June 28, 2023
Ahhh, the last morning. I love the last morning of a camping trip, it’s full of sweet memories. But it also means I need to leave, darn it.
My campsite in the Bay View State Park was perfect (almost). It was private, green, quiet, the price was right. I didn’t have electric or water hookups, but that didn’t matter. I had plenty of solar to keep my batteries charged, and I carry plenty of fresh water in Towhee the Trailer’s tanks to last me for many weeks. I use that tank water only for showers and doing dishes. I carry bottled fresh water for drinking and cooking. Even when I do have a hookup to a water source, there’s no telling about the quality of that water, so I err on the side of caution and bring my own drinking/cooking/coffee water in jugs.
As you can see in the photo above, this campsite was wonderful! The only drawback was that I had no view of Padilla Bay, the saltwater, and no view of the sunset. Life is hard, eh? 🙂
But this campsite was among the best I’ve had in my seven years of camping.
The Bay View State Park also offers cabins for rent, each with an extraordinary view of Padilla Bay and the western sunset across the water from each cabin’s front porch.
The downside to those cabins is that most do not have water inside … so no kitchen sink and no bathroom inside (except C5 and C6 which do have a bathroom inside). For the other cabins, you need to walk outside to the bathroom facilities. Each cabin has beds for four adults (bed linens not provided), a wall mounted electric heater and electric lights are inside, and a refrigerator! is inside, and there’s a locking front door where YOU have the key. And they each have a lovely porch with a view of Padilla Bay and the sunset, but no cooking facilities (you can bring a hob or other cook top or microwave that plugs into a standard household outlet, if you wish). So they have electrical outlets and heat and light inside and a refrigerator, but no cooking facilities, and no sink (except the bathroom sink in those two cabins, and there are faucets outside where you can fill jugs). In my trailer, I have my own private bathroom, with a shower, and my own bed and cooking facilities and refrigerator/freezer and my own hot/cold water in my bathroom sink and in my kitchen sink. I love my trailer. 🙂 But, I didn’t have a view of Padilla Bay or the sunset from my campsite here this week.
And yet for future reference, my favorite RV campsites here at Bay View State Park do have a view! They were these two campsites (below).
#3 above. Imagine my trailer backed into this campsite … and imagine the view I would have out over Padilla Bay with a lovely, warm, gorgeous sunset across the water. Hmmmm. 🙂
And #4 below … same thing, although #4 is a bit closer to the road that runs between the campground and the bay. Both #3 and #4 might experience some road noise from that road, but my gosh I bet there is no traffic on that road at night, minimal at most. #3 is still my favorite. 🙂
So in the end, I really liked it here at Bay View. I’d come back again any time.
And so, back to this morning … I’m leaving … I hitched up the trailer to the truck and pulled out of my campsite, and then I pulled around into the pump-out station here inside this campground, and emptied my black water and grey water tanks. You can see the pump-out station in the distance behind my trailer in the photo below.
Most (maybe all?) state parks have these dump stations. Many private campgrounds have them as well. I’ve never known any of them to charge money. Even some of the state-owned rest areas along major highways inside Washington State have dump stations for RVers. It’s easy, it’s free. It takes just a few minutes. And THEN I was on my way home, with thoughts of my next camping trip whirling around in my brain. 🙂
I could end this blog post here, but in the last blog post Dawn asked how I choose campgrounds … and that led me to think about how I choose a specific campsite within a campground. So let me share how I chose campsite #38 here at Bay View State Park. First off, this was one of those times when I was looking for a last-minute opening or cancellation, so I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of choices. But there were three campsites available in Bay View State Park for the week that I wanted to go camping … so here’s my process of how I chose which campsite I wanted.
The image below is from the Bay View State Park website. The campsites with a triangle have no amenities, no electricity and no water. The campsites with a circle DO have those amenities. I usually opt for electricity, but not necessarily. I have a solar panel on the roof of the trailer and I have a remote solar panel that I wired into the trailer so it can be up to 40 feet away from the trailer and still feed the batteries. And the trailer carries plenty of water for several weeks.
The campsites with a GREEN triangle/dot are available. The ones with a RED triangle/dot are not available. The ones with orange are … well, you need to check the website.
The image below was for just one day of the week that I wanted to be here in Bay View State Park. When I plugged in all of the dates for the whole week, then only three campsites were green/available … 38, 51, and 22.
At first blush, you might think campsites 51 and 22 would be best since they are on the outer edge of the campground, so they might be more private and quiet. But at this point I go to Google Earth (image below) to check out the surrounding area. You’ll see that campsite #51 is right next to a road in the image below (very bottom of the image). And you’ll see that campsite #22 is right next to a home with lots of cars, so probably lots of people and kids and noise (the very right hand side of the image). So I chose campsite #38 (the big red DOT).
The two yellow circles near the top of the image above are campsites #3 and #4, my very favorite campsites here since there is lots of space and trees between each of them and their campsite neighbors and because each of them has a stunning view of Padilla Bay and the sunset across the bay (north is to the right in the image above). And, yes, those two campsites will enjoy some road noise from the Bayview Edison Road, but I’d bet it’s either minimal or nonexistent at night.
