Put them all together and what do you get? If you can figure it out before I tell you later you win a taco. (And no, Heller, it’s not a dirty movie)
Here is a hint. It is a lake in northeast California.
At the end of July we headed back to SoCal. Spent the night at Tuttle Creek campground west of Lone Pine in the Alabama Hills.
I must have played my music just a bit too loud because somebody fired a missile in my direction.
They missed.
I didn’t do much in August. Spent a bit of time at Brother Mike’s house and then a couple of weeks at a Thousand Trails campground called San Benito just south of San Jose.
They opened up my favorite loop for Freddy and I so we had it mostly to ourselves.
From there we headed northeast to a campground I last visited in 2004. Clark Fork is located on the 108 about 20 miles east of Pinecrest. From what I remembered, the sites were huge and they don’t take reservations so we were fine for a Friday arrival.
Site 46 was massive but doesn’t look so from the front.
But as you walk in it just keeps going on and on.
And on.
Which is where I found Freddy after his brief bout of squirrel chasing.
Looking back you can barely see the trailer.
We only stayed for one night so let’s travel back to 2004 for some more pictures. At this point my car was just six months old.
So shiny and naked.
Camp tacos were still my favorite food.
The river is frequently stocked with trout.
This was my favorite fishing hole.
Yep. A fat native rainbow trout. No clipped fin.
Clark (or Clarks as it is sometimes called) Fork is a wonderful campground that I highly reccomend. Get there early on a Friday in the summer and maybe you can nab the best site, 46, like I did. $20 per night with flush toilets but no showers.
Freddy and I spent the Labor Day weekend a little farther northeast at Lake A….Wait. Did you figure out the name of the lake yet from the blog title?
No?
Well when PG&E decided to create a dam on the Feather River near Chester, they let the chief engineer name the resulting lake.
He used his daughter’s names. ALice, MAry, and NORa.
Hence Lake Almanor.
There are many campgrounds gracing the shore of this almost always full reservoir. Some private, a few managed by PG&E, and one by the Forest Service.
The private ones are expensive, the PG&E ones slightly less so but they have the nerve to charge exta for dogs.
We stayed at the Forest Service campground. Make that campgrounds as there are two. Almanor North and Almanor South. About half the sites at South are reservable while North is first come first served.
Let’s take a look at South.
53 sites. $18 per night. 1-19 and 53 are reservable.
A couple of my favorites were 10 and 13.
Freddy left his mark of approval on number 16.
All the sites are big, but if you need a couple of acres to call your own, select site 31.
We arrived on Tuesday before the the holiday weekend. By Friday, both campgrounds were full. And why not.
A big clear lake.
A big beach.
And a big boat ramp that actually reaches the water, unlike many others in California.
There is also a 9 mile lakeside recreation trail.
The historic town of Chester is nearby with all the goodies you might require, as well as Mount Lassen and the Pacific Crest Trail.
Anyway, Freddy and I stayed in Almanor North.
In the best campsite, number 46. Another huge one.
Seriously, here are some views of our site.
From the front left.
From the rear left.
From the rear right.
From the front right.
Freddy was bouncing around in the dirt chasing a tennis ball in the right side of the picture above. He asked me to crop in on just him because he thinks he looks cool.
Whatever.
A pair of fun couples camped next to me over the long weekend. Saturday night we all walked over to the Plumas Pines Resort about a half mile away to listen to a band called Northern Traditionz.
I think I had a great time. I do know that my knee is healing rapidly.
Looks like beef jerky. Suddenly I am hungry.
Brother Mike gave me two bundles of firewood before I left SoCal. I gave them to my neighbors and shared the fire with them. The next day before I left, another camper gave me a bunch of firewood.
I didn’t need to have another campfire so I asked Yoda Freddy what to do.
“Your footsteps others will follow. Sign you will make to repel the dark side.”
I processed that and made a sign.
Just paying it forward.
Today, September 13, is my little brother’s 50th birthday. Have a good one Mike. We wish you the best!
Regards,
Greg and Freddy.
