When City Folk Go Camping: Lake Sammamish, Washington
I hadn’t been camping in 30 years.
That makes me sound old. I was 7 then. In my adult life, my idea of camping is staying in a 3 star hotel — Danny had only been camping on tv. (Remember the camping episode?)
It’s been months since we’ve been anywhere and I needed to go somewhere. Anywhere. So we rented a 19’ teardrop travel trailer via RV Share. (If you’re not familiar, RV Share is like the Airbnb of the RV world.) A nice couple agreed to meet us at our chosen camping spot, set up, and eventually break down the whole operation. Yes, they did everything. We are new to the camping scene and also, we’re useless.
The trailer was spotless and we were assured that it had been fully disinfected, but amidst coronamania I sprayed everything down with Lysol and opened the windows to air it out. We also brought all of our own towels, linens, toiletries, utensils, and so on. I felt like a doomsday prepper. We brought other essentials like a backgammon board, pickleball gear, lawn darts, a guitar. When it came to food, I realized that in spite of no children being present, kid-friendly foods were the easiest. Lunchables, Capri Suns, Handi-Snacks — All of my faves from a ‘90s childhood.
There was a tv inside the trailer, but we could only get it to play DVDs (as I mentioned, we are useless) so instead we spent time listening to NPR on the radio. I felt like John Steinbeck in Travels With Charlie in Search of America.
Resort is a strong word.
Our home away for the weekend was Vasa Park Resort in Bellevue, Washington. Due to current COVID restrictions, the park is running at half capacity and only open to self-sustained campers. There were less than 10 families, who we barely saw at all. It was almost eerily empty. It felt like an abandoned summer camp from the 1960s, pretty much exactly like the one from the 1961 version of The Parent Trap. Nothing fancy, but the view of Lake Sammamish was all we needed.
Under normal circumstances, Vasa Park and Lake Sammamish are bustling with activity during this time of year. There’s plenty to offer the outdoorsy type. Kayaking, bike trails, bird watching, and other wholesome activities like obstacle courses, summer concerts, and boat parades. There’s the annual Parkadilly Fair, an event for kids featuring music, arts, crafts, and games.
If you feel like you’ve heard of Lake Sammamish before…
You have. Vasa Park is just 2 miles from Lake Sammamish State Park, where Ted Bundy abducted two women only four hours apart in broad daylight in 1974. A few months later, their remains were discovered nearby. These facts did not help me sleep at night.
Baby Steps
Even being 25 minutes from home, this adventure was slightly out of our comfort zone. It gave me comfort knowing that if something went wrong, we can just drive home. Home, a place I’ve been spending more time lately than I would like. Who knows when we feel safe getting on an airplane again, so in the meantime it’s all about getting creative.