Memorable 4th - Lost at Lost Lake

Yes, this entry is about the fourth of July; I am that far behind.

Be careful what you wish for; it's a true statement. And after our Fourth of July this year, I doubt TLC (The Lovely Cynthia) will ever pray for a 'memorable day' ever again.

TLC's parents were still in town to enjoy Independence Day with us. We lit our fireworks on the 2nd, so we had the entire day to do what we wanted. My Mother-in-Law wanted to go to Mt Hood as it was the last tourist location to mark off on her Oregon list. We decided to find Lost Lake as we'd never been there before and we'd heard that it was a nice spot. Before leaving, TLC said a quick prayer that we would have a memorable trip. Oops.

First mistake: not buying a GPS. Instead, I was burying my head in the Google Maps printouts trying to figure out where my next turn was. This took my attention away from the speedometer, which apparently showed 68...in a 45 zone. The ticket was $400, which I tried to get reduced, but couldn't because it was in a Safety Corridor which Oregon law is very strict about. That's two tickets within 6 months; both of which could have been prevented if I had owned a stupid GPS. Guess what I want for Christmas?

Second mistake: approaching Lost Lake (which is on the North side of Mt Hood) from the West side. We had to go though back roads in the forest to get to the lake and we were never quite sure if we were on the correct road. I think we traveled for 12 miles on unpaved and unmarked roads. We were probably lost, but we had to keep pressing on. You could feel the tension in the car. Everyone was doubting whether I'd get them to the destination safely - especially after the speeding ticket I just got.

We did eventually get to Lost Lake though. It was much later in the day than we planned, but we made the best of it.

Jordan and Carter went fishing,

we walked around with the family,

and took some photos of the view. 

Third mistake: not bringing instructions for the drive back home. We thought it would be pretty easy, but as we didn't come in from the North side, we didn't know which roads to take. So, naturally, we got lost AGAIN. I'm pretty sure this is why the lake is named Lost.

This is the video we took when we were lost the second time. It's not extremely interesting, but it does show the kinds of scary roads we were lost on.

One bright spot though was that we got to see Mt Adams for the first time. What a beautiful place we live in.