Camino Cove, El Dorado National Forest


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Published: October 2nd 2012
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My man doesn’t get home from work until late, but I’ve spent the day packing so he just needs to clean up and we can beat it. Traffic is light and we make good time getting out of town but still don’t arrive to the campground until close to 10pm. Frank is waiting and we’re stoked to see him and to be back out in the woods! We park it and start to unload. It’s a gorgeous campground, we’ve been here before. The water level is incredibly low, but the now viewable stumps and other underwater terrain make for an interesting landscape.


We’re all tired so once the tent is set up we turn in for the night. Except. . . what’s that? Someone is screaming, kind of like a party? But not really? Maybe more like a bad acid trip. The guy sounds pretty lit up and really obnoxious. There’s some other tool jamming their music nearby as well. Is this a sign to come for the weekend? Oh no. . .


We get up around 8 and as do our camp neighbors. They immediately crank the crappy Alice radio music. Really? It’s such a gorgeous place and that’s what they want to do? I prepare a simple breakfast of bacon and hard boiled eggs and we start our day. We’re putting the Seahawk 500 on the lake! Yes - it’s still afloat after all these years. Well, sort of. We have to rig a couple closure valves, but it’s no problem. We get her blown up, mostly, and the boys take the boat and towels across the road and down to the water. It’s close to noon now and thankfully the noise has stopped. There’s no one down here that we can see anyway.


It’s gorgeous! The view of the Crystal mountains is second to none. The sun is shining, and I’m going swimming! HELLO! The water is surprisingly cold! I don’t mind cold water, but . . . The boys row around and Frank casts his rod. I swim across the inlet and walk around a bit, then jump back in to follow the boat. It’s really cold! The first 12 inches or so is quite pleasant, but as I lower my limbs to take a stroke, the icy water chills me deeply. I climb onto the trailing inflatable and add some dead weight to the rowing requirements. The “parasite”! I’ve been dubbed! No matter, I’m glad to be out of the water.


We putt around a bit then head back to shore. It’s pretty windy out on the lake and although it’s hot out, the wind brings a chill with it on the water. Once back on shore John and I bee-line up to grab some beers and snacks. Frank casts his rod and waits for delivery of cold beer and crispy chips. Well, it is his birthday after all!


This is living. Kicking back in the sunshine at lakes edge, a rod in the water and cold beer in hand. Ahhh. . . . After about an hour a fellow camper, and local, walks up. Apparently he was at our campsite last night, before we arrived, looking for beer. Today he was just stopping by to shoot the breeze.


Joey was his name. Nine Toe Joey to be precise. Joey was a happy guy, well mostly. He started off by talking about just being happy! We can all get behind that! Then he would spontaneously break out into song. .”. I just gotta be happy. . . enjoying the great sunshine. . . .” or whatever it was. The lyrics are accompanied by a sweet little jig as well. Joey’s a happy guy. He’s talking fast, and singing, and changing topics and quickly leads into a story of how he found himself homeless a couple years ago in Santa Fe, New Mexico, living in a tent. Apparently it got so cold he got frostbite on all 10 toes. Ironically, Joey was also a musician who played in a band called Frostbite at one point. Anyway, all his toes turned black and they told Joey at that hospital in New Mexico that he would never walk again. But here he was! Living proof! “I’m living proof. . . and oh so happy. . .” with the singing again. They did have to remove part of his big toe and thus, he was named Nine Toe Joey. He said, “I’m an amputee man, can you believe that? Because they took off my toe. . .” The conversation grew a little darker as he told of some of this other hardships, of which he’s had many, but soon enough we were back on the happy track.


Frank promises Joey he’ll leave another bottle cap out for him on the stump near our campsite. Apparently this was a discussion that was had last night about some bottlecap artwork goings on at the campground. Cool. We felt sure we would see Nine Toe Joey at our camp again that night, but we never saw him again.


We finish our afternoon in the sun and decide to head back up to camp for some grub. It’s still quiet! I’m shocked in a great way! Will it last? No way. This is a favorite of locals, it’s a free campground and a known party spot. We feel like they were just getting started last night and were merely resting up for tonight’s activities. We opt for a rest before dinner. The boys take their Road Racer magazines and head for the gravity chairs and I climb into my hammock. There’s a cool breeze and what I hear is nature! Sweet!!


After a bit, food is had and we walk down to the water to the west to see if any fish want to jump on Frank’s line. Last time John and I were here, the water level was higher so it’s fun for me to see what lies beneath. Stumps and rocks. I knew it! The colors are fantastic too. Reds, greens accompanied by the moonscape colors of the bottom of a lake. The breeze has died down and it’s very hot down here.


Frank and John stroll and chat. I take pictures and gaze longingly at, well, everything. It’s so pretty here it’s outdoor salivation time. We roam up and down the west corner of the lake and after a lost lure decide to wander back towards camp. I’m drawn to a large rock. Must climb. We cross the field and I get up on top of the boulder. It’s small really, but the biggest thing around here! The view somehow seems more sublime from here, even though I’m probably not more than 15 feet up. We ham it up for some photos and then make our way back to camp. It’s still peaceful – amazing! What a turnaround! But’s it’s early yet.


We enjoy some easy conversation, the boys losing me a bit in race tire talk. Eventually it starts to cool off and unfortunately, there is a forest-wide fire restriction in place. Had we known. . . but we make the best of it. We decide to walk back down to the water on the east facing side of the campground. It’s so beautiful in the fading light. The mountains are pink and we are in awe. Suddenly, the moon pops up from the top of the range! And she is rising fast! WOW! A full moon on the rise and we are here on the shores of a gorgeous lake at 5,000feet watching it all. I love it!


The moon is so bright we’re casting shadows as if daylight. We make our way back to camp and things are still quiet. We feel really special to be able to enjoy the camping experience amidst other people. Our neighbors down the way have several little kids with them and are apparently having story time, so every couple minutes we hear the kids yell “YAY!!!!!!”. It’s adorable! And our nearest neighbors apparently ate the special brownies because they are giggling like nobody’s business! These are the most pleasant, human campground sounds I’ve heard in a long time. Eventually we decide to turn in and things remain relatively quiet, comparatively speaking, throughout the night.


Sunday is Frank’s birthday and we start the day off like we did yesterday. Coffee, bacon, eggs, and Enteman’s in lieu of the birthday cake I didn’t make. It’s a beautiful morning and we hear the birds and chipmonks starting to come alive with the day. We hang out for a bit, but the inevitable has arrived. Time to pack it up. We hastily throw things in the car knowing they’ll need to be cleaned and sorted once we get home. We wave goodbye to Camino Cove and big thanks to El Dorado National Forest for providing us with a beautiful, mostly enjoyable, camping experience!! 😊

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10th October 2012

Once again..
Once again I am pleasantly surprised to discover a lil more about my friends. Very enjoyable read....
10th October 2012

Thanks Charley!
My first blog comment! I love it! Let's connect again before too much time goes by. xoxo

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