Arrival at Lake Wenatchee State Park



Our campsite

We left Seattle on Friday, August 31st  at 6:30 AM to avoid the commuting traffic and were successful in getting to Monroe without a slowdown.  We had planned to  have breakfast there, but couldn't find a 6 parking spaces in a row to stop.  As we get further up towards Stevens Pass, it looked like breakfast would be on the other side till we found an old store in Baring.  The breakfast croissant was tasty with crisp bacon, egg and cheese.  We arrived at the North park by 10:30 AM and were met by park aids who directed us to our site nestled in the towering pines.  This is what camping is about!  Pine trees, blue sky, campfire and s'mores! One of the rangers dropped off the box of "everything you need to know about being a volunteer" including keys to all the locks and said the head ranger would be along at some point later for an orientation. The South Park hosts came along to greet us and answer questions. We read the handbook while we enjoyed the sunshine.  After awhile, Ranger Rick took me to the garage to get the "GEM", the Global Electric Mobile, for us to cruise the park in. Sonny had it up to the max speed-25mph in no time.

Our campground has 100 sites in 2 loops. The sites are spacious and campfires are allowed in spite of the dry weather.  We rode our bikes around the loops and then out to the lake trails to get some exercise. Willy, the Wood guy, delivered wood bundles which we began selling pretty quickly.

Bruce, one of the rangers, checked in later in the day for our orientation. We will get official vests and name tags on Saturday.

 



Saturday, we began our chores of cleaning campsites as people left.  We only had 11 to do but it took nearly 5 hours since check out isn't till 1 PM and some pushed to the very limit. I don't blame them as this is such a pretty place to be.  One campsite thought they could just stay an additional night without a reservation but the campground is booked solid.  We couldn't even get in early as there wasn't space till the other hosts left.

The Fire Station is a short walk away.  They had a huge garage sale today so we visited to check out the goods.  I found yarn for weaving and several books to read while we are here.  (No TV!) 

Campsite chores involve sweeping the table tops, raking the tent pads, cleaning the fire pits and litter patrol.

Litter patrol



Raking the tent pad



After the chores were done, we went over to the South Park to check out the store for espresso.  We visited with the store owners, (Willy, the Wood guy, and his wife).  They were long haul drivers for several years and have interesting stories. This winter, they plan on learning to drive dog teams.  Their other tasks include grooming the 30 miles of cross country trails, plowing, and enjoying winter sports.  The wind was blowing pretty hard which discouraged much swimming except for the children who love the water no matter what.  The last time we were here 20 years ago, the wind was blowing just like today.  The family we were with had a huge floating island  that we tried to keep from washing ashore before we could get on it.



The beach and surrounding mountains at Lake Wenatchee

We enjoying talking with the campers.  One poor woman was trying to find her teenager who was on a week long outdoor camp but the camp managers forgot to tell the families where in the park to find their children.  It took a while to sort that one out. Other folks are looking for directions, hikes, how to get to the trails, how far is the hospital (little boy did something to his finger), handing out Jr Ranger materials, where to park when their Discover Pass is in the car at home, can they walk to the South Park beach from here?