Camping Food

With all the luxuries that the R.V.'s of today offer, we sometimes forget about great classic camping food. Who wants hot dogs every night when you have a full kitchen and running water? I'll tell you who. I do! Not just any hot dog though. I want a European Weiner with grated cheese, hot banana peppers, pickles and chips. Yes...chips. And while I'm on the subject of chips, you can't forget a good old chip sandwich.

I can remember my first chip sandwich as if it was yesterday. I was camping with a friends family at Fish Lake outside of Quesnel. We were in the camper making our lunch unsupervised, so it didn't take long for us to add our own little twist!

It was a weekend of many firsts, including catching and cleaning my own fish. No one told me about the 'you clean what you catch' rule until after I had brought in my haul!

As I look out my window, I can see the sun setting over a frozen lake, but that doesn't mean that I can't have a little taste of summer! I think that tonight I will introduce my own children to the chip sandwich. Throw in a side of watermelon, a cold beverage and I can almost feel the sun! -R

Today on the lake....

Today was another beautiful fall day on Dragon Lake. It's starting to ice up and all the wildlife is taking sanctuary in the open water in the bay.

Here are a few of the things we saw on our walk.











And here is the coolest sight of all...

2010...

We have many different projects in mind to keep our lives interesting, but would like to hear other peoples opinions as well before we finalize.

What do you think would make a good addition to the park? What areas need to be improved upon and what would help make your stay more enjoyable?

Large or small, we want to hear it all! i.e. new picnic tables, improved community fire pits, more trees, 50 amp. sites, electronic gate for additional security, small outdoor amphitheater..... Let's discuss!

Walter...

Proof that Walter really does exist. He was caught and safely released back into the lake this May. Congratulations, Brian!

This one's for you Pete....

About a week too late, but will try to keep up with our water temperature posts.

Today the lake was 62 degrees.

Sun was shining, fish were jumping and everyone was smiling! Perfect day out on the lake.

Deadline fast approaching!

For anyone who doesn't yet have their Pleasure Craft Operator (or equivalent) Card yet, September 15th is the deadline. If you still need to get it, you can take your test online at http://www.boaterexam.com/canada/

"All boat operators in Canada must have the Card or they risk expensive fines.* There is no minimum age to get certified and no age exemption. The length of the boat does not matter, nor does the size of the engine. The Card is good-for-life and is recognized across Canada and the US." - boaterexam.com

That kind of a week...

We are at the end of a week that is both happy and sad. The day that we have been dreading has arrived. C. has just completed her last day of work before heading back to school. Although we are sad for us, we are happy for her.

Although we are saying goodbye for the season to a very valued employee, we get the pleasure of welcoming and working with the newest addition to 'Team Dragon'. C. has been busy training her for the past few days, and we know that all the returning fall fisherman will join us in making her feel welcome at the Roost!

Lookin' Out My Backdoor...

We may not have a flying spoon or a giant doing cartwheels, but I still think that what we have is pretty great.

Tracking the Deals in August

The hit reality show, "Mantracker," recently filmed two episodes in the Quesnel area. This has surprisingly created some team spirit throughout Quesnel. First of all, K. auditioned for the show...along with 300 other people. Unfortunatley, he didn't receive a call back. How entertaining would it be to watch him though! They're crazy.

I will admit that even I was a little excited, and took my sort of nieces to the BBQ yesterday to meet him. He was very nice.

As a result of his visit, several businesses had "Mantracker" summer sales, and painted their windows to say, "Track the Deals." How does this relate to Robert's Roost? Well, since I was able to convince Robin & Keith to join Facebook, we might as well go all out with the bandwagons, and have our own "Track the Deals Promotion!"

For the month of August, book any of our Trailers for 4 nights, and get the 5th night free! Just mention that you saw it on the internet.

Find some photos of Trailer 2, and Trailer 1 (the mobile trailer with hedges) below. All of the trailers are located on the lake.

-CM

Better things to do...

As much as I'm enjoying the heat right now, I can't help but lament about our poor garden. The grass is a sickly shade of yellowish brown and the flowers have seen better days. With all the dry weather and the lower water level of the lake, we can't justify keeping the irrigation going every night. As embarrassing as the brown lawn is, it would be even more embarrassing to have a nice, well-watered green lawn. Especially on the scale that we have.





