We travelled northwards from St Paul to the camp which is located on the side of Alexander Lake, near Cushing, well Cushing is the nearest "town", more a village really and some 6 or 7 miles distant. The sides of the lake are, however, well populated with houses, big and small, each usually having its own jetty and boats.

The camp is situated at the road junction in a wood of tall trees. There is a tunnel under the road on the west side to a jetty on the side of the lake. 

We made good use of the lake one sunny afternoon when we all went swimming ands canoeing. Although the lake covers a large area it is no more that 10 feet deep anywhere. Because the lake is so shallow the water is quite warm, but it is a spring fed lake and while swimming you suddenly come across a cold spot.

The camp itself, seemed a bit run down, the buildings were in need of cleaning, painting and repairs, the paths were dirty and unwept and in some places broken. It must be a summer only camp as some of the dormitories only had screen doors and no sign of heating. Toilets with shower curtains for doors and showers that made you wonder if you might come out dirtier than when you went in. If this camp had been in England the kitchens would have been shut down long ago; rusty ovens, dirty sinks, hazardous chemicals left out in food preparation areas, dirty cookers.... Still we survived. The bright spot was the warden and his wife who were very helpful and tried to do all they could to help us have a good time.

The water was obviously from springs and heavily contaminated with iron, resulting in brown stained sinks and toilets and an unusual tint to you white T-shirts after washing! 

During the week, besides playing in the lake, the kids went horse riding and climbing on an impressive indoor wall at a neighbouring camp. After arriving back at our camp, disaster struck! Scott parked the bus in a similar spot to the previous night and most had got off and gone their separate ways. I was just getting my things together when there was a bang and the coach lurched sideways, as if the wheels had fallen off; they hadn't but the rear wheels were directly on top of an old abandoned and forgotten septic tank, the roof of which gave way. The camp organized a local tow truck to come and haul us out.
 

For the first half of the week there was broadband internet available on a wireless network which enabled