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The Resort 2006 Season |
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April 11, 2006: On April 9, we returned with our fifth wheel to Howard Prairie Lake Resort to begin the 2006 season. More snow this year than in the last several years. Much different from last year when we were able to back into our permanent location in space Y50. This year we can get no further than the resort parking lot until the tractors, and snow blowers clear enough of the camping spaces to move us off the parking lot. This isn't SO bad, the view of the marina and the full lake are just out side our window. The snow has not begun to melt and the lake is at 101% while last year, the lake never got |
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| above 70% for the whole season last year. This year the docks have been moved back to their permanent position next to the marina. |
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| April 12, 2006: Of course, satellite Internet is the first to go up once we are parked and level. Since we are on the parking lot and the parking lot is asphalt, I can't punch in the tripod feet so I've picked a snow bank to install the tripod hoping that the snow and ice will help anchor the tripod. Still, if a good wind came up, I'd have to lay the dish down before the wind took it over. I've seen other satellite owners hang 5 gallons of water under the tripod, but since the feet aren't stuck into the ground, I'm afraid the feet would just slip out with the weight. |
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April 13, 2006: This is our last day parked at the marina. Hopefully we will find a location in one of the regular camp sites where we will have water, power and sewer connections. Fortunately, we have had electricity in this location which helps to keep the fifth wheel warm. Note all the carts lined up on the dock. These are used by boaters to transport gear to their boats. |
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| April 14, 2006: Everyday I commute to work through a closed gate at the resort. This will change tomorrow when the resort opens to the public. I'm looking forward to not stopping, unlocking, driving through, stopping, re-locking the gate. Also the big news about tomorrow is that the restaurant will be open for the first time. I love the atmosphere of the little cafe with a fireplace in the middle plus good food and good drinks. They also have a soft-serve ice cream machine but not sure if that will be turned on tomorrow. It's really popular during the summer months. |
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April 15, 2006: Normally this would be tax day but since it lands on a Saturday, your taxes are due on Monday, April 17.
Today was move day. We moved out of the parking lot into one of the camp sites on the lake where the least snow has accumulated. Our reserved space still has about two feet of snow so we will "make-do" only twenty feet from the lake. It is snowing again today and the weather report calls for more snow tomorrow and Monday. This particular campsite (W19) is pretty low, only about a foot above lake level so I've marked the lake level at left to watch what's happening. I'd hate to have to hook up with the trailer in a foot of ice cold water. |
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| It is 32.2 degrees outside, hence the snow, but 72.5 degrees inside. I'm sitting at my computer looking out the back window as I create this report and a couple of Canada Geese are searching for food. Note the snow accumulating on their back as they swim while it's snowing. The streaks are melting snow rolling down the back window. |
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April 16, 2006: Last night dropped to 23 degrees but our insulated hose did not freeze. The lake has risen about 1 inch in the 24 hours that we have been in this site. It's now at 102% of "full". I've been trying to photograph the Bufflehead diving ducks that work the lake only a few feet from my computer but they are too fast. |
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| Today I washed the back window so the road splash would not block our view of the lake and wildlife. Since I dumped both tanks yesterday at the dump station (there is no sewer hook up at this site), I took the time to mix my black water tank solution and pour into the tank. |
| April 17, 2006: On opening morning at the resort, Floyd and Julia are the first to be served breakfast at the resort restaurant. Floyd brags that this is his 46th year to be a regular at Howard Prairie. |
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| April 18, 2006: So why is the dish so far from the trailer (see photo above, the dish is to the far left of the trailer). I backed into this "ideal" spot knowing that my dish would be looking across the lake and have plenty of open space with no trees blocking the view of the satellite. Yet, after setting up and disconnecting I checked the compass only to find that I was wrong and the view WAS blocked by a single tree. I first tried getting a signal ten feet closer to the trailer without luck, but moving the dish to the point got me a strong signal over the top of the offending tree. Notice how I have anchored the dish from the center, not just in the snow but through the snow and into solid dirt with the ground auger. This particular camping site is known as windy point, so I don't want the dish to be caught by a wind gust and toppled. |
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April 19, 2006: This is as good as I've been able to photograph the Bufflehead diving ducks. The male is on |
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| the right with the female on the left. They are searching for insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and seeds. They apparently find much to eat near our trailer because they continue to return. It is a pleasure to watch them work and never stray far from each other. |
| April 20, 2006: The official lake level is 103% which looks like that translates to 6 inches above the spillway. Take a look at the 5th, 6th and 7th photos at this site to see what the spillway looked like last year with no water. You'll see the water measure next to my bicycle to give you an idea of how much water is now in the lake compared to last year. |
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I was expecting to see lots of water falling over the spillway but only 6 inches is falling into the spillway at 103%. The water in the spillway actually flows to California and finds its way to the Klamath River. The water that is taken for irrigation goes to Emmigrant Lake near Ashland and never reaches California. |
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| April 22, 2006: How has the lake changed in one week (we've been in this lake site for one week). To the right is my unofficial lake level measure, compare to one week ago. It looks to me like we have gained 4 - 5 inches. Another measure is to look at the satellite dish and compare |
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to our initial set up. I haven't touched the dish since this set-up. You can see the snow is gone and the lake is overtaking the tripod. Since today is opening day of fishing, every camp site is taken and now we have neighbors everywhere, all fishing today for the first time in 2006. I haven't seen anyone with a fish but maybe that's not the reason to fish ... I wouldn't know since I'm not a fisherman. This day seems like the Superbowl of fishing with everyman in southern Oregon fishing today. The parking lot and marina are full today too. It's all good for the resort since they need a financial "shot-in-the-arm" with all the expense of opening the resort. |
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| April 23, 2006: Our permanent site still has at least 18 inches of snow and it's not melting very fast although the weather forecast for this next week is looking warm. Gwen and I are leaving the resort today for an escapade in Chico, California. We will be returning on Friday, April 28 and hope that our Y50 site will be available |
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when we return, not that we haven't liked living on the edge of the lake. So I took a shovel and cleared about half the site, breaking up the other half hoping the sun would do the rest of the work during the week while we are gone. The light brown color to the snow at the left is chain saw shavings where a tree had fallen across our site and had to be cut up and removed. |
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