Water, water EVERYWHERE

So, this weekend's foray into camping took us to see North America's largest concrete structure... the Grand Coulee Dam! When I say this thing is BIG, I ain't lyin'! While the kids were playing in the waters of Lake Roosevelt (which is the Columbia River backed up behind the dam), I casually said to Mat "ummmm, it's not that big a deal". His response: "You're seeing the lakeside view. Dams don't look like much from THIS side." Okay, I'll temper my judgement for a while.

So, after lunch, we made the drive to the Visitor's Center. As soon as we came around the curve, my jaw about dropped to the floor. MEA CULPA, GCD! This thing was immense. Come to find out, it's a mile long. Samantha even mentioned she could practice her mile run along the dam (this is the run that the P.E. classes do each year at school). After a trek through the visitor's center, we headed back to our camper. We relaxed with a nice dinner (steaks, mashed potatoes, and corn) before returning to the dam for the popular Laser Light Show.

WHAT A VISUAL TREAT! We arrived 30 minutes before the start time of 9:30 pm (the visitor center POC suggested arriving by 9pm...thanks to him!) and waited. When the time came, the outdoor lights began going off. Then we heard the sounds of the waters being released over the spillway. WOW! I wish it were daylight to see this in all it's glory. It was definitely a wonderous scene. Then the music began and along with it, the laser light show. Images moved across the watery expanse, as well as the walls on either side. The best images were those on the spillway, with the white water acting as a gigantic movie screen. Oh, how I wish I knew all the ins-and-outs of my DSLR! Would loved to have taken pics of the show. But that's a different story.

Let's just say that the show was a big hit with the kids (okay, all 4 of us "kids" loved it). After allowing the traffic to clear, we headed back to our campsite and straight to bed.

Sure, we did the requisite hike (this photo was taken during the first day's walk). But swimming at the lake was the favorite activity (...can't we go back to the lake just one more time?...)
The kids have dubbed this their favorite of all the campsites. I mean, come on, mom. Playground, beach and water, huge dam, laser light show. How could it NOT top the list?