After working 24 shifts in the month of July, Ryan got a block of 4 days off. I figured we better make the most of it, so I took some time off from work and booked us a cottage at Canyon Lake. Canyon Lake if a popular recreation spot about an hour north of San Antonio, and Ryan and I had previously talked about taking a trip up there with the kids.
We had a good time, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend Canyon Lake to others. At least not the way we did it.
OUR ACCOMMODATIONS: I rented a cottage through the recreation office at Fort Sam Houston. I use their term "cottage" loosely, because in all actuality it was a trailer. Now, I am not one who needs or wants 5 star accommodations, but if I am paying $75 a night would expect a clean room, decent sheets and a lake view. Instead, what we got were bugs in the kitchen and bathroom, rubber pillows and torn sheets, plus our trailer circled with others like a mobile home park. It was a bit disappointing, given that the Army charges $75/night for their hotel on Waikiki Beach. The only redeeming features were 3 bedrooms, so we had plenty of space for the kiddos and a giant covered playground right off our picnic area. I think the kids will tell you that the playground was the best part of the trip. They played on it about 4 times a day during our stay.
I think roasting marshmallows was the runner up. The girls couldn't get enough of the sticky gooey treats.
Ava would toast her marshmallow for about 2 seconds and then proclaim it done, so that she could eat it and move onto another.
Elizabeth was much nicer and actually roasted marshmallows to share with mom and dad. We also had to eat the burnt ones for her.
THE BEACH: San Antonio is in Stage 2 drought conditions, Canyon Lake is one of the water sources that feeds our aquifer. Needless to say, the lake was down about twenty feet. In fact there was a whole section of lake that was closed off because of low water. Most boat ramps were closed, beaches were 100 yards from any water, and trees and rocks were sticking out everywhere. When the girls think of beaches, they think of the ocean and white sandy shores. They were not impressed with rocky shorelines where you had to keep your shoes on and it was tough to find a flat spot to sit down. Lizzy had some fun swimming, but Casey and Ava didn't spend more than 5 minutes in the water before whining. After one day of trying the beach, we opted for a boat the next two days.
THE MOTOR BOAT: The second day, we rented a little motor boat to putter around the lake. All of the kids though this was great fun.
No tears, no whining or complaining all day. We stopped at an island to look for treasure, and of course have some snacks. Plus, the girls got to drive the boat.
THE PADDLE BOAT: On our last day, we rented a paddle boat. We should have done this one before the motor boat, because the girls just wanted the boat to go faster.
Elizabeth and Ava both agreed on a pirate ship paddle boat. We squeezed everyone in and set off around the marina. We had some fun chasing ducks, and Captain Elizabeth was shouting out orders as we navigated our way through a sea of trees.
OUR ACCOMMODATIONS: I rented a cottage through the recreation office at Fort Sam Houston. I use their term "cottage" loosely, because in all actuality it was a trailer. Now, I am not one who needs or wants 5 star accommodations, but if I am paying $75 a night would expect a clean room, decent sheets and a lake view. Instead, what we got were bugs in the kitchen and bathroom, rubber pillows and torn sheets, plus our trailer circled with others like a mobile home park. It was a bit disappointing, given that the Army charges $75/night for their hotel on Waikiki Beach. The only redeeming features were 3 bedrooms, so we had plenty of space for the kiddos and a giant covered playground right off our picnic area. I think the kids will tell you that the playground was the best part of the trip. They played on it about 4 times a day during our stay.
I think roasting marshmallows was the runner up. The girls couldn't get enough of the sticky gooey treats. 
Ava would toast her marshmallow for about 2 seconds and then proclaim it done, so that she could eat it and move onto another. 
Elizabeth was much nicer and actually roasted marshmallows to share with mom and dad. We also had to eat the burnt ones for her.
THE BEACH: San Antonio is in Stage 2 drought conditions, Canyon Lake is one of the water sources that feeds our aquifer. Needless to say, the lake was down about twenty feet. In fact there was a whole section of lake that was closed off because of low water. Most boat ramps were closed, beaches were 100 yards from any water, and trees and rocks were sticking out everywhere. When the girls think of beaches, they think of the ocean and white sandy shores. They were not impressed with rocky shorelines where you had to keep your shoes on and it was tough to find a flat spot to sit down. Lizzy had some fun swimming, but Casey and Ava didn't spend more than 5 minutes in the water before whining. After one day of trying the beach, we opted for a boat the next two days.
THE MOTOR BOAT: The second day, we rented a little motor boat to putter around the lake. All of the kids though this was great fun. 
No tears, no whining or complaining all day. We stopped at an island to look for treasure, and of course have some snacks. Plus, the girls got to drive the boat.
THE PADDLE BOAT: On our last day, we rented a paddle boat. We should have done this one before the motor boat, because the girls just wanted the boat to go faster. 
Elizabeth and Ava both agreed on a pirate ship paddle boat. We squeezed everyone in and set off around the marina. We had some fun chasing ducks, and Captain Elizabeth was shouting out orders as we navigated our way through a sea of trees.
1 comment:
Sounds like the Griswalds made the best of another family vacation!
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