Round Lake!!

North Idaho is a land full of glorious lakes. We could probably go to a different lake every single day of the week. Round Lake is one of the best lakes around....in my opinion anyway. There are endless possibilities of things to do when you are there. Swimming. Hiking. (You can walk all around the lake on a gentle, family friendly pathway.) Fishing. Boating. An adventure awaits you around every corner.

The reason I enjoy Round Lake is because it is plain ol' beautiful. There is wildlife to see. Last year we saw a moose. This year was herons and turtles.


The other reason I love it is because the water warms up faster than the bigger lakes....thus the swimming is a little better for aging bodies. :-)

While we were at the lake, we enjoyed just about everything there is to enjoy while we were there. It was awfully muggy yesterday....so we chose not to do the hiking....but I really do enjoy that trail. One of these years, I will have to take my kids on it.....it is just cool.

We enjoyed swimming. Luke was enthralled with the new life jackets that were purchased for the canoe. This year, he was brave enough to do a little swimming on his own. Last year, I had to drag him in. Each year, he is getting a braver. Here he is decked out for an adventure in the water. Isn't he just adorable???


Caden was totally enthralled with fishing. He could hardly contain himself with excitement. He was totally beside himself when he actually caught something. Not that the fish itself is anything to write about. It was probably about 2-3 inches long....not weighing hardly anything at all. BUT....it was fun to catch and release. I think Caden caught 5. Kyle had 14. Daria caught 3. Luke didn't have the patience for it....but he was enthralled with the process.



Boating and canoeing were also a highlight of the day. We kept those boats going almost the whole day. What a ton of fun!!



Here, Caden is attempting to learn how to row the boat. The flow of the paddles was a little difficult to master.


He eventually took over complete reign of the oars, while I had the life of leisure. Granted...we never got very far....but we attempted to have fun.


Luke even attempted to try to master the boat, too. He was having a grand time trying to be a pirate on his own. Once again, I don't think he got very far.


When I asked the kids at the end of the day what their favorite part of the day was, they responded fishing. I think that my favorite part of the day was when I sat myself on the prow of the rubber raft and loaded all the kids into the boat. We paddled out to the middle of the lake and had a grand time. The kids were playing pirate...and walking the plank.



We had a wonderful day. Full of fun, laughter, and great memories. As we packed things up, the kids were already begging to come back again. Round Lake is becoming a family favorite for family activities. I know that my dad would love to take the kids there in the winter and have a winter picnic. I'm actually a little surprised that we didn't do that this past winter. Oh well. I think I just refreshed his memory.

All in all it was a great day that ended with a big splash......

And an even bigger bang....bang....bang. (We made it home....just in time!!)