Blue Tarp Campers, We Salute You!

Well, today is the beginning of our cross-country retirement. The weather was overcast when we arrived at Ike Kinswa State Park and perfect for a short 2-mile hike. The park is located on Mayfield Lake and the hike followed the shoreline. Then, it started to rain around 5 p.m. and continued to rain hard through the night. Blue tarps tied to trees making a canopy were located at almost every campsite. We didn't have one and the fire pit area was a swamp in the morning. Oh well, this is just a one night stay to break up our trip to Astoria, Oregon.





Ike Kinswa is a lush, green park with layers of huge ferns and mossy trees. I guess you have to have the rain to get this wonderful growth. Apparently, the Native Americans felt the area was a beautiful location, too. Ike Kinswa State Park was named after after a member of the Cowlitz tribe who resided in this valley before it was dammed.





My family traveled this route every summer from Richland, Washington to Centralia, Washington to visit my grandparents. Before the Mayfield Dam was built creating the lake--the road went down into a deep valley cutting through and around huge boulders--I remember one rock as big as a house that loomed over the road. As we neared the rock, my dad would yell out "this is it; we're getting squashed!" We would all squeal as we passed under the rock and then giggle after passing unharmed. Simple times for simple people.


Talk about giggling--Mike hasn't stopped since we started driving. We are both so excited about our RV lifestyle and our traveling plans. Let the good times "roll"!