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View Full Version : who stays at the lake



casmith71
03-19-2011, 04:08 PM
with gas prices on the rise(again). Im wondering how many ppl stay at the lake. Some are fortunate enough to have a lake house but for those of us who don't, im wondering what you do. They're two lakes within equal distance of my house, both are a little over an hour away. That's not bad for a day trip, but who doesn't wanna go all weekend. Do you RV? Have a Buddy or family W/a lake house? Rent a cabin? Or drive both days?
It seems to be just as cheap to rent a cabin or hotel as it is in gas round trip, plus more time on the water.

ian ashton
03-19-2011, 04:44 PM
I keep my boat in the water at a marina ~30 minutes from my house. A few times a year we pull it out to take various places (family cottages, other lakes, etc...) but leaving it in the water increases our usage 100000%. Not having to worry about towing, launching and all that stuff is wonderful, especially for after work and such.

skiyaker
03-19-2011, 06:43 PM
we live about 20 min from a small lake where we can wakeboard and 20 minutes from a ski club, so that's good for week nights and for a day but you're right that it's nice to stay all weekend. If you like to camp that's a great option- and of course staying at a friends lake house has worked out nice- I've gotten more invites now that I have a boat that I can bring. The last 2 years we've made a habit of renting a house for a week and that works out great too. Also rented a houseboat for a long weekend last year.

I would love to have a house on a lake but for now I enjoy being a lake nomad.

moombadaze
03-19-2011, 07:49 PM
wish we had a good lake to stay the weekend at thats about a hour away-no such luck. Luckily our normall lake is 5 minutes away so we just suck it up and pay the gas to get there and back :rolleyes:

mmandley
03-20-2011, 08:09 AM
This was a big factor when we were looking to build recently. We ended up in a little cozy town with 1 street light, 1 gas station that sells ethanol free gas < bonus > and its 15 Minutes to the weekday lake i goto or 20 to the main river up here.

The river actually flows right by the town park so we plan to walk down there with the bogs and play some.

Its farther away from work but a great drive and it only takes about 20 minutes but it will save us almost 2 hours travel time when boating and that means 2 more hours of fun in the sun.

you da man
03-20-2011, 11:35 AM
I am super fortunate that a childhood friend of mine who is now a doctor has a gorgeous 3 story lake house (crazy it's actually bigger than his regular home with observation deck on the roof). It also has a covered boat dock/lift for his SANTE but it works with my XLV as well. He uses it once or twice a month and when he's not using it I can get the keys and use it. It's about an hour tow to the lake house. Gas prices seem to always be 40-50 cents more per gallon on the lake.

eseebeck
03-20-2011, 12:38 PM
Growing up, I live on a little lake under 400 acres. Boated a fair amount unti i could drive the boat and them friends and i boated nearly everyday in the summer.

My parents owned a plumbing, heating, electrical retail business so Dad worked Mon. through Sat. and would pull us skiing when he got home from work at about 6 pm. We have a wake law so had to be done by 7:30.

Since I never lived off the water, i don't know what that is like. My parents had the insight to purchase several cottages around the lake that had nice lots and nice waterfrontage.

When I graduated from college, I wanted to live on a lake and that made my job search a little tricky. Luckily, landed a job in the neighboring town and bought one of my parents' cottage. live there, got married, built a new house on the lot, had kids, got a better paying job 40 minutes from home.

Life is good. My vote is to just live on the water, if at all possible.

There are drawbacks, the town is small, no wallmart, meijer or mall to go to. No Movie theatre, just rural small town Michigan. Kids miss out on some of the big city stuff. But growing up in a small town also has it's advantages. Small schools, you know the whole community, kids no all the kids their age.....

anyway, I love living on the lake. Thank God my parents had the insight to do what they did. And Thank God I was able to make it all work. You sacrafise a little to enjoy what you like.

moombadaze
03-20-2011, 04:42 PM
^^ I would say you and you kids are not missing out at all!

sandm
03-21-2011, 06:44 PM
^second that..

lake here has docks all around it and lots of tent camping. gas at the marina is usually .50 higher, but worth it if we are camping for the weekend. we usually do that for 4 days at a stretch and 4 times a year. otherwise, we "day trip" at the lake, usually up there by 9am to guarantee a dock for the day. surf/ski for 4hrs and just chill/drink for the other 8 and that's a good day :)

moombadaze
03-21-2011, 07:10 PM
yep our normall day is. lake at 9:30, surf till the party clowns show up and then head home, toss some bugers on the grill ,grab a couple cold beverages and hop in the pool till the sun goes down.