So that’s sort of how I choose campsites. Other criteria might apply other times and places, but that’s my basic method.
And so, I am now heading home in the big white truck with Towhee the Trailer right behind. Stay tuned for my next adventure. Thank you for riding along!! My best to everyone! 🙂 Happy trails!
Super way to scope out a campsite! We’ve never used Google Earth but we sure will now for future camping. Thank you!
You take #3. We’ll take #4. 🙂
Janey
See you there! 🙂
Great way to pick a campsite. Wish I’d had it when I was RVing. Your photos and descriptions are great, lots of fun and interesting. Glad I found your blog.
Glad you’re here, Walt. Thanks for the nice comment.
Makes me almost want to buy an RV, ok maybe not so much, but you sure find beautiful places to camp and things to see. I’m sure grateful that you share here on this blog, I love seeing where you go and what you do. Your photos are terrific. Thank you!
Thank you, Fran, that’s awfully nice stuff you said. I’m grateful that you’re here too, and that you write such nice comments. 🙂
Reading your post makes me very sad that we won’t be able to camp there this year.
It’s a truly beautiful place. But such is life!
I am amazed that you saw no eagles. Usually there are quite a number of them. They must have all been up-river ?
Yep, you’re kind of tied up right now, aren’t you? I’m sorry you are. Maybe next year you and Anne can go, and me too.
Indeed, I saw no eagles! I didn’t hear any either and I do sometimes stand and listen hoping to hear one or two. There are so many eagles around and up and down the Skagit Valley, I’m surprised I didn’t see any.
I’m sure glad you read and comment here, Fritzi. Starting back in our college years, how many camping trips we’ve done!
I tend to like the outer edge camp sites, so as not to have another camper backing right up to me. But I have been surprised on occasion to find there’s a road back there. Now I’m more careful to look around the site on the campground map before I choose. Sometimes there’s no choice, but if I can, I try to pick a site that has some space around it not crowded with other campers. It’s hard, often, to know if there’s actually a level place for a tent, so many sites seem to be designed for a camper on the asphalt and no space aside from that. The National Parks usually have a tent pad, and that’s welcome. It’s always level and kind of soft, usually filled with wood chips or sand. But mostly I camp in state parks. Bayview sure looks like a nice place!
I used to always automatically do outer edge too, Dawn, but then had a couple of troubling spots several years ago, so now at least I check online first. My go-to spots are still on the outer edge, for exactly what you say, they are most often more private and more quiet. Washington State campsites have tent “areas” inside each campsite but it seems to me that they aren’t usually level and soft, and they certainly aren’t a designated pad like I find in national/federal parks. Hmmm, I think I’ll email the state parks people here and ask about tent “pads”. Can’t hurt, no?
Your caravan seems so comfortable. The older I become, the more I want a loo right to hand, not outside in the dark and cold of night. It’s very impressive how detailed you are about planning. It obviously befits you! This was a lovely holiday week.
Me too, Henry. A cabin without a loo inside wouldn’t be for me. I don’t even think that is age related, it’s more comfort and safety. Thanks for your lovely comment. 🙂
You should teach how to do this! The truck stuff, the camper stuff, how to figure out where you’re going, personal safety when hiking alone, you know this stuff and you describe things so they are so easy to understand. You should teach this. But I bet you’d rather just go camping. 🙂 I would.
Yep, I’d rather just go camping. 🙂 Like you. But I hear from so many women and men that they don’t know how to handle an RV when driving/backing it, or how to find a shop to maintain it, or how to find campgrounds or campsites (or use free camping options). So many people think they might really enjoy camping in an RV but don’t feel comfortable buying one. Rent! And let the rental company teach you at least the basics … and then read lots of RV blogs/vlogs. 🙂
Thank you, Greg. Your comment made me feel really good. If you or other readers here would like to know something in particular about how I do things, where I buy things, how I figure things, then please ask. I’m happy to share what I’ve learned and how I do things.
The whole week was great, even just the one last morning. Really liked how you show how you choose campsites. Love all your photos. Stay healthy and keep going! 🙂
Thanks Cindy. Thank you! Ok, I’ll stay healthy and keep going! 🙂
Wow, more great info about how to find camping that we never knew and wish we did! How many times we picked the campsite at the edge of the campground only to find we were parked next to a school ground ,,, or railroad tracks! Ok, so sometimes it’s way better to pick a campsite right in the middle of the campground so your surrounded by campers who understand privacy and quiet, yes? We’re “parked” now, permanently, but we’re both sure enjoying your blog Ann. Hope you get back to #3 or #4 real soon. Happy trails to you too. 🙂
Aaargh, a school ground … no! A railroad track … no! But before Google Earth, how would we have known, eh Marge? We wouldn’t have. So like you folks, I used to pick campsites on the outer edge of a campground too, all the time too. Just doin’ the best we can. 🙂 Thanks Marge. Bet you folks have super camping memories.
Smart! And great photos. Thank you. 🙂
You are welcome! Thanks Ruth. 🙂