Dreaming of open water and Campfire Food

Those who know me, know that if pickles and wine don't count towards my daily 5, I'm screwed. Inexplicably though, the last few days I have been craving fruit and vegetables. I'm not sure if it's because my body is trying to save itself with some actual nutrition or because the sunshine has me thinking of all things summer related. I'm going to go with the 'all things summer related' explanation. Mainly because I have also been thinking about barbeques, hotdogs and food cooked over an open fire.

Back when the kids were little, our camping food consisted of bags of chips, the variety pack of little cereal boxes that you can just add milk to, and hot dogs. We weren't very inventive. But now, thanks to Pinterest and all other sites that make you realize that you were a failure of a parent, we can correct our shortcomings. Now I know that all you need is tinfoil and a fire to create a gourmet dinner out in the sticks.

Feel like having some Baked Brie with Brandy or some Roasted peaches for dessert? Just grab your tinfoil. I thought my parents were fancy because they roasted potatoes, cooked bacon and eggs and wrapped hotdogs in bannock!

This wonderful lady even made Campfire Cones.


The next time we go camping, I promise my kids that we will have wonderful and interesting food. It will be so wonderful and interesting that they probably won't eat it. So, as a fail safe, I will make sure that I have everyone's favourite camping foods packed as a back up. Chip and pickle sandwiches, bannock and HOTDOGS!

In the meantime, I am going to have a little taste of summer right now. I have made a delicious chip sandwich (balanced with some orange wedges on the side so I don't get scurvy), poured a generous glass of Pinot Grigio and plan on typing 'pinterest fails' into the search bar while I enjoy a roaring fire from the comfort of my couch.

What's your go to food for camping?

Summer at a Glance

As usual, the blog posts during the summer have been sporadic non-existent. That is a good thing though, because it means that we have had a busy summer season. We had lots of repeat guests and met many new travelers who had never been to the park before, lots of whom live in the Cariboo and were just discovering Dragon Lake for the first time!

2012 brought many exciting changes to the park, one of which was our wonderful lighting upgrade compliments of BC HYDRO. A huge thank-you to all who voted for us in the spring. We couldn't have done it without you. For anyone who lives in BC, the Energy Fix Contest is run yearly and I highly suggest clicking on the BC HYDRO link above so that you can bookmark it and enter next year. $5,000 in improved lighting can be a huge savings for your business! We had our shower house upgraded because, as many of you know, they are some of the nicest washrooms in BC, but you couldn't turn off the lights! Now they work on sound and we have noticed a huge savings from them not having to run 24/7 for 6 months out of the year. Fancy that! 

Other changes included: re-doing the front row of pull through sites with new fencing panels and shrubs, improved security with a new coded entrance gate for guests and their children, a fancy new patio boat for hourly/daily rental as well as an after dinner cruise option with snacks and operator and one of the MOST exciting changes will be taking place at the end of the season - we are opening up our house as a vacation rental! Not only will this be a great opportunity to have friends and family all in one great location (sleeps 9), but it will be the only rental available over Christmas. 30 acres on the lake is a great opportunity for a great family vacation filled with x-country skiing, snow shoeing, skating and ice fishing. Our accommodations page has all the rates and details, so make sure you check it out!

I will leave you with a few pictures from this year and, for all the fishermen reading this who have suffered through a lot of information that they couldn't care less about, I will give you what you have been waiting for.... The cooler night temperatures have cooled off the lake and the fish are jumping! Guests are even catching a good number of fish off the end of our dock at night! So call for a reservation, get your boats loaded up, and we'll see you at 'The Roost'!

