Lighthawk
Weekend warrior
We are creatures of habit and like to visit favorite spots when conditions are ideal. Such is our love affair with Loon Lake in August. It's Susan's favorite place to celebrate her birthday that month.
We left town on Thursday after work. Hwy 49 from Auburn to Cool is a twisty set of curves down and up the American River canyon, but the Tundra/Hawk was up to it. The sway bar in the rear helps with cornering while the first gen Tundra V8 provides plenty of power, although the mileage could be better.
Soon enough we reached Georgetown, the last place for Jeepers to stock up for the Rubicon Trail. We turned left and went up Wentworth Springs Rd., driving through the devastation of the 2014 King Fire. This drive ranges from 540' above sea level at the Hwy 49 American River crossing, rising almost six thousand feet to the alpine granite of Loon Lake at 6378'. Small burgs are passed along with way, including Uncle Tom's Cabin.
We arrived just before dusk and quickly dismounted our two kayaks at the boat ramp. Susan took Callie in her kayak and towed my boat behind her, setting off for the beach below our camp while I drove the camper to our site. I walked down with bright headlamp shining and met her at dark where we secured our kayaks for the night. It was a quick five minute walk from our camp to our boats for the next three days, which is why this spot works so well for us.
By 9pm we had our campsite set up and our boats in position. Life was grand. We celebrated by eating fresh mex with tomatoes from the garden with plenty of chiles.
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Friday morning we took our time and hit the water at a leisurely pace.
We set our sights on a group of granite boulders several hundred yards off shore.
Ultimately we were in the sun from 10 to 4pm, which is about the maximum despite full brim hats and plenty of SPF sunscreen and sun shirts. We toured the back of the lake and enjoyed a wonderful spot with our own beach complete with excellent waters for swimming. There's nothing as refreshing as jumping into an alpine lake when the heat of August is upon you.
We had recently debated shade structures and entertained several large systems, including a Kelty Cabana, which we sent back. Instead, i deployed a cheap Grocery Outlet umbrella, but added a few guy lines and we had just enough shade for all three of us. Low budget and effective!
Plus it looks sporty too. Now where can I order a frosty margarita?
Susan took Callie out for a private cruise.
Callie did really well, although at one point her boat started yawing back and forth wildly, but she sat down when we encouraged her and rode it out. Captain Callie!
We explored the back bays of the beautiful Pleasant Lake.
Callie enjoyed running the shoreline.
The scenery really is spectacular.
It was a fine start to a three day weekend.
We parked the boats on the shore, using a cable lock to secure them and carried our paddles back to camp. We encountered a large toad on the way back up to camp, causing me to recall the Calaveras Jumping Frog story by Mark Twain. There were many small toads or frogs in the shoreline rocks.
Our NorCold 3 way refrigerator gave up on this trip and each day the temperature rose from the mid-fifties to mid-sixties. The propane flame was strong and the coil was hot, but the inside cooling was negligible. I decided to BBQ the chicken I brought, which was still good. Callie got her fair share, but the meat bees were a constant problem. I packed down the Webber Q into the bear box after it cooled to keep the bees and any critters from temptation.
Hot showers were delivered via our Zodi and popup tent system each night.
The Perseid meteor shower was predicted to be a good one, with a late setting moon. I set up my tripod and recorded 25 sec exposures using a timer until the batteries gave out after 400 frames. My wide angle 14mm view was hampered by the trees near camp, and I didn't actually record that many meteors, only about a dozen. Interestingly, the light trails all show some sort of prism effect.
Stay tuned for Part II
We left town on Thursday after work. Hwy 49 from Auburn to Cool is a twisty set of curves down and up the American River canyon, but the Tundra/Hawk was up to it. The sway bar in the rear helps with cornering while the first gen Tundra V8 provides plenty of power, although the mileage could be better.
Soon enough we reached Georgetown, the last place for Jeepers to stock up for the Rubicon Trail. We turned left and went up Wentworth Springs Rd., driving through the devastation of the 2014 King Fire. This drive ranges from 540' above sea level at the Hwy 49 American River crossing, rising almost six thousand feet to the alpine granite of Loon Lake at 6378'. Small burgs are passed along with way, including Uncle Tom's Cabin.
We arrived just before dusk and quickly dismounted our two kayaks at the boat ramp. Susan took Callie in her kayak and towed my boat behind her, setting off for the beach below our camp while I drove the camper to our site. I walked down with bright headlamp shining and met her at dark where we secured our kayaks for the night. It was a quick five minute walk from our camp to our boats for the next three days, which is why this spot works so well for us.
By 9pm we had our campsite set up and our boats in position. Life was grand. We celebrated by eating fresh mex with tomatoes from the garden with plenty of chiles.
---------
Friday morning we took our time and hit the water at a leisurely pace.
We set our sights on a group of granite boulders several hundred yards off shore.
Ultimately we were in the sun from 10 to 4pm, which is about the maximum despite full brim hats and plenty of SPF sunscreen and sun shirts. We toured the back of the lake and enjoyed a wonderful spot with our own beach complete with excellent waters for swimming. There's nothing as refreshing as jumping into an alpine lake when the heat of August is upon you.
We had recently debated shade structures and entertained several large systems, including a Kelty Cabana, which we sent back. Instead, i deployed a cheap Grocery Outlet umbrella, but added a few guy lines and we had just enough shade for all three of us. Low budget and effective!
Plus it looks sporty too. Now where can I order a frosty margarita?
Susan took Callie out for a private cruise.
Callie did really well, although at one point her boat started yawing back and forth wildly, but she sat down when we encouraged her and rode it out. Captain Callie!
We explored the back bays of the beautiful Pleasant Lake.
Callie enjoyed running the shoreline.
The scenery really is spectacular.
It was a fine start to a three day weekend.
We parked the boats on the shore, using a cable lock to secure them and carried our paddles back to camp. We encountered a large toad on the way back up to camp, causing me to recall the Calaveras Jumping Frog story by Mark Twain. There were many small toads or frogs in the shoreline rocks.
Our NorCold 3 way refrigerator gave up on this trip and each day the temperature rose from the mid-fifties to mid-sixties. The propane flame was strong and the coil was hot, but the inside cooling was negligible. I decided to BBQ the chicken I brought, which was still good. Callie got her fair share, but the meat bees were a constant problem. I packed down the Webber Q into the bear box after it cooled to keep the bees and any critters from temptation.
Hot showers were delivered via our Zodi and popup tent system each night.
The Perseid meteor shower was predicted to be a good one, with a late setting moon. I set up my tripod and recorded 25 sec exposures using a timer until the batteries gave out after 400 frames. My wide angle 14mm view was hampered by the trees near camp, and I didn't actually record that many meteors, only about a dozen. Interestingly, the light trails all show some sort of prism effect.
Stay tuned for Part II
