Goose Lake State Recreation Area

The first of June has arrived and so have we – to a new campground that is. Welcome to Goose Lake State Park located just off highway 395 on the Oregon California border. This non-descript park consists of nearly 72 acres with 49 partial hookup sites (water and 20amp service) sitting on the banks of a very large but extremely shallow Goose lake. You could almost call it a wading pool if you disregarded the miles and miles of “pool”. Remember those old western movies where they show a flat desert and the heat shimmering like water as far as the eye can see? Like that. But with water. And no desert. At 4500ft. With trees.

What struck us on arrival was there was no one here. The park did have at least one guest since there was a travel trailer parked but the occupant had already left for the area's primary past time of hunting rocks. The quarter mile single loop has, as I mentioned, 49 well spaced out sites on both sides of a paved albeit gravelly road with a large communal space in the center holding picnic tables and fire ring. There is about a mile long trail that runs along the perimeter of the campground as well. I call it a trail but it really is just a 6ft mowed swath through the grass. Very nice for an evening stroll bird watching.

Twice the size of the campground, the day use area is split by a huge paved parking lot bracketed on one side by an open grass area about the size of a soccer field (it really could be a soccer field if it wasn't for all of the ankle twisting, leg breaking gopher holes) and another large area holding horseshoe courts. Tucked away may be the wrong phrase to describe the remaining area since it is comprised of a full baseball field sized, shaded picnic area scattered about with tables.

Combine the two areas and you have what could be a little bit of heaven for a myriad of people. For the artists there are the numerous lilacs, trees, flowers, and critters in settings made for the canvas or paper. For birders, sit back and simply listen the the cacophony from the song birds or the screech of the eagles and hawks or look out on the majestic pelicans in the lake. For the botanist the area also offers an excellent example of where high desert meets wetlands with its vast diversity.

Okay, enough of that, I'm starting to sound like some sort of chamber of commerce travelogue!

Our camp hosting duties are very much similar to the other camps we've been at with one major exception - I get to run a John Deere diesel lawnmower. Just think of the ape sounds Tim Allen made in his show “Tool Time” and you'll get an idea.

That's all for this week, I'm off to cut some more grass (yea, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!) Chris is cleaning the two fire rings left from departing campers.