Ackerman Camground, Lewiston Lake

Aside from the heat, 90+ in the mid afternoon, this is a pleasant campground, despite having no potable water.  
 

our site and its three trees- oak, maple, and walnut.

 Our tent is shaded by three giant hardwood trees: Walnut, maple, and oak.  Behind the site, extensive bushes of blackberries are just beginning to ripen.  A stinging cold cold arm of the lake extends near the site, accessible down a steep bank.  

walnut leaves

 I've been consistently unable to identify or suspect walnut trees growing in the wild; but the presence of nuts on the ground is proof positive of the nature of these leaves, whose compound leaves should be a sign to me. 

We bought a bundle of firewood for $9 from the campground host when we arrived, but it was so hot we didn't want a campfire, and our twig stove made good use of some branches a previous camper had dragged into the site, so that we didn't need it at all. The host agreed to buy it back when we left.






 The shoreline of Lewiston lake looks like it is the same level as it always was, in contrast to Shasta Lake nearby.  We learned that the lakes are connected by an underground aqueduct, and that water is taken from Shasta to provide a stable habitat in Lewiston.

The picture of Shasta Lake shows by its pink exposed shoreline and sandbars that it is not full at all. Is the depletion due to water use to provide electricity, or irrigation water, or in the mistaken belief that more room would be needed for an expected wet El Nino year to prevent flooding.

 We set out to find areas with properties that had enough rain to grow a garden, and were still within our budget. The western part of the valley, around Douglas, Hayfork, and Etna, seems to be almost wet enough, if water management practices are implemented.

Oh, and the camp site is filled with the drone of wasps. The wasps don't bother us when we dine at dusk, must be after their bed time, but post-dawn breakfasts are a problem.  We tried to take our food some distance but either we were being followed or the wasps were all over, and they wanted what we were having.

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No one got stung.  These were the gourmand wasps, not the angry type. But we were worried. One thing- we had some scrambled egg batter clinging to the bowl, and we left it for them, away from the main site.  When we came back it was all gone.  And this was handy, because (did I mention?) there wasn't a lot of water for washing.

We took the scenic route to Yreka, along Route 3 and through Etna, where we got a glance at the property I liked so much last Fall.  We agreed the area was nice and more moist than areas to the east.  All along the way, though, we were all too aware of the heat of the day, and MM began talking about Oregon where the temperatures are more moderate. And in fact we hope to be in Eugene tonight, after a stay in Yreka Best Western and a bout of laundry and showers, and a superior free breakfast.