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...