Tumbleweed travels

maurerl · 06-23-2016, 09:10 PM

Tumbleweed travels 2016

Trips 1 - 3 not recorded

Trip 4 June 19 Caycuse campsite

Tumbleweed and his owners are back at one of their favourite campsites close to home -- Caycuse Campsite, operated by TimberWest (forest company) on the shore of Lake Cowichan. At site #13, our favourite, reserved for the week (avoiding the busier weekend). Sites 1 through 12 are in the woods, all the others are on the lakeshore, with views up & down the lake, and the shore only meters from the trailer.

In contrast to our stay at Porteau Cove & Alice Lake Provincial Parks a month ago, which were busy and full every day, at Caycuse we are, unexpectedly but pleasantly, the only campers on Sunday night, alone except for Carol the campsite host/guardian. There is a long-term fellow set up down the way in his motor home, for a month, but he's using this as a base while commuting to work in Victoria, 100 km away, and only comes for the weekends.

Sunday afternoon was spent getting set up, especially rigging the tarp, because the "meteorological prognostication" called for periods of showers during the week. Our working theory is that putting up a tarp keeps the showers away. It did stay dry, albeit cloudy, and too cool for a cold beer (I prefer my beer COLD when the weather is HOT). Wendy & I sat aroud a nice big campfire for the evening, listening to the loons (and the ravens -- noisy devils!) then went for a sunset stroll as the sun came out long enough to turn the sky, the lake, and the clouds, pink then crimson as it disappeared down a gap in the hills to the West.

Monday: By the time I awoke, having slept WAY WAY later than is my usual practise, and preference, the sun was high in a cloudless, blue sky, beaming right down on my face. I jumped -- well OK, laboriously clambered -- out of bed, and started my day with a . . .
cup of coffee and a read of my novel, sitting at the sunny lakeshore, but eventually I did get up and out for a nice long walk. Then more coffee, more reading, another walk, and finally my beer (my latest favourite dark, an Obsidian Dagger from Abbotsford's Dead Frog Brewery -- who comes up with these names!? -- think Guiness but not nearly as bitter) as the weather got progressively cloudier, grimmer, greyer, cooler. Eventually, mid-afternoon thunderstorms, lightning, and BUCKETING rain -- for hours. Our tarp theory didn't hold water. Neither did our tarp -- it rained so hard the water puddled in indentations in the tarp, requiring occasional forays out to dump it, and blowing so hard the rain came in sideways and soaked the table and the camp stove and forcing a retreat to cooking and eating indoors. Thanks Escape for a warm & cozy trailer when the weather is less than clement! Read inside and dried out between the afore-mentioned trips outside to shed the water off the tarp.

Tuesday & Wednesday: cloudy with showers and periodic sunny breaks, not nearly nice enough to go for a dip in the lake . . . just (barely) nice enough to sit & read around the campfire. Still no other campers -- rare even for this semi-isolated campsite. Cool weather, and mid-week before school's out, probably the deciding factors. Heavy rain again Wed afternoon & evening, hunkered down inside reading, playing cards, & watching a movie.

I've loaded up the iPad with some Southwestern movies, to whet my appetite for another trip to Utah area later this year. Watched 127 Hours, the story of Aaron Ralston who tragically but foolishly went canyoneering in Canyonlands Park, alone and without telling anyone where he was going. He ended up literally between a rock & a hard place when he had an accident, and eventually ended up cutting off his right arm at the wrist to escape his rocky predicament. Beautiful scenery, but a cautionary tale.

Rained all night & all Thursday AM, so packed up & came home a day earlier than planned. Tumbleweed sure got muddy coming out on logging roads, now full of many new potholes, after & during the rains!

For anyone travelling out that way, we highly recommend J&V's in Lake Cowichan for delicious milkshakes, even in less than hot summer weather.