Originally we had planned to spend this week of vacation up in New England seeing family and attending the Sturgis family reunion, but at the last minute we decided that the long car ride would be unbearable and instead we drove the more manageable 3 hour distance to western Maryland spend some time at Deep Creek Lake. The drive was tough (Truman absolutely hates being in the car and will scream and cry, so I spent a lot of time leaned over his carseat with my breast in his mouth) but quite scenic and we felt our blood pressure lowering as we left the city and headed out towards the picturesque fields and mountains and forests of Maryland.
We camped the first night at New Germany State Park and we loved it. The kids were so excited to make a fire and sleep in a tent. Mike was able to meet up with his good friend and buddy from college, Jamie Weaver, to do some fly fishing, so I got to hang out with the kids for a few hours on my own. We played in the field, made dinner and s'mores (we substituted peanut butter cups for the chocolate and it was SOOOOO delicious!) and even watched a movie on the lap top (Big Hero 6 is a new favorite). There had been several black bear sightings in the area so we were extra careful to lock up any food and trash and were lucky to avoid any trouble. Though it would've been kind of cool to just get a peek from a distance...
The next morning we were up early and packed everything up before heading out for breakfast at a local Inn (I cannot remember the name!). Satisfied, we went exploring at the nearby Casselman River bridge. The kids had fun splashing in the stream and Mike and I marveled at the peacefulness and beauty of the area.
We went back to New Germany for some swimming in the lake there. It was a gorgeous, small, peaceful lake and the kids loved it.
This may be the nicest state park we've ever camped in and we decided we should make it an annual vacation. But it was just the beginning of our little trip!
