Camping at Rock Creek Reservoir and Deer Scouting

After cleaning up our new-to-us 2007 Fleetwood Pioneer 18CK travel trailer over Labor Day weekend, we decided to take it for a test run to Rock Creek Reservoir near Wamic, Oregon. Rock Creek Reservoir is approximately 100 acres when full (only in the spring) and is stocked annually with rainbow trout. The reservoir also supports a healthy population of bass up to 5 lbs. each. Rock Creek Reservoir is located in Tygh Valley within the Mount Hood National Forest. It's about 6 miles WSW of the small town of Wamic. Rock Creek Campground is on the Southeast shore of the lake and has 33 sites.

Because it was the weekend after Labor Day, the campground was nearly empty with only the host and two other groups the entire weekend. We were happy to be able to get our favorite spot, a large site with a long, double-wide driveway. I easily managed to back the trailer into the site with the help of Katie's watchful eye. We had the trailer leveled and all our stuff situated in a matter of minutes. It was much easier than with our former tent trailer. We enjoyed the beautiful sunset thanks to the Dollar Fire on the North side of Mount Hood. Before bed we enjoyed a movie in the trailer.

   

The next morning (Saturday), my friend John drove up to join us. We relaxed for a little while before packing lunch and hopping in my truck to go do some deer scouting for the upcoming season. We headed toward Badger Lake and first checked out our preferred base camp spot. We explored the area nearby and found lots of recent sign. I can hardly wait for deer season and scouting always gets me more excited.

   

We drove further up the road to a spot we like where there are numerous clearcuts. We parked the truck and set off on foot about a mile through the woods and past several clearcuts. We observed lots of deer tracks along the way. After about a mile we made it to our destination, a large open area that is slowly filling in with new trees. We found a tree-stand here a year ago that provides a fantastic view. It was still in place and had a few improvements, so is obviously still used. While Katie and John relaxed near the tree stand, I venutred into the middle of the open area looking for a good spot to place a game camera. I found a suitable location near a small creek and then returned to the tree stand. Hopefully when I come back next weekend there will be a few good photos of a buck or two (fingers crossed).

   

We detoured slightly off course and hiked a different way back to the truck where we enjoyed sandwiches that Katie had prepared at camp (thanks Katie!). After lunch we headed back to Rock Creek Campground and enjoyed blended daiquiris, which helped make the warm day more bearable. Later in the evening John and I tried our hand at some trout fishing in the reservoir. After John landed a couple nice 14" trout on power bait, I finally switched from spinners and caught a few of my own. We ended up keeping a couple and cooking them for dinner along with deer steaks, corn on the cobb, and famous Loomis potatoes. We all over ate and then enjoyed sitting around our campfire before going to bed. John tested out the sofa bed in our trailer which ended up being fairly comfortable.

Unfortunately our fun had to come to an end Sunday when we packed up and headed home. We had a great first trip in the trailer and found promising sign for the upcoming deer season. We'll have to wait and see what next weekend brings, but hopefully it will include cooler temperatures.