Camping at Lake Henshaw

TGIF friendies!!!!!

So a few weeks ago, Aaron and I took a camping trip...two nights at a campground called Lake Henshaw. It's about an hour and a half drive from our house. I love Mt Laguna campgrounds but all the sites were booked....I think camping has gotten more popular as the economy has gone down hill. We really wanted to go camping so I found this place...Lake Henshaw. They don't take reservations and it is first come first served. I think it is on an Indian Reservation and thus maintained. When we drove up to the front entryway, I thought I had made a TERRIBLE mistake! There were mobile homes, set up permanently, everywhere. In hindsight, I really should have taken some pictures, because I just don't think I can describe it. It looked like a gypsy settlement in the middle of the campground. Well, it was getting late and dark so we found the best campsite we could and set up. It was an ok site with a big tree and nice picnic table. However, there were SO many grasshoppers, literally millions of them! It was so creepy...like the end of time or something!!! You could also hear cars on the highway, which was really annoying...it made it feel like we were on the road, not in nature.  Anyway, we cooked a great dinner of grilled veggies, a veggie burger for me and a steak for Aaron. We had nice wine and beer and I just love being outside at night. 

The next morning we woke up and made a great breakfast and then went for a long walk by the lake, which was actually really pretty! You cannot swim in the lake but you can fish and boat. We considered renting a boat but we were trying to keep things cheap. So we laid out a blanket and sat under a tree and watched people fish. For some reason it was mostly Russians fishing. It was pretty entertaining....they were all very loud and expressive. It was quite a sight when they would catch a fish. One of their chairs with an umbrella flew into the water and sank. No worries, they just fished it out with their fishing pole! It was pretty comical.

We decided to walk back and make lunch, but on the way back from the lake, I realized there was another part of the campground we did not see the night before. So we walked up and realized how the other half lives. The upper area was SO much better. Tons of trees, no grasshoppers, much more privacy, a great view of the lake, much cooler, quieter, etc. It was like a different world. So I looked in Aaron's sweet eyes and said, "Honey, I want to move over here". He said "you promised me we would not move....do you know how much of a pain it is to move a campsite?". I was determined. I told him I would do all the work. He was exasperated, understandably so! He went to the bar (oh yeah, there is also a bar at this "authentic" camp ground) and had a beer. I moved everything in about 25 minutes! Not too shabby! We made a great lunch (veggie burgers again) and then took a nap in the shade with a nice breeze right under a tree. It was SO peaceful and relaxing! 

Look at this gorgeous veggie burger!!!!!

When we woke up, we shared some nice cool Chardonnay and made another great dinner. It ended up being a really nice trip. If any of you make it up to Lake Henshaw, be ready for the RVs, horribly maintained roads, and make SURE you go up to the upper area. It was actually very nice up there...and you could not see the RVs. Not my favorite campground, but it will do in a pinch. (actually it seems like they could do a lot more with what they have...it could really be a hidden gem in SD county.

This little picnic table had been painted mint green. I loved it. There was something very sweet about it. (And random, just like the rest of Lake Henshaw).

I just love camping. I am very much a girly girl but there is something about being outside, cooking delish food, taking naps in the shade, making smores under the stars, reading in the sun...I just love it. I felt so refreshed after this camping weekend. If you have never been camping, just let go of being afraid of dirt and bugs, and enjoy this past time... I sure am glad that I did!