.

After some debate, we chose Rocky Gap State Park near Cumberland, Maryland. We've visited the park twice and camped overnight once.  So, we knew, that like Shad Landing, it has wonderful staff, an interactive nature center and clean facilities. As a mom with two boys, I also liked that the camp loops have family bathrooms. But the biggest draw was the lake.

No pool fees, no weird hours - just swimming from dawn to dusk.

Our original expedition motto was "Ice Cream Every Day!" It quickly became "Swim in the Crystal Clear Wonderful Mountain Lake Every Day!"

And we did.

 

Pool Boys

Our apartment is not a glamorous affair.  It's older and kind of shabby.  My washing machine has never worked right and our neighbor leaves trash on the steps. 

But what is a tolerable accommodation the rest of the year becomes luxurious in the summer.  Our little old complex has a wonderful pool.

Our pool is large and clean and rarely crowded.  There are plenty of lounge chairs--some in the sun, some in the shade. And the majority of the pool is shallow.  Perfect for two mid-sized boys.

I love being able to expose the boys to water. In the two summers we've lived here, we've really been able to work on their swimming skills.

Gabe loves the water. It's his element.  He's been jumping off the side for the past two years.  He can dog paddle short distances and has no problem dunking his head under water.  We bought kickboards last year and are working on strengthening his kick.

Matt is our family's athlete, but he's always been timid around water.  Not so much this year.  He surprised us first by putting his face in the water and then by repeatedly jumping off the side!

Not exactly sure what this was though.

He says it's his killer whale impersonation.