Pictures for Pam, Day 194: Sunset on Devil's Lake

(+2 insets!) (please view large!) :) I'd like to say THANK YOU to everyone of you who's visited, left comments and stars, even though you know that I am so short on time/or don't have a connection for commenting and yet, you still give me attention. It means more than I can say. You really are the best. *BIG HUGS*

Ok, there is a point when the weather becomes a burden to our festive plans! And so I say with great gusto: RAIN, RAIN, PLEASE GO AWAY! Although the forecast called for mixed overcast and sunny conditions, today has turned out to be grey and cold with a constant wind and drizzle. This has translated to no fun outside. :( Can't take pictures and walking on the beach is out, it's really very miserable out there right now. MEH!

It's a shame because our campground is awesome, as is the area where we're situated just north of Lincoln City, Oregon. We are staying at another state park and like Joseph Stewart State Park, Devil's Lake has lots of tent sites set far apart with plenty of trees and grass between each spot. The whole campground sits in a beautiful, lush forest setting. Cement trails weave in and out around the park. They lead out to the lake on one side and a boardwalk trail makes its way out very close to the ocean on the other side. That's right. We are within walking distance of both an enormous lake AND the ocean! Top that! :D Well…it WOULD be awesome but the weather is not cooperating with us unfortunately. I haven't seen much of our campground because of the weather. Boo. :P

We've made the best of our situation though. Writing, working on photography, reading, cruising on the net (only on our phones though, there's no wi-fi here); Steve has actually been able to play his favorite game (World of Tanks) to pass the time, which has made him happy. And of course our meals are always a delicious highlight.

I have to tell you about our lunch! We finally had pancakes in our RV! The quintessential camping breakfast, heh, we decided to have them for lunch just to be unpredictable! :D Now, you may think pancakes are no big deal, but Steve and I live a ketogenic lifestyle, which means we don't eat regular flour or sugar. However, it took the keto way of eating to find a pancake recipe that's better than any we've ever had in our lives! We use almond flour in our pancakes and the results we get are BETTER than a "normal" pancake…they are light, fluffy and incredibly tasty. The syrup that Steve came up with is absolutely to die for…the sugar version we use is 60% erythritol/40% monk fruit and it's the same sweetness and flavor as sugar, only it has zero carbohydrates! The flavoring can be one or a combination of the many extracts we have but our favorite lately is caramel…it's just so yummy! Oh, and the base is…BUTTER! Because our syrup uses non-standard sugar, when it cools, the butter separates from the sugar part and the syrup will harden into a more delicious version of the maple glaze on a donut! In other words, these pancakes are a slice of the most decadent heaven! The best pancakes either of us has ever had!And there are only a few carbs instead of literally DOZENS. (The average person should really only have 50 or less per day total) Anyway, we had a MOST DELICIOUS meal! :)

After lunch we went on a walk down to the beach via a raised boardwalk trail that led over a wetlands area complete with marker signs. Really pretty. The trail was short but sweet and ended at a lovely little pond. I was excited to see some lily pads with pretty yellow flowers which I was able to photograph. These would be my only pictures of the day, captured with the help of Steve holding my umbrella.

A short road took us up to the main highway that hugs the coast. On the other side was the ocean with its enormous beach, complete with angry, pounding surf and high waves. Not a day to be out there. We walked over to the barrier and looked out to the sea with its white caps and misty horizon, topped with storm clouds. Maybe tomorrow will be nicer. Instead we crossed back over the highway and tucked into a cute little kite shop nearby, enjoying the lovely designs and pretty colors of the countless kites on display.

We wondered what else could we do on this rather yucky day. We could make more fauxtato salad, that's what! We drove to a grocery store, got supplies and returned to our RV. We had a really nice time working on the recipe together and it turned out perfectly. Can't run out of that staple, it's just too good!

Today I'm posting the sunset from Devil's Lake when we walked out to look at the lovely view last night. I strolled out to the end of the little dock and turned around to show the dock and the trail leading from the campground to the lake. The insets are a pretty shot of little Maple leaves that I saw in Florence when we were driving here. The other picture shows Steve at our Devil's Camp site! :)

Pam, I'm glad that your property escaped damage from the storms and tornadoes. That's so scary. You know, people who have never lived in "earthquake country" (I'm talking about San Francisco, specifically) are totally terrified and seem sure that earthquakes will hit at any moment and all of the buildings will immediately crumble. Since I've never lived in tornado country, the concept feels pretty frightening to me. However, I am going to guess it's a lot like earthquakes. Yes, they happen. No, they don't destroy everything in the entire state. You just don't want to live in a "tornado alley" if you can help it, and in any event, you'd likely be safe enough for the most part anyway. Am I close? Anyway, I hope all is well with you my dear! *BIG HUGS FROM DEVIL'S LAKE!*

Explored on 5/23/19; highest placement #2.