Silver Springs NFS Campground

Big trees form a canopy over the campground.

Just another short trip up the road for an end of season adventure.  We didn't take the Saturn, as we didn't really want to do anything at all other than hang out.  We actually hadn't been here for a couple of years, even though it is one of our favorite places to go.  We love dry camping.  Unfortunately, we discovered it's time for new batteries.  With our CPAP machines going, we ran out of juice between 0215 and 0515 every morning.  We didn't get much good sleep!

Rozzie seemed to enjoy his first RV trip with us.  Whether inside or outside he was having a good time. 

Too bad we elected to not bring the toad.  The weather was pretty good, and we could have taken some easy trips to Sunrise and Tipsoo Lake, both inside nearby Mt. Rainier National Park.  Oh well, we accomplished exactly what we set out to do...  nothing...

Bumping Lake

The morning walk at Bumping Lake.

Nestled in the Cascade Mountains on the east side of Chinook Pass lies Bumping Lake.  This man-made reservoir supports a private resort and a Forest Service campground and day use area.  We had never been to this campground, despite it being (or maybe because it is) relatively close to our home.  Originally, we had made reservations for Memorial Day weekend only to be cancelled due to it still being snow-bound.  August worked out better, as there was less snow!  After a relatively short trip across the pass, we settled into our spot in the Upper Bumping Campground.  Nicely treed and fairly private.  The best part of the whole trip was that we really had no plans to go anywhere other than Whistlin' Jack's restaurant in Cliffdell for breakfast on Saturday.  We must have gotten spoiled by the Washington State Parks, because I got a little upset about the Forest Service nickle and dimming us to death.  I figured since we had paid for a campsite, we had access to the lake.  Wrong!  To park at the beach/picnic/boat launch area, you need to pay.  Not a biggie for us, as Janae has a Golden Access Pass, so it was free.  But most campers have to pay.  That's just wrong.  And then, to use the dump station was $10 for everyone.  To make a long story short, we hauled our crap back to Buckley and dumped at the Eagles Club for $7.  But the beach was nice and we enjoyed it every day.  Cool thing was that we had an airshow every day.  Between 11am and 2pm or so, we had two F18s fly over the lake each day.  The sound of freedom!

Enjoying the beach.

  Colton's friend Alex came along again on this trip.  The boys did some fishing and swimming.  But mostly enjoyed catching frogs and tadpoles along the edge of the lake.  While at the beach on Saturday, Janae met a couple with two puppies.  She learned that they were called "Chugs".  Half Chihuahua, and half Pug.  Janae has shown no signs of allergies to either of those breeds.  She fell in love with them.  To make a long story short, within four days, we had a Chug.  Rozzi is almost two years old, and basically a rescue dog.  After a rough initial meeting with us, Rozzi is fitting right in with the madness that is our home.

Life can be strange...

Wanapum State Park

Our site at Wanapum State Park

Enjoying the swim area.

As we arrived at Wanapum State Park, we were surprised to find a "No Parking" sign in our site.  We were soon to find out what that was all about.  Withing a few minutes of setting up camp, we had people walking through our site.  They were going to the restroom.  I mean literally between our picnic table and the RV!  There are no walkways to the restroom, so people just walk through sites.  No amount of stinkeye staring seemed to sway them from their camp splitting strolls...

I was aware that this campground along the Columbia river had quite a reputation for wind, and we were not disappointed in that regard.  The evening we arrived, it was calm, but the campgound host did suggest we not leave the awning out.  Day two the wind increased throughout the day, but Colton and I were able to complete a rousing game of Risk on the shaded lawn of our site.  As the day wore on, the wind picked up.  Eventually, it was blowing so hard we couldn't eat outside.  After dinner it got so bad it was a challenge to open the door, and then to close it without really slamming it hard.  I had to bring in the passenger side slides for fear of tearing the toppers off.  As we went to sleep the RV was rocking from the wind enough to remind me of our recent boat trip on the recent fishing trip!

Risk players.

Pat Benetar

Day three was the reason we ended up in this park at all.  Journey at The Gorge!  Everyone ended up playing another game of Risk.  We were able to put the canopy up, as the wind had died off.  Later that evening, we ended up at the concert, shortly after Loverboy began their set.  We had real nosebleed seats in the grass.  We could have gotten closer, but the walk out would have been really hard for Janae and her knees.  Everyone had a great time, and it was cool to see Colton cutting loose on most of Journey's hits!

Next trip, Bumping Lake!