Room with a View

Ever wonder what it is like to wake up at the most popular resort and the best view in Quesnel every day? Most mornings for us are busy. My wife works for the School District, has a Landscape Design business, and is my business partner here @ Robert's Roost. In all the years we have been together, most mornings we discuss briefly  what is happening that day business wise. In our attempts to be efficient in our day to day operations, lots of little things sometimes get missed. It is important to slow down a bit once in a while and remember where you came from, and more importantly to make time for your family and each other. It is a "me" generation, and I think we all forget about the big picture from time to time. Getting back to the view we have, it helps remind me that we are very fortunate to live where we do, have the friends that we have, and beautiful children who are always so patient and understanding when we are unable to do things with them when they would like. It is the small stuff that counts, and sometimes maybe that is all there is. The small things. We have always tried our hardest to make our guests feel at home here, and I am reminded how well we have done that when I have the pleasant random conversations with people that I do. It is the best reward to make friends from another country talking about anything and everything, and sometimes even those small things I mentioned earlier. Seems no matter where you are from, the world is a busy, busy place.
So if you ever feel like you need to slow down and enjoy the view, there is one magical place not far from you that will help you remember who and where you are. Robert's Roost RV Park, on the famous and incredibly beautiful Dragon Lake.

My Day on the Lake

Today I went for my first kayak of the season. It was a beautiful day on the lake and surprisingly nice and quiet. The waves got a little choppy at one point, and due to my lack of 'paddling muscle', it felt like I was slogging through mud at one point, but that's to be expected when you go out three times a year! It was fun to watch the anglers, sneak up on unsuspecting ducks and just enjoy the beautiful scenery.

I saw lots of these:



One of this:

 
Some of these:


One of that:
 
And EVEN one of these!

 

I LOVE this Lake! Mental note: Get out of the darn office a little more and open my eyes to the beautiful surroundings that I'm lucky enough to wake up to every morning!

New Rental

Robert's Roost has added a new boat to our rental line up! Seats 11. Rental Rates for the 2012 season are $350/day (maximum of 8 hours) or $75/hour. Must have pleasure craft operators card or equivalent to rent. Please call 1-888-227-8877 to reserve. Price includes fuel. Watch for upcoming dessert cruises to be added in the near future. Keith will be your captain and a light after dinner snack will be provided.

March 26, 2012

March 26, 2012, a set on Flickr.

In regards to a tweet a few days ago, maybe the x-country skier wasn't going so fast because he heard ice cracking.... Ice is still 22-24" just off the point. Saw a truck driving on the lake today after hearing an ice auger going for quite some time. Thought we'd go and check it out. The results were disappointing to say the least....

A Rich Heritage

Most of our guests come stay at Robert's Roost for the world famous trout fishing that Dragon Lake has to offer. During the spring season (when most other campsites are still in their shoulder season) our stalls are filled to capacity with eager fishermen vying for a piece of the action. Many of our guests share stories about their first trip to the park more than 30 years ago and how the park has changed over the years through the hard work of the Wurms. Over the past few years, Keith and I have been happy to carry on that tradition.

A lot of our American friends have made lifelong connections with citizens of Quesnel and are always happy to catch up with friends when they arrive at the park for another season of fishing. Whether it's the morning coffee gang at Tim Horton's, the ladies at the local Quesnel and District Leisure Centre or the various small shop owners around town, the people of Quesnel have shown themsleves to be a warm and welcoming community to all of our out of town (and country) guests.

In conjunction with the great fishing and the friendly people of Quesnel, we are also blessed with a rich history. A trip to Barkerville is always recommended, but for people who don't have the time for a day trip, there are plenty of ways to get a taste of the local history without leaving the downtown core. First of all, a visit to our local museum is a must! Even if you've already been to the museum on a previous trip, displays are always changing. While there be sure to stop by the Visitor's Information Centre for the self-guided 'Historical Walking Tour of Quesnel'.

I also highly recommend the River Walk trail system. The first phase of the trail system is 5km in length and takes about an hour to complete. It is a scenic walk (or bike)along the river and takes about an hour if you're walking. There are numerous informational signs along the route that share the history of Quesnel as well as information on the rich eco-system within the Quesnel watershed. One of the highlights of the walk is the footbridge that connects the downtown core to the West side. It is one of the many jewels of Quesnel and if you're looking for a great photo op. then you need to check it out. If walking is not your cup of tea, there is a small parking lot beside the foot bridge where you can park while having a look around this historic area. For more information on this beautiful landmark, make sure you follow this link




Until next time.... -R