Every time I start to feel a little bit down about the state of the grounds, I have a guest come into the office to tell me how great it is here. This has made me realize that as beautiful as the grounds are, it is hard to top mother nature. Sunsets on the lake, fish jumping and the reflection of the moon playing on the water are all pretty hard to beat. Throw in the antics of the baby ducklings and you have entertainment and relaxation for the whole family.

And remember, summer's short so try to spend as much time enjoying our beautiful lakes as possible. We are lucky enough to live in a province known for it's breathtaking scenery. Instead of turning on your TV when you get home from work tonight, get in your vehicle and go explore your own backyard. There's a reason why we call our home 'Beautiful BC'. (Thank you CM for the great pictures!) - R

Like a bandaid...

That is my theory for anything that I think might be painful. Just do it quickly and it'll only hurt for a moment. We have finally broken down and joined the face.book community. CM was great (as always) and set us all up. Not too sure what we're doing yet, so things might be a bit off for a bit until we get it all figured out. See you on Face.book! - R

Summer's Pride

I get that happy feeling inside when I see people on vacation here. You can see the joy plastered on every child's face as soon as they step into the office. After being trapped indoors for months, now is the time to break free, bask in the warm sunshine, eat ice cream, & play in the water. It is a time to relax, read a book, or go fishing. There's no ignoring summertime! It is a wonderful season. So enjoy it now! Have fun! And live life to the fullest!

-CM.

WHAT have we been doing??

Yes, I know.... I did it again. The last update I did was on the first of June!

Since then we have had a heat wave broken only in the last few days with thundershowers at night, we have planted a few trees in the back field to add a little privacy as well as shade, Keith and a friend have re-vamped the washroom in Rental trailer #3 (now instead of an unserviceable, mini, shower on your knees, brush your teeth while on the john kind of bathroom, we have a full-sized half bath)and, last but not least, Keith is on his way down south in a few days to pick up the fifth member of our family and do a little RVing of his own with the kids and his dad. It won't be all fun and games though as the only way you are allowed to leave here in the summer is if it's for business.

We are starting to book up fast for summer, so if you are looking to stay with us in the next few months, don't forget to visit our website (link to the side) and make an online reservation request. - R.

I Saw it on the Internet!

Limited time offer!

Book two or more nights from Monday to Thursday, during the month of June, and receive 10% off your stay. When making your reservation, let us know that you 'saw it on the internet!'to receive your discount. Does not count toward previously made bookings. Weekends excluded.

Feather, Fur, & Fin (Minus the Fur...)

K. asked me to do an update on the Blog. However, nothing exciting has really happened today, other than the weather's famous Cariboo mood swings. Therefore, I will give the highlights from the past week: fishing conditions, and bird sightings.

Fishing season is finally upon us, much to the joy of visiting campers who have been anxiously waiting for the past month. The fish are feeding on micro leeches, some shrimp patterns, and much to my dismay, chironomid flies (also known as blood worms, midges, or gnats). See the things I am learning?? For someone who doesn't fly fish I think I am doing okay!

On another note, there was a little bird that came for a visit this year, which was a wonderful surprise. R. found it in her bird book, and it is called the 'Western Tanager.' They spent last week right outside the window, circling above the water. I also saw them along the Riverwalk downtown. I told them that they could come back next year, but I don't think they understood me. There are actually several birds in the area right now. The other day I went kayaking and saw a few different types of black birds, some beautiful ducks, and of course, the tanager. In and around the campsite there are also robins, chickadees, sandpipers, geese, and even crows!

Signing off,
C.

It's ON!

It's not too hard to figure out when the fishing has turned on. Every second fisherman was in the office today wanting to extend their stay. No one wants to leave once the fishing gets hot! That and our wonderful smiles. I think that's really why everyone wants to stay longer. Oh, they SAY it's the fishing, but I know better!

In Your Teeth, In Your Hair, They are... Everywhere!

MAJOR hatch. Today was a fisherman's dream (minus the snow)!

The New Dock is In!

May Update

So much to do so little time. Today we did some maintenance on the playground equipment and opened up more washrooms in time for May long weekend.

Tomorrow the new dock should be in the water and the fire pit areas all cleaned up and ready to go. We're trying to make the pits more accessible to everyone. Will post some pictures of the dock going in tomorrow. It'll be beautiful!

As you can see from my twitter update on the sidebar, there was a hatch today. It's like walking through a cloud at times! -R

Lake update

Hi guys,

Have had quite a few of the Dragon Lake Regulars show up in the last few days.

