More camping! Rasar State Park

Sunday, August 6, 2018

As best as I can figure, the name Rasar is pronounced ray-ZAR or rah-ZAR.  It’s the last name of a number of families that live in the larger area around Rasar State Park, so probably lots of other folks in the area know how the name is pronounced, but I kept forgetting to ask.  Too many other things to see and do. 🙂

Rasar State Park is located on the Skagit River in northern Washington, on the west side of the Cascade Mountains, a few miles east of Interstate 5.  The forest in and around this state park is truly luscious.  As well, state park land runs right along the Skagit River … you can’t get any closer to this beautiful river than that.

Having lived in the area and owned this land for several generations, the Rasar family considered sub-dividing this 128 acres of land and selling off lots to build homes, but they decided instead to donate the land to the state park system.

I found the following video online.  It shows the drive into and through Rasar State Park.  After entering the park, you’ll see a number of small roads left and right that lead to different parts of the campground, but the videographer drove directly to the loop with my campsite … how fortuitous was that!  My campsite appears on the right side of the screen at time mark 3:17.  The campground is almost empty in this January video, except there’s a good-looking older 17-foot Escape trailer at time mark 4:08.

Above … my rig parked nicely in my campsite on the afternoon of my arrival.  I had the place to myself the first night.  There was no one next to me or across the road from me.  The sounds of the birds and the small noises made by the forest were plenty of company for me that first evening and night.

This was my view (above) when I opened the door the next morning.  The birds were chattering but no other sound could be heard.

Right after breakfast, I was off for a walk to explore the campground.  I’m finding that my first full day in a new campground is usually spent walking through the campground, getting the lay of the land, visiting briefly with the Camp Host if there is one, and just generally scoping things out in the immediate area.

Rasar has a small amphiteater for use by anyone who wishes it.  There’s even an electrical outlet so a laptop or projector can be used.  But sound is restricted to live human voice … no musical instruments or electronic devices are allowed to produce sound.

Near the main entrance to the campground, there was an area that showcased many types of native shrubs, with signs posted right next to the plant described.  Below is an example.

Also showcased were:  Black Raspberries, Thimbleberries (yum), Salal, Black Swamp Gooseberries, Wild Strawberries, Red Elderberries, Saskatoon or Serviceberries, Salmonberries, Oregon Grape (not a grape), and Red Huckleberries.

I spent a couple of hours walking through the entire campground, both the regular single-campsite campground where I was and the group campground and cabins (several more cabins are now under construction).  When I got hungry for lunch, I headed back to my campsite.

I was lucky to get such a remote spot.  The online state park maps aren’t very accurate so one needs to be prepared for the situation to be a bit different than that shown on the map.  But as you can see, I have no neighbors to the left or behind me except the forest.

Around 1pm, neighbors arrived in the campsite to the right.  The photo below shows all I could see of them.  I was extraordinarily curious about the trailer, but waited for one of them to wave to me and say hi before I asked questions.  She was equally as curious about my trailer so we had a nice chat.

Their trailer is an early 1960’s Airstream Globe Trotter and was purchased new by her parents.  It’s a classic and a keepsake, that’s for sure.  They were nice folks and excellent neighbors.

In my next post, after lunch, I’ll take you on a walk down to the Skagit River.  So eat your lunch and clean up your dishes and then let’s go!