Crescent Junction RV Park

'Seems strange to have all the lights on. For the past three weeks we've been boondocking. With the exception of two nights at La Pine State Park we've relied totally of the solar/battery system for power and it's done very nicely. We've had computer time, TV if we wanted it, and I've been sewing whenever I wanted. We do have to be economical with the electricity use though, so after being careful for so long it's a real luxury to have the heater and the electric coffee pot all running at the same time.

We stopped for two nights at the Crescent Junction RV Park, a tough 20 mile commute from our last stop. From North Davis Lake Campground we drove south on the Cascade Lakes Highway, then northwest on Hwy. 58. We wanted to get the rig and the wardrobe civilized before we move to Eugene for the first Duck game of the year.

Crescent Junction RV park is on the west side of Hwy. 58, across from Manley's Tavern. The park has a nice 3-machine laundry room, in the same building with the showers. It's the cutest little laundry room I've ever seen.... well, maybe cute is the wrong word.  It's paneled with knotty pine, and has an old-time cabin-in-the-woods feel to it. The main thing is, all the machines work! The park is open to the woods at the back, so it's convenient to take Shiner for a run - she requires lots of space so open forest is a good place to let her romp.

The RV park is right behind the Odell Sportsman Center - a genuine, old time "general mercantile". The store has a few touristy clothing items, food, shovels, fishing gear, old fashioned hard candy, general groceries, ice cream treats, puzzles, and more (but no dirty books as far as I could see). The place instantly sent me thinking of a song we hear frequently on the radio at home, Kevin Fowler's Beer, Bait, and Ammo..... We bought greeting cards and milk, and of course, beer!

The camp host, Eric Johnson (aka "Stickman")  carves wood spirits and walking sticks. They sell them in the Sportsman Center, but Eric had a few displayed in his camp site, so I went shopping and I fell in love with this smiling fellow, so he's been adopted into the family.

Eric does all the carving by hand, and the sticks are red alder, a sturdy, fine grained wood. He also does wood spirit carvings suitable for wall hanging. Unfortunately our RV has very little wall space or I would have adopted one of them too. As a wood carver myself I can really appreciate the detailing in his carving style and the personality he gives each individual piece. (Eric takes orders, and can be reached at P.O. Box 1032 Crescent Lake, OR, 97733; 541-512-6010)

Fully restored to semi-civilized status (that's about as close as we ever get) we'll be heading for Eugene, and Armitage Park, in the morning.

Stuck on Wednesday

One morning the Trailmaster asked, "What day is it?" A common enough question, especially for those of us who are retired and don't have to pay to much attention to what day it is.

According to the Day Clock it was Wednesday. but after checking the date/time on the computer we deduced it had been Wednesday for the last three days. 

Obviously we hadn't been too concerned! It is a slightly strange feeling, though, to discover you've not paid any attention at all to what day of the week it is for three days running. I guess we're finally getting into the retirement groove.

A fresh battery to the rescue! Now we're on track again.

The Day Clock really is a handy gadget, and one of the best retirement gifts either of us ever received. Most of the time we really don't care what time it is, but we do (obviously) tend to lose track of what day it is, so the clock keeps us oriented and on schedule. Can't miss our next reservation date you know!

It was rather ironic that the same day we discovered the clock was "stuck on Wednesday" one of our favorite bloggers had some thoughts on Hump Day himself. Check out Nick's blog post.

North Davis Creek Campground

The day we drove around exploring (and ended up with a flat tire) we checked out several areas and campgrounds, and discovered North Davis Creek Campground. After Training Camp we decided it would be a nice, quiet place to hang out for a week or so. With a full larder and water tank we headed for the campground, our friends Bill and Grayce joining us for the first two days. The campground is admittedly a bit dusty, as are all the high Cascade lake campgrounds, but the dust is a small price to pay for all the benefits.

The North Davis Creek campground is located right on North Davis Creek, which flows into the western arm of Wickiup Lake. On the map below, the creek is the top of three that lead from the highway east to the main channel.


View Larger Map

The lake itself is actually a reservoir, and the largest of the Cascade lakes. The little arm feels more like a small lake and is perfect for canoeing or fishing without the commotion of the motorized boats that frequent the larger area. Upon driving through the small campground one might assume it to be a boring dry camp, with only one site exposed to the water. Not so! Exploration on foot revealed a wealth of stunning views.

