Silver Lake: Shopping and Eating (Featuring Java Nook)

Very first afternoon in Silver Lake. It's a bit chilly thanks to some rain showers so Kris asks me to get him his hoodie. Then it hits me. I didn't pack the boys and my hoodies because I'd planned to have us wear them on the way. We did not wear them.

Kris, being the best, amazing husband that he is, ran up to one of the stores to see what they had to alleviate my mistake.

Silver Lake, as told to us by our camping neighbors, had been nothing other than a campground and a restaurant 10 years ago. Thankfully, for us newbie campers who didn't pack our sweaters, or quite enough food, that has changed. There are rows of different businesses side by side from rent your own sand dune buggy, to souvenir shops, restaurants and a few attractions I'll talk about in a different post.

And the prices! This is not a tourist trap place. We paid $20 for my pull-over Silver Lake branded hoodie. The same for the boys and theirs. Sebastian's may have been a bit less, but I don't remember off hand. I got water shoes for $12. Restaurants had good food (deep fried asparagus is their specialty and it's pretty darn good) and friendly atmospheres, and many of them even had "photo op" spots the boys just ran to.

 (Where I got my water shoes: the boys in their Silver Lake gear.)

This second photo is Percolator Pete. Silver Lake didn't have any major chain grocery stores we could see, much less a Big Name coffee shop. We had seen Java Nook (link to Facebook page) on the way there and made a beeline for it our second morning.

The owner/operator was a very kind woman who made us caramel (Kris') and English Toffee (me) coffees. We were able to get orange juice, a fresh muffin for the boys and some homemade breakfast burritos spiced with some mild hot sauce. AND SHE HAD WIFI!! It was all really good stuff and we were able to sit and enjoy our breakfast and talk to the owner who offered our boys stickers and chatted about the history of her shop, the area, and her favorite attractions, some of which we went to see on her suggestions alone.

It was a great area, really open only six months a year from May to October, and they knew how to make us feel welcome and interested in coming back. Unfortunately, we did not return to Java Nook before we left, but if we make our way back up there, it will certainly be on the list!