October, 2021
I woke up this morning, and for some reason I felt a need to jump outside my trailer right then! (after getting dressed of course). Look what I found.
I found another Escape trailer parked in the campsite behind my campsite!
There was no tow vehicle in that campsite. Those folks had likely arrived and parked there very late last night or very early this morning (I didn’t hear a peep from them), and then they took off in their vehicle.
My rig, with the big white truck, is on the left in the photo above… the new folks are on the right.
Over the next two or three days, there was a pickup truck there occassionally, but not very often, and never overnight. So I suspect the people in that trailer were visiting someone nearby, and staying there nearby. I had hoped to meet them, but never felt comfortable on the very few occassions when the pickup truck was there. Ordinarily, Escape trailer owners are exceptionally friendly with other Escape trailer owners, but this felt different. So I kept a courteous distance.
What I did notice however (and I got close enough to take photos of), were the devices they used to lift/level the trailer on one side of the trailer. Rolling ramps, as it were. Such that one could roll the tires up higher or lower very easily without building a ramp out of static blocks.
Here are the static blocks that I’ve been using (below). They work just fine, but it’s a pain to click all of them together and try to keep them aligned with the tires when I’m moving the trailer backwards or forwards, and it’s a pain to know/estimate how many layers of these blocks I need. Hmmmm. I think a trip to the store is in order.
(In the end, I did buy a set of those rolling ramps … they are wonderful! More info/photos will be coming in a future blog post.)
I then went back inside my trailer and had breakfast and made the bed and tidied up. And then I walked through the campground as I usually do when I arrive some place that’s new to me. This time, this place, there were these lovely cabins … fully contained … heat, light, small kitchen, small bathroom (with shower), a bedroom for two, but also sleeping arrangements in the living room. Not all state parks in Washington State have these cabins, but this one does.
And the large front porch looked right out onto the lake. I could live here!
The “Lakefront” cabin below was exceptionally attractive since it was the end unit, no one else on the far side of it, just woods. I wanted to check out the cabin and see how close it was to the lake, but the folks in the white SUV had just arrived and so I felt it was inappropriate for me to wander around their “home”. 🙂
But the cabin just before that one … with lots of trees and plants in between the two units … was the “Whispering Firs” cabin below. And it was right on the lake!
The driveway to this unit was double wide … and it had a power pedestal. Makes me think maybe I could park my trailer/truck there, AND some other folks/friends could arrive by car and park right next to me but they would live in the cabin. What do you think?
Mossyrock and the Ike Kinswa State Park are starting to become a real favorite of mine.
Water! The water of lakes or rivers or Puget Sound, seem to feed my soul. I could live in that Whispering Firs cabin! Maybe I need to come home to Washington.
Isn’t that cabin simply perfect? Come for a visit, and stay awhile. 🙂
We had read about those rolling ramps too and finally bought two of them. They are super! They lift one side of the trailer onely about 3 inches, so if you need more than that then you need the blocks, but usually that’s all we need.
Great cabins!
Thanks for sharing how positive you folks are about the rolling ramps, Marge. The company sells another rolling ramp that will lift a trailer or motorhome 5 or 6 inches (I forget which) so that (if you have a two axle rig and you have a flat tire) you don’t have to jack up the rig to change the tire. I’ll post a video soon. Yes, great cabins!
Sounds like a beautiful park! I’m trying to figure out how the rolling ramps work…wouldn’t it be just as difficult to line them up as the static ones?
Ok, I’ll post a video from the company that manufactures the rolling ramps right at the beginning of my next blog post, Dawn. Until you see the video, and see the ramps in action, it surely is confusing.
I have the same question that Dawn does … how do those ramps work? They look really cool, and if Ann says they are easier than those blocks then I’d bet they are easier. But what makes them easier?
Nice cabins!
Videos coming! 🙂
Yay, another Escape! 🙂 They are the best trailers, and I say that not because we are Canadian, but because they simply are the best trailers. Funny that the owners of that neighbor trailer wouldn’t stop and at least say hello, since they had to drive past you every day. But maybe there was sadness in the family or other such trouble and visiting wasn’t what they needed to be doing. That was so nice of you to sense that your contact with them might not be wanted.
And yes what’s with those red rolling ramps? We have seen 2 or 3 of them in our years of motor homing.
Gorgeous cabins.
Janey
Thanks Janey. I like being friendly, but I don’t like to interfere, sometimes it’s a fine line but I try to err on the side of not interfering. Thanks for your support about that.
Taking a peek at all the cabin sites felt like Goldilocks…. “and this one was just right!”
It is great to know maybe we could still go camping and enjoy such a lovely place even if we no longer had most of our gear! What a great idea to plan for one day very soon.
In your next blog installment will we meet the mystery neighbours? Did they also have Washington plates?
Ha, love the Goldilocks reference, indeed it does feel fun like that doesn’t it?
I read that Canada recently COMPLETELY opened the border with no question and no restriction about COVID, not even a requirement to wear/bring masks. I need to check about USA restrictions when coming back into the USA from Canada. Making a plan sounds like a great plan! 🙂
No, I never did meet my Escape neighbors. And yes, the trailer had WA plates.
I’ve spent so much time in the mountains and found it so beautiful, and yet it’s really lush and beautiful in the low lands too.
I’ve seen those rolling ramps at work, they are terrific!
I swear the whole world is beautiful, everywhere in some form or other is beautiful. Just like those rolling ramps. 🙂
I love the cabins and the lake and the forest. They are so beautiful. I live in the city and don’t drive much any more. Thank you for sharing your travels. I’d almost forgotten how beautiful the world is. I can watch movies and videos, but your personal photos mean so much more.
Thank you, Ruth, that’s really nice of you to say all of that. Makes my day. 🙂
I wish I had invented those rolling ramps. There are tons of videos online about all manner of ramps of that sort, but I’d bet you know the best ones to share to tell the story, Ann, so we’ll wait for the word from you. Beautiful country, super cabins, great blog.
Yes, indeed, there are a number of different manufacturers of this sort of ramp. I did extensive research and talked with three other campers who used rolling ramps from various manufacturers, and decided these red ones were likely the best. I’ll share a video or two in the next blog post. Thanks, Ben. 🙂