Day at the Lake

Ah, the joys of a day off.

Monday, in enjoyment of our freedom that was bought with a huge price, we decided to enjoy a day on the lake at Jordan Lake. Originally, the plan was to enjoy Seaforth. However, we soon learned that Memorial Day is the busiest day of the year at Jordan Lake. We learned the hard way when we arrived around 11:15 and there was a plethora of cones and a park ranger yelling at us to move on and that it was full.

Thankfully, I had done my research ahead of time and the other option we had was the Ebenezer Church Recreation Area. We arrived before they closed that area and thus the search for a picnic table with a grill ensued. We searched all around the swim area to no avail and then moved on to Picnic Area B, the closest area to the swimming hole and just a trail away from enjoying the fairly reasonably warm waters of the Lake.

Finding the table wasn't a matter of luck. In fact, through careful observation and a polite inquiry, we were able to take a very nice table and grill near the parking lot and trail. You see, there were a couple of bikers (not motorcyclers) taking a breather at this table. I noticed that they didn't have any picnic equipment, so asked them if they were planning on veging out at that table for the afternoon, to which they responded that they were merely on a break and in fact, "saving the table for us!" LOL.

After enjoying some lovely grilled hotdogs provided by and grilled by my wonderful parents, we decided to hit the "beach." The beach was actually quite crowded and the dynamic population was quite different from ten years ago. However, us young people decided to take a swim.

We mostly goofed around on the floating barrier and played monkey in the middle with a Frisbee. That was quite interesting as many of us are quite competitive. The mere idea of being called a monkey wasn't as appealing either. Gracefully, we managed not to bang up anybody with our "precise" throwing ability, even with a few close calls. A few of us also decided to show off our swimming ability by swimming outside of the barrier to the floating buoy.

After relaxing in the shade for a bit, we enjoyed each other's company and then headed home for the day.

Ah, the beauty of recreation. Just remember to check yourself for ticks (I had none) and wear sunscreen! Oh, and get there early, as you never know when you might be yelled at by a park ranger to go away.