If you read my last post, you’ll know that I was in Middle Lake in August to play at a wedding. With my migraines being as bad as they are, I sometimes find it tricky to drive at night because of the super bright headlights that have strangely become common on vehicles. And highways are particularly bad for getting repeated shots of bright light in the eyes. So, when this gig came up, the first thing I did was to look at nearby campsites. As it happens, the regional park, Lucien Lake is just a few minutes west of Middle Lake. I convinced my mom to join me with her trail and away we went!
August was pretty brutal for smoke here as British Columbia was still burning but it was a lovely drive none the less. We reached our site with time to spare. I took a quick nap, changed, and I was off to play. If you didn’t read my last post, here’s a few pictures.
There were a few things I didn’t like about Lucien Lake but the worst had to be the heinous lighting. There is nothing acceptable with what I saw at our site and I was so glad that I didn’t try to tent that night. Camping is supposed to be about getting back to nature but this kind of crappy lighting destroys the natural rhythms of humans, wildlife, and even plants. How does being blinