Ross Lake, Part II - The Attack of the Mosquitoes

So last Friday we packed up the car with camping stuff, kids and the dog and at 8am we headed out to Ross Lake again. We had a good time last visit and we wanted to see what it would be like in the sunshine. It was a beautiful day and, congratulating ourselves on our luck and forward planning, we found a spot by the lake. The first thing we found out was that as of noon(about the time we arrived)a provincial campfire ban came into effect due to the hot, dry conditions. We'd brought chicken and steak to cook on the fire... Anyway, we swallowed this disappointment and decided to set up the tent. We thought that must be the reason the campground was relatively empty.

We soon realised why there were so many spots available and why we'd managed to get lakeside. The minute we got out the car they started attacking us. Swarms of big, evil mosquitoes. We grabbed the strong bug repellent and started spraying like mad, thinking that would take care of them. We were wrong. It was like food to them and they kept biting. We had high percent deet and on the bottle it read, "Use Sparingly and repeat after 8 hours if needed". We were spraying every few minutes. They still bit us everywhere - even through our clothes...while we were spraying them. They attacked our ears and our faces, our fingers and necks. The kids were covered in bites and we had to put strong bug spray on them too. Even Ellee was being attacked. We thought that perhaps it was because we were "fresh meat" and that when the bug repellent had sunk in then it would keep the mosquitoes at bay....wrong! The bugs didn't stop and we debated just packing up there and then. But Bronwyn wanted to stay and we thought that the bugs would slow down at some point. Fools.

We decided to take a drive over to the American side. It's about 1km away and there was a hike we wanted to check out. We couldn't believe it when we saw that the Americans were allowed campfires. The toilets are way better on the US side so I decided to pay a visit there instead of at camp. I joked that they'd probably have less bugs. I got out the car and instantly noticed the lack of bugs! If only we'd camped on the US side...free camping, campfires AND no bugs. Things really are better in the States! We went on a short hike towards Hozameen lake.

This is part of the walk...we only did the beginning part.

It's a beautiful hike, rocky and lush with trees and greenery. There is a river that runs briskly through the forest down from the lake. The lake itself is a 10k round-trip. We thought we'd try it the next day. However, when we got back to our camp, we were again swarmed by 100s of mosquitoes....they even bit through my jeans.

We breathed a sigh of relief when finally we got some reprieve from the mosquitoes....this was when the wind and thunderstorm blew in. We watched it coming towards us across the lake (which was quite eerie) and when it hit the wind was so strong that Mark had to hold on to the tent...and our tarp was ripped. But at least it blew away the mosquitoes. The storm blew over and we got the kids their dinner. Back came the mosquitoes. Mark and I couldn't bear to stand still and cook anything so our dinner was some samosas and pakoras that I'd bought. I have never wanted a trip to be over so badly. I couldn't wait for the sun to go down...sometimes that slows down the mosquitoes. Not this time. We went to bed and tried to sleep - there was a bit of partying going on at the other sites. I got up the next morning and saw River's face...it looked like he had chicken pox...

Not just his face...his whole body. Bronwyn had lots of bites too. And Ellee's snout was swollen. It was a nightmare. If we ever go back, and it won't be for a long while, it will be in May or June and we will camp on the US side. Oh, and then we found we'd bought fleas back with us...lovely!

Ross Lake

We spent the past weekend (well, Saturday to Tuesday) at Ross Lake Park, in the Skagit Valley. The above picture is the view from outside our tent in the late afternoon.

Ross Lake is about 3 hours outside of Vancouver. It is just before Hope - you turn off the highway and take a 60km logging road up to the lake and campground. It is a very picturesque lake, right on the US border. In fact, it is a reservoir for the Seattle District. Most of the lake is in the US, part of the Cascades, and during the winter months it is empty.

We managed to get a beautiful lakeside campsite. There was a lot of people around the beach part of the lake when we first arrived. We were surprised because we were led to believe that it was a very quiet campground. Having said that, it was quiet and by Sunday afternoon most people had left.

The good weather also left. When we arrived it was a beautiful sunny day - not a cloud in the sky. By Sunday afternoon it threatened rain. By Sunday night the threat was realised and it rained for about 14 hours straight. We debated whether to go home on Monday...but a kind man lent us a big tarp and helped us to cover our site. It stopped raining and, although it was still cloudy, we got out and about and enjoyed ourselves.

We took turns going out in the kayak. The lake was clear and calm and very peaceful. We also looked around the area. There is a campsite on the US side that is free but there are no lakeside spots. Unfortunately, it was too wet for any hiking. We hadn't brought enough gear...the first trip of the season is always a tad disorganized. But we had a wonderful trip. The kids were great. Bronwyn is a seasoned camper and loves being able to stay up late, poke the fire, climb trees. She made friends with some Canadian geese that came up to visit us at our campsite. As well as a mouse and a couple of chipmunks. I didn't see too many birds this trip.

This was River's first trip in a tent (the last time we camped was with a tent-trailer and he was only 6 months). He took to camping like a natural. He actually slept better in the tent than he does at home...weird. It's always a lot of work when you have little kids with you, but it was also a lot of fun and Mark and I relish being outdoors, enjoying nature and watching the wildlife. We heard a loon calling in the morning and we saw eagles and hawks. Quite a few people were trout fishing and I wish we had brought a rod with us.

We got Bronwyn to climb a tree and set up the tarp (eh eh...just kidding)...

This is the view of the campsite from the lake...

We began a short hike across Chittenden Bridge with the idea to go walk around the meadow. This plan was cut short by the swarms of mosquitoes. Actually, the only downside of the trip was the large numbers of big aggressive mosquitoes; the type that bite you through your clothes. Deet took care of most of them, but we didn't want to put the strong stuff on the kids. Heavy rainfall produces many more mosquitoes (and we've had our share of rainfall lately). It promised to be a nice walk...with a little suspension bridge at the trail head. We'll try again next time.
We had a great time and we're looking forward to our next trip! Let's just hope we can get lucky with the weather next time.