The water level is still quite high so we have been unable to get the guest dock into the water. Everyone has been pulling up onto the shore for now and people who need to dock have been using our rental one.

Turnover is also underway and the water is looking a little murky. Hopefully it's over soon.

Fixer upper

Keith and his helpers / foremen (Sadie and Cleo) got into the water today and joined our two 'rental docks' together to make one large one. It looks much better and improves our view out the kitchen window greatly.

Sadie is very happy because her race strip is now twice as long. Now she can really launch herself off the end of the dock! She keeps asking us very nicely to go for a swim with her, but I think it might be a little too cold for me still. -R

Arrived today

The first of the fishermen have arrived today! as you may have noticed from our lake cam on our website homepage, the wind came up yesterday and started to blow the ice off a little bit. The wind was blowing in the right direction and piled it up on our opposite shore. Let's hope the trend keeps up! A few more days like this and we'll be able to put the new dock in. -R

Ice Update

These pictures were taken around the public boat launch on the other side of the lake.

We saw a few brave souls out fishing from a canoe today as they were able to carry it down the bank. We wouldn't recommend anything else as the wind could come up and ice you in, leaving you with no way to get your boat out!

Our launch is still pretty iced in, but hopefully we'll be able to get the dock into the water soon! - R

Happy Earth Day!

In celebration of Earth Day, H. and I donned our rubber boots and went to clean up around the lake. If you can't read her hat it says, 'Team Dragon' and was a lovely gift from our friends in the States. Thanks guys! -R

Lake, April 22

These pictures might give people a better idea of what the lake's doing. The first few pictures are of the north end of the lake just starting to open up.





This picture is around the boat launch.

I think I saw....

As Keith and I were wandering around the property surveying the rapidly rising lake water, we were enjoying the variety of ducks that are taking advantage of the newly open water surrounding us.

I am fairly new to the bird watching business, so I am not entirely certain I saw what I saw, and I am also sure that I've never seen one before now. Confused? Me too. After looking in my bird book, I think it was this:



The Cinnamon Teal. He is, 'a small, dark chestnut duck with large chalky blue patch on forewing...' Which I saw as he was flying away. Apparently my excitement was not very quiet. I most likely won't be asked to join any birdwatching clubs anytime soon.

If anyone has any suggestions as to what else it may have been with this colouring, please let me know as he seems like he may be a tiny bit north of where he normally goes. -R

Had enough yet?

That's right.... In case you just can't get enough of our witty repartee, you can now follow us on twitter as well! Maybe we'll take on Ashton K. next year. I find it amazing that he was able to beat CNN in the race to get a million followers. So far we're at 0. I guess we have a ways to go. I'll blame it on Keith. -R

One of THOSE People

Wow, February 2. Really? Sorry to everyone I've been boring to tears with my blog updates. I hate logging onto people's blogs that I like to read and seeing no current posts. I guess I can't be too irritated after looking at my own dated entry. Well, spring is here and now there's interesting things happening. Who wants to see snow anyway?

Here is a quick recap of what you've missed in the last few months....

Keith learned how to tie a fly, the new dock is built and ready to put in the water, the re-roofing project for Trailer 1 is half complete (short-shipped on our roofing order), some new windows a door and fridge are going in next week as well. We took delivery of our new Breyers Ice Cream Freezer as we have made the switch from hard ice cream to ice cream bars (anyone want to buy a large ice cream freezer?).

The new freezer gives us WAY more office space and we were able to fit in an internet kiosk. The only downside to this is that my grandpa may not ever visit me again. He loves his Maple Walnut ice cream!

We were finally able to open sites 1-13 yesterday. It's still too wet to open up the other sites. Hopefully by next week everything will be up and running.

We still have about 22" of ice on the lake. You can check out the ice by going to our website and viewing our lake cam.

It's supposed to be nice and warm today, so I plan on working out in the yard all afternoon. - R.

Ice Fishing

Keith took the boys out ice fishing yesterday. As you can see by the pictures, we had one heck of a snowfall with about a foot of snow falling from yesterday to this morning. We've been doing a lot of cross country skiing and snowshoeing as well this winter. We've given up on the skating as it is getting to be too much to clear the rink off every time. There is also a little bit of ice shifting going on in the bay here which leads to cracks and heavy slushy snow which is not very easy to shovel! - R