Return To Pinecrest

Our grand-parenting stint completed, we moved on up the road to the Pinecrest Lake area, which we had reconnoitered last spring. Reservations are needed for the Pinecrest NFS campground, and it was Labor Day weekend, but we found a site in the nearly adjacent Meadowview campground, which does not require reservations. It too filled up quickly. Interestingly, there were numerous no-shows at Pinecrest. One of the Dodge Ridge employees (the concessionaire that runs the campgrounds) told us they generally have about a thousand no-shows per summer--a surprisingly large number, to me, that they apparently are willing to accept. Collateral damage, I guess. There is no penalty for not-showing except for losing your money, which for most people is probably just nominal. Oh well. Anyhow, we stayed several stays, mostly trying to walk off some of the vlaamse frites and other indiscretions of a summer in Europe.

At a Mi-Wuk Indian village site, a milling
rock; in Europe, we would have called them
"cup marks"

Pup tent; note the gigantic ravens...I mean, Crebain from
Dunland

Grand menhir of Dodge Ridge

On a south shore walk on the lake, a deck built over the
boulders

Looking back the length of Pinecrest Lake, the dam on the
right, the beaches and marina on the left

Busy place on the weekend

Back at the camper, one of Nature's little dramas...must
remember to buy bug spray next time we're in a store