View from our site

We moved in to site 7, the best lake exposure, but the least flat of all the sites so we've spent the week adjusting and readjusting our chairs so we don't creep downhill.

All of the sites on the outside of the loop have exposure to either the lake (sites 3,5 and 7), or one of the creeks, or the spring.

North Davis Creek

All are beautiful views, and most are fairly flat. Wildflowers are still blooming around the creeks, even this late in the year.
The gentle sound of the rushing creeks can be heard from all of the sites. North Davis Creek is fairly large and flows through a broad log and moss covered bed past several of the sites (12 is especially nice) then tumbles loudly over a rocky slope just as it enters the lake.

First canoe lesson

We had no trouble launching our canoe from the beach, and decided this is the perfect place for Shiner to learn how to be a canoe dog. She wasn't to sure about the whole procedure at first, and we were afraid that her enthusiasm for swimming would cause her to jump out, but she learned quickly with a little encouragement and a few short lessons.

The little lake-like fingers of Wickiup are perfect for canoeing, and exploring the margins where the crystal clear blue water laps against the reeds is a pleasant afternoon amusement. There are a few other kayaks and canoes around, but the population is nothing like we encountered at Hosmer.

This is definitely the place to go to avoid crowds. Though several trucks and cars cruised the campground as though looking for a site, as of Friday night, out of 14 camp sites only four were occupied, on Saturday there were eight occupied, but all but three of us had cleared out by Sunday morning. Two of us are here for a week or more.

We've had the beach pretty much to ourselves, to canoe, play on the sand, toss a stick for Shiner to retrieve in the water, and watch the wildlife. The margins of Wickiup have several areas that allow "dispersed camping", meaning no organized campground. Park and what you see is what you get. Those campers often come here to launch their kayaks or canoes, but there were never enough vehicles to cause a problem in camp. 

One afternoon we saw an osprey sail over the lake and fly off with a small fish, while later in twilight a young mule deer wandered out of the woods on the opposite shore and grazed awhile, then turned and went back into the woods, leaving us free to watch the blue heron fishing on the bank.

Our site is somewhat elevated above the shore, so we have a perfect vantage point for watching the changing reflections as the wind and currents shift.

Source for North Davis Creek

A walk along the north side of the campground, along the trail behind the campsites, has wonderful views of the creek, complete with little rushing falls and wildflowers. Behind site 10 there's a log bridge over the water. The other side is pretty dense with threes, but Shiner and I were determined so we wended our way through the dense shrubbery and ended up at a pile of lava rock that appears to be the source for the creek.

I would guess that actually the drainage from Davis Lake goes underground and seeps out under the rocks, perhaps joined by other springs. It's quite surprising to see all the clear, sparkling water gush out from under a pile of boulders!

The view of fog on the lake in the early morning is stunning, but it quickly dissipates as the day warms up. This definitely beats watching plastic boats and a parking lot full of people!

We can tell autumn is fast approaching. Though the elevation is only a bit over 4,000 feet, the nights are chilly. 30 degrees is a common overnight temp, though the days usually reach mid 70's to 80's. The contrast in temperatures makes for some beautiful early morning views, with fog drifting among the reeds, and between the layers of trees.

There is a boat ramp of sorts in the campground, but it's not well maintained and is fairly steep. There is also drinking water available in the campground, but you have to work a bit to get it.

Vault restrooms and trash containers complete the amenities, but the scenery more than makes up for the lack of services.

Some of the 14 sites are specifically designed for tents, but we had no difficulty finding several that would accommodate our 30 foot trailer. The road in is gravel, but adequately maintained.

Every evening we watch as the clouds drift by and the setting sun casts it's glow - cotton candy clouds some nights, on other nights the sky is as clear as can be, and then we know we can count on a colder morning. It's been down to 30 on several mornings, though the days are in the high 70's to low 80's. 'Can't beat that for perfect weather.

Finally, after a week of pure relaxation, it's time to pack up and head for "civilization". We'll be staying at Crescent Junction RV Park for two nights as we get caught up on laundry and housekeeping before we settle in to Armitage, a Lane County RV park, in preparation for the first Duck game of the season.