My trip up from the Q in the spring of 2011 was pretty darn uneventful. My original plans of going through Utah, Montana and Idaho were squelched by an upgrade in my employment requiring me to arrive earlier than planned. I made a boring trip up I-5 in the name of speed. Made a brief stop in Shasta-Trinity and I managed to stay outside of Roseburg, Oregon for several days at Susan Creek Campground. I set aside time for it, I have always wanted to stay there.
It's a wonderful spot on the Umpqua.. with SHOWERS!!! (LOL) and at 7 bones a nite, who could argue? The trailer was all dolled up after it's sealing and repairs, brand new awning installed and it was warm and homey.
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| My front yard after for 4 days. Nice change after the sea of sand I lived in for months |
I was asked to manage the Baker Lake area campgrounds instead of just hosting one. This meant I had to be there about a month early to get things cleaned up, opened up and get the hosts all settled in. This was not an easy task, and let's just say, my experience there was one of the worst workamping experiences I have had. Nuff said.
The area itself is stunning. Baker Lake is like a large inland Fiord, and in early spring, you might as well have been in Alaska. I was surrounded by ice and snow capped peaks, brisk frozen air and brilliant blues. I had a brand new and beautiful campsite, lovely campgrounds, and I never got tired of the view below. It was dead silent early in the season, accept for...the Geese. Thousands of overhead honkin herds of them. They would sneak over the Border (35 miles north) eat our fish, use our resources, have loud parties on the water and then go away leaving a big gooey mess. They showed no respect, I tell ya.
The same could be said for the campers. Never again will I be stationed on anything with the word "Lake" in it. Beer, Boats and Testosterone are the three key elements to extremely bad behavior in a campground, I am firmly convinced. The drama was never ending, the down time was infrequent and the local resources were virtually non existent. I welcomed leaving and am pretty sure it will be a loooong time before I am back that way again.
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| Baker Lake, North Cascades, Washington |
