I am learning that being a camp host in a busy state park includes the job of Good Samaritan. The park has boat moorage, so boaters can pull into the dock for a night or more. It is pretty cool, and certainly something I would do if I had a boat! Anyway, a guy from a moored boat knocked on my camper door. He was looking for ice. I didn’t know he was a boater at that moment so I told him he could drive about 5 miles to the little town of Lakebay. Oops, he doesn’t have a car. Furthermore, the ice in their cooler was melted, their food was warming, and they were meeting other boaters later for a potluck. I didn’t think long about his predicament before I offered to drive him in the van. He kept offering me money and I kept refusing. “I don’t think the state park system would approve of me taking money.” “Pay it forward,” I told him.
Actually, he paid me in another way. I have been thinking about visiting the San Juan Islands when my camp host gigs end in the fall. In my online searches, I have not found places to camp and have been wondering what others do. The boat guy is a retired state employee and he told me about the Department of Natural Resources land on the islands where camping is allowed. So there! Good information is worth more than money.
Sunday night a group of 12 high schoolers and 2 camp counselors floated into the park in a huge, 30-foot canoe. The park ranger told them they could not camp at the Cascadia Marine Trail Campsite (a network for kayakers, canoers, etc), which was designed for 8 people. They would have to camp in the main park here. Eventually, one of the counselors found her way to my camp host site. She wondered, did I have access to wheelbarrows or some other way to help the group get their gear up the steep road and into the regular campsites? Again, I offered the van. I drove her back to the waterfront, through the gate and down the steep road. We loaded up their ton of gear and the kids unloaded back at their site. The next morning, I took everything back to their boat. I have photos of the kids and their over-sized canoe, but my blog site won’t upload them this morning for some reason.
Aside from these opportunities to help campers, things seemed crazier this weekend. Maybe it was, or maybe I am settled in and now more aware of what goes on around me. The award for poorest judgment goes to the poor guy who decided to pee into the bushes right in front of the Ranger and me. We were walking up to his site to double-check that the autos were registered and there he was. After the Ranger gave him a warning, his unrestrained dog ran out to greet us. Another warning.
We had so many unrestrained dogs this time. Over the weekend, the Ranger talked to several dog owners. When I did my morning rounds, I found others. Tango is a magnet for unrestrained dogs who dash over to bark at him when we walk by. One guy was so indignant when I asked him to put his dog on a leash! I don’t understand why so many people think that their dog is the exception.
The award for dingbat of the weekend goes to two groups where were together but in sites right across the street from each other. They both had RVs. On Saturday morning I noticed they had run a regular extension cord (actually several lengths of cords connected together) stretched across the street, connecting the two RVs. When I asked one group about it they said, “Don’t worry, we are just getting a little juice from them.” I mentioned the shock danger and the importance of using exterior cords. I also pointed out that kids were riding their bikes and adults were walking over their cord and that it was a trip hazard. “Oh, really? We have to unplug it?” “Yep”.
The award for funniest vandalism goes to whoever altered the “No Parking on Roadsides” signs. They changed the P in Parking to an F. That changed the word to “Farking”. I do appreciate a good play on words, and it made me smile all weekend. Heck, I am still smiling. I wonder how long before it is restored?
The really great thing about this park is that people clear out by noon on Sunday. That makes for a busy day picking up trash in 80 sites, but I get some help from the seasonal park aids. Then, things are quiet and peaceful once again. A few older folks come in during the week and they usually have questions or want a few bundles of firewood. They are easy and fun to talk with.
On Monday I turned 65. It was great to spend that milestone birthday in a quiet, wooded forest. After a light rain, the air was filled with a strong pine scent. I went out mid-morning for a late breakfast at a nearby cafe that always seems to have lots of cars in the parking lot. I had a decent breakfast and would probably go there again, but it was not anything ultra-special.
Aside from my work and the quiet days off, I spend time writing a bit and watching lots of movies and TV series from the nearby library. I just finished the final season of Downton Abbey. After so many trials and tribulations over the 6 seasons, the final episode was happy and hopeful. I cried like a baby and I can’t wait for the movie release in September. Downton Abbey is just one of those series you wish would never end. I am also watching a TV series called “Wildfire”. It is really geared for a young adult audience but I love it. I gave up on VEEP after a few seasons. The jokes got old and the storyline never changed. It was unique at first but then blah.
So, that is the update for now. As I write, I look out on the deep forest. I especially love the maple trees, which form an understory to the tall Douglas Fir trees. It is magnificent when the light can reach the maple leaves, illuminating the lower section of the forest. I am off today and tomorrow. I plan to drive into Shelton and do my weekly shopping, as well as laundry. I love exploring the so-called “South Sound, which is anchored by Tacoma.
In the following photo, Puget Sound (North Sound and South Sound) refers to that U-shaped area with water, islands, and lots of towns. I am currently in the South Sound, across from Tacoma. Puget Sound is extremely expensive, with the average house in Seattle costing around $750,000. Other cities/towns are less expensive but costs are rising rapidly in the whole area. Olympia, the capital of Washington, is in the southern-most part of the Sound. 
