Lake Morena (again)

 It's summertime!! (well, not anymore!). This post is long overdue. We had camped 4x in Lake Morena within a span of 2 months and I seriously have a lot of catching up to do. Summer had been quick - like a ninja! haha 

Lake Morena accommodated us well. I had fond memories with this place but we were getting restless as we wanted a new scenery. However, for some odd reasons, we could not book our weekends 2-3 weeks in advance but we always ended up finding a last minute spot here! Hence, our back-to-back camping here.  Sites #78, 84, and 59 were all decently clean and shady. As far as space was concerned, #59 would be the least spacious but relatively cozy for a "couple's only" retreat. #73 on the other hand, was our least favorite because there wasn't any ounce of sun protection in this spot. If you don't mind sleeping in an oven ... this space is for you. lol

You see, mom and I always seemed to find an escape or excuse to take unnecessary self-portraits here and there. Whenever there was a lull of silence, we just ended up grabbing the camera to break the ice! And it worked! 90% of the pictures had either one of us in it, so be forewarned: photo overload.

and that's not the end of it of course! The mister's hard work needs to be given special recognition as well. The itty-bitty ax needed replacement though, I know. Our kitchen knife is prolly sharper than this one but we gotta make do of what we had at that time!

The weather was seriously smoking-HOT on all the times we camped at Lake Morena (Bring tons of sunscreen and invest on a sun shade). 

It took lots of will power and patience to break those logs of wood with that ridiculous ax but he managed to keep his cool despite the heat.

Mom, on the other hand, found her niche and doze-off unceremoniously

So, whilst mom was resting, we took off and explored the perimeter. Lake Morena, actually has a thriving lake and fishing is allowed as long as you have a fishing license or a permit with you. Otherwise, if caught, you pay a fine (I heard, they can fine for around $300). No skinny dipping either! It is a protected source of water supply so no human contaminants allowed.

Ahead of me was the way towards the lake, we thought it would be close enough but with the sun beating on our backs and no water, we decided to back track and take pictures instead. Not of the scenery but of us! lol

That's the campground. It is probably around 1-1.5 miles away from the lake.

This is the closest we dared go. So close, yet so far! There really wasn't any clear path towards the lake from where we were at. Bushes and potential lurking snakes got the best of me, so we turned around.

Hungry birds!

Good authentic Filipino dishes: Pork tosino, foil-baked fish, and sour mango .... yummm!

We had a great time Lake Morena! we will surely miss the good 'ol times!

Agua Caliente

Went back to Aqua Caliente for a two night wilderness craze again. All I can say is that, once you find a fun niche in your relationship, you just keep exploring it until you exhaust yourselves silly. So far, we find excitement in our little getaways. Though we always look for other means to grow into, we still find ourselves snatching a few days in doing the same things we love. Like the old saying: "Don't fix what's not broken". So here we are again, doing what we like doing best!

 1 hour setting camp under 104 F was no joke, despite the excoriating heat though, we happily embraced burnt skin, dehydration, and the verge of heat stroke!

Thank goodness we actually packed chilled fruit bites!

This 1 Liter of soda only lasted less than half a day! 

Time slows down in the desert, sunset seemed to be so elusive and the heat was just a way of life

 

yep, that's our first fire from scratch! Took us 1.5 hours to get that going! no kidding!

Steamed fish fillet with soy-vinegar-garlic marinade over an open fire. Turned out okay but I think we'll stick to Tilapia next time. Was not too fond of this cod fish.

that's one messy mess-hall!

 popcorn? why not!

 sigh.life.is.good. sigh.again.

 I'll drive back for this ice cream!

oh yeah, sun burnt! love

The road doesn't end here, there's lots of twists and turns baby, so pack your things and let's get moving!

Lake Morena

 2 weekends ago, we went to Lake Morena to unplug. I remembered when we first visited this site 2 months ago, I was not impressed. The place seemed desolate and vacant. There were only one or two campers at the time, so it just felt cold and uninviting. It did not help that we toured the area in February when the weather is still damp and rainy, hence the cold and uninviting ambiance. To my surprise, Lake Morena was packed and buzzing in activities when we booked a one nighter! We were also pleasantly surprised because the weather was just what we needed, warm and tropical with no crazy wind! so happy!

Here's the hubby sitting and smiling contently in his coveted shade

 Thrilled to put our new home to the test! We've been camping in a 2-person tent, so this was definitely a major major improvement! made camping so much more convenient and absolutely roomier!

Here's me enjoying the sun under the canopy. Lazily hypnotized by the heat. Sigh

 

It was a simple getaway and just how we wanted it. NO internet, cellphones, and FB.