Wolf Creek, Union Valley Reservoir, Day One

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A Dose of Outside
A Dose of Outside is intended to share a bit of nature with you as experienced on my local hikes and other adventures. Take a moment to look out the window or step outside and see what it is you see. What you smell. Notice what’s growing around you. Use all your senses and really get A Dose of Outside!

CAMP DATES: 8-17 / 8-18-2013, Wolf Creek, Union Valley Res, El Dorado National Forest



This weekend we’re planning on trying out the new REI Comfort Cots to see just how luxurious our car camping experiences can get. Our buddy Frank is meeting us, driving from the south, so we are trying to choose a destination somewhere kind of in the middle. We opt for the closest place that feels like far away, El Dorado National Forest.

A Thursday night car load means we get out the door fairly early Friday morning. Traffic is light and the drive is easy. We’re through Sacramento and up the mountain in no time. We don’t have a reservation. Most campgrounds are always booked very far in advance, so we're hoping to score a first-come-first-serve spot. Once secured, we'll phone Frank, assuming we can find cell reception, and let him know our whereabouts.

Jones Fork is the first campground you reach on Union Valley Reservoir so we check there first. This campground is small, but entirely first come first served, and after all, it’s only noon. The campground is completely full. Uh oh. This campground is usually passed by as small, and not on what’s considered to be the prime side of the lake.

Well, to hit each one along the way, or start at the back and work our way forwards. This is the big decision for the moment. We decide to start at the far side of the lake, Wolf Creek and then Yellow Jacket and so on, because those campgrounds tend to be a little quieter.

The drive is pretty and it’s only another 5 miles or so then the road veers left and turns to dirt. Two more miles to Wolf Creek! We pull in and some of the very first sites are already taken. Not a good sign. We do a loop and see most are reserved, but there are a few first-come-first-serve sites available. Whew.

We decide to just stay at Wolf Creek and not check the others. Not knowing how many other campers are circling the wagons looking for a spot and how fast things will fill up. Now to choose the best one. Number 2 near the entrance has more “privacy” and some trees behind it, but it’s a long walk to the water and no view. We cruise the campground a couple times and decide on a spot that sits on a hill above the water with a pretty view. The down side is that it’s very exposed and right near a restroom and water source.

Set up is a breeze with the REI Comfort Cots. There are a few trees on our site so we have some shade. But not many and the site is not private. We’re sleeping outside without a tent tonight so - Hello Neighbors! But it will be luxurious, no doubt. We turn to asses our immediate neighbor. He's an older gent kicking back in a hammock reading. A good sign. But upon later inspection we notice he has a whole bunch of chairs set up, which is not a good sign. But we shall see. Looks can be deceiving.

Boy is it ever hot! I decide to make a sandwich because I’m starving now. I’m nearly finished prepping my sweet turkey and cheese lunch, and in comes a yellow jacket.

He wants my turkey, and he wants it NOW! He’s literally flying into the center of my sandwich, trying to bury himself alive around the rolls of meat. A glutenous suicide, no question. But I’m hungry, so I fight for my sandwich. Still he is persistent. I’ll end up biting him and chewing him up if he doesn't get out from in between my bread. I decide to share, and place a small piece of meat on the table in the hopes of placating him.

It doesn’t work. He’s hyper-fixated on MY sandwich. I repeatedly lead him with my sandwich back to the offering and eventually he takes the bait. Ahhh. . . I know my time is short before word gets out and more arrive, so I get to eating. I’m able to finish my meal without further disturbance and sit down to take a load off.

We start noticing there all the squirrels. Maybe because one in particular is closing in on us unabashedly. Boss-man squirrel is all over our stuff and fearless. Unaffected by tosses of dried wood or a stomp of a foot to scare him off. Also, I failed to put my knife up amidst the mayhem of my solitary yellow jacket attack, and Mr. Squirrel has now found it. He's lovingly licking it, rendering the knife now unusable until quality disinfection can occur.

We decide it’s time to get out of camp and go check out the water. The hill our site sits on is granite covered and dotted with pines. It is gorgeous! This reservoir allows speed boats and there are some, however, for the size of this body of water, it’s not at all crowded out there. I put in my ear plugs and dive in. Brrrr! It’s refreshing, but cold. It’s later in the day now, so the air temperature is such that I’m chilled when I get out. We don’t stay long, and head back up to change and cozy up for the evening.

Our cots are in full sun now so we easily move them into the shade for a little re-lax-ation before dinner. Bonus feature! A staked down tent full of gear cannot be easily relocated. It’s kind of weird lying out in the open in a campground, but I’m able to enjoy the comfort of the cot regardless and get a cat nap in.

It’s almost dinner time and we decide to heat up some homemade pork and beans. As soon as we break out the food, the yellow jackets are swarming en mass! Crap! I brought some mosquito netting, so we set about hanging it over the picnic table.

They are all over the stove as we heat dinner, but once inside, the netting does a darn good job. The yellow jackets are clustered around the outside, frantically beating against the netting, wanting in. A couple do get in, but not many considering their numbers. Not the most relaxing dinner, but at least it tasted good. Clean-up is a bit of a pain because of the insects, but once that’s over we decide to walk out to the point to watch the sun slip down behind the trees.

As we are leaving, we hear our lone neighbor calling his buddies on the phone to let them know what site he’s in. Thus the extra chairs.

Walking through the lower section of the campground, we immediately notice that this entire area smells overwhelmingly like the pit toilets. Ewww. I would definitely not want to camp in this part of the campground. The lower loop of the campground is closest to the water, but the natural landscape seems to be creating a pocket that holds the sewage smell. Not good.

The wind has died down and the water is like glass now. There are a few wisps of clouds creating a little backdrop for color, but otherwise the skies are clear. The sunset is pretty with low light reflecting off the water. Once down, it starts to get both cool and dark quickly, so we start the trek back up to camp and light a fire.

We spend some time playing with the camera settings, taking photos and goofing. It’s pretty loud right now. People kind of loud. It’s not obnoxious loud, like loud music, but there are a couple large groups that are having their fun on volume 10. Glad I brought my ear plugs.

I re-position the car so that headlights from incoming cars circling the campground won’t shine right in our faces. We turn in. The cots are plush! We have our 3.5 inch REI camp pads on top and it doesn't really get any more comfortable than this! It’s wonderful to lie out and see the night sky. The patchy clouds are moving in, covering everything and making it look like low tide. Then the moon rises over the trees and it’s like a flashlight in my face. I’ll have to cover my head with something because it’s almost like daylight.

It’s colder than I thought and it’s tough to sleep because of it. I get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and pull out my ear plugs for the walk. It’s still noisy! At least I can’t hear them with my earplugs on. I don't usually sleep with ear plugs in outdoors because I like to hear what animals are in the area, and this is bear country.

But the noise will serve as a deterrent for the bears, as well as for me getting any sleep. So I put the ear plugs back in and crawl back in my bag on the cot. I'd like to stay awake and star gaze, but I’m tired so I bury my head in the bag and rest until morning.





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www.chellesjewelry.org

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