Inks Lake with Friends

Last spring we totally fell in love with Inks Lake State Park.  So the minute we returned from our trip, I booked a return trip in the Fall.  This time we rented cabins and invited another family that we are good friends with.  

This other family has 4 kids with #5 on the way.  Their oldest is in 4th grade, but is very similar to Elina so they have become close friends.  The second child is a boy who has been in Evie's classes and he's become good friends with both Evie and Eli.  The 3rd child is also a boy who is now in Eulee's class and they've become BFFs too.  The youngest just turned 3 and plays well with Eulee too.  So it was the first trip we've taken where EVERYONE HAS A GOOD PLAYMATE.   If you are a parent, you know how a-may-zing this can be.  Another plus is that I've become good friends with the mom.  The dad is pretty chill too, so it was a really really pleasant and fun trip.  Needless to say, we all had a blast!

Our cabins were right on the water and had just enough space.  We spent the weekend canoeing,

hiking,

swimming,

biking, fishing, lying in hammocks,

and eating s'mores.

The kids LOVED having the freedom to bike to the general store by themselves.  They dug out all the hidden change in our cars and took it all to the store to buy little pieces of candy.  They really enjoyed having this freedom.  They all felt like big kids.

Eli was obsessed with fishing during this trip.  The minute he woke up, he would be on the lakeside fishing.  Actually all the kids got really into it.  I think it was because they had the freedom to just do it right behind our cabin whenever they felt like it.  We didn't catch anything, but they still loved it.

This time when we hiked to Devil's Waterhole, people were allowed to dive into the water...so B decided he would do it!  He didn't dive from the very tippy top, but he still jumped in.  All the kids were so worried about him!  Ha!

We also tested out 2 hammocks that JL gave us and the kids thought they were THE BEST!  They're in the middle of trying to convince us to set hammocks up in our backyard!

Of course now that we're back to reality, we're already looking at booking something else for the spring.  I feel like this park is so special because they are so many different things to do.  And it's absolutely beautiful too!  Plus, it's even more fun with friends!

We LOVE Inks Lake!!