Friday, July 24, 2015

Forest and Fish in Friendly Schafer State Park, WA

We spent four fun days in Schafer State Park, near Elma, WA.  It is a small park on the Satsop River (middle fork), with five water and electric (50 amp), reservable sites. There are a dozen dry camp sites that will accommodate from 25-35 foot rigs, and about the same number for tents. A large, well laid out, group site backs up to private property in the very back of the campground. There is one bathhouse (the rock walls are very cool) with two toilet and one shower (quarters) stalls for each gender. Wifi worked most of the time - the hookup sites are next to the office.

Several decent size sites, this is #17

We had #U3 in the trees
It was a big site, that's our fire ring and table
The entrance signs on both sides of the street are confusing and I made a left when the campground was on the right. Made the mistake of unhooking the Jeep there as we had to hook it up again to drive into the campground without paying $10 for a second vehicle. Rules are rules.

Oops
I chose the location for access to the river and was disappointed when I saw the water was very low. Fortunately Bill had a successful fishing day and I was immediately happy with my choice! Of course maybe it was because I stayed home that day and reorganized cupboards and found a few things I had been "looking for" - sometimes fishing is better done solitary :-).

The camp hosts were very friendly, nearly always available to answer questions or just for a chat. There were a couple rigs that looked like they were set up for a lengthy stay with two very cute kids. Seeing them running around in the evening - one in bare feet and the other in footed-pajamas - made me smile at how lucky they are to be playing in the wilderness. Other folks came and went, always with a smile and a warm hello. You got the feeling that many of them come here often, and love it.

But the real draw is the setting. The forest is beautiful, full of tall pines and big trees that looked like maples but are probably something else. I should have asked the host, but never remembered.  Lots of nearly-ripe berries lined every path and the sides of the river.  The sound of the low river running over the rocks was magical, I loved walking along the banks just to listen. No wildlife other than a few crow and the visiting bee who wanted to stowaway on departure day.

I loved the trail beside the river

Thick moss grows on many of the trees
I loved the blue peaking through the canopy over our patio
Perfect for after-dinner walks
Although we loved it at Schafer we decided to change our plans at the last minute and head into Shelton for one night before continuing to Hoodsport where we had our next reservations. Figured we could do some stock-up shopping and maybe try fishing in Lake Isabella. It was Thursday, surely the little casino RV park would have an opening, we don't need to worry about calling.

Uh,huh. Nope.

As others have experienced, Plan C is often better than B, and that was the case today. When the casino had no place for us I called to see if we could arrive a day early in Hoodsport. Of course! Nobody in our site, come on up :-) We can drive back to Shelton for groceries if necessary.

We're at Glen Ayr Resort with another OMG view, this time of Hood Canal.  Tomorrow we will go see what we can see :-)

From our front window, Hoodsport, WA


18 comments:

  1. Very beautiful and what nice big sites! Enjoy Hoodsport.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Although it's a very small park and motel, it feels very big the way it's laid out. It might be tight when full, but we love it.

      Delete
  2. It never ceases to amaze me how one can lose things in such a small space. I cannot tell you how many times Hans and I have searched for something we know we have but cannot find it...and we are fairly organized! Makes me wonder how we managed in a big house!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh good, I'm glad it's not just us! I swear we have gremlins. Found something yesterday I didn't even think I brought with us :-))))))

      Delete
  3. Love the Hood Canal! We've spent a great deal of time around that area. It sure is gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are loving it here! The weather has been perfect, and the national forest is beautiful.

      Delete
  4. We had a similar experience with unhooking the jeep at Silver Strand State park in San Diego
    Last year. Crazy rules! :) I'm so glad you found a nice forest area :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In Oregon they just saw the tow bar on front and called it done (state parks), but Schafer was very serious about it :-) The trees were so great!!

      Delete
  5. Again nice job of rolling with the punches – hook and rehook, no spot at the casino. Schaefer looks very serene, easy, relaxed. I love those kinds of places. Plus big trees, a river and berries. Sounds very fine..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Us too, very laid back, only one loud person in the whole park. And she just had one of those loud laughs :-)

      Delete
  6. Shafer looks great. Can't beat a water and tree combination. We love Hoodsport! So much seafood to enjoy there! Have you clammed and gathered oysters yourself before? Have the Broasted Chicken at the nearby diner.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, we haven't tried that yet :-) There was a guy with big nets (cages) going down to the dock - should have made friends with him! We had no idea what it would be like here and are blown away by the beauty.

      Delete
  7. You have the right attitude—just go to plan C when plan B doesn't work out! We also are surprised at how we can lose something in the small space of our trailer. There just aren't that many places for things to hide! (And we're organized, too. But one of us—not saying who—doesn't always put things back in the designated place. :-))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No! Can't imagine anyONE not putting things back where they got it :-)))) Our Plan C was a great move, we so enjoyed that area!

      Delete
  8. Gotta Love Plan C!! Things always seem to work out and most time for the better:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ain't that the truth! Flexibility really pays off :-))

      Delete
  9. Too bad about the drought causing low water but sounds like you made the most of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've been so surprised at the drought conditions in Washington - I thought it rained here every day :-(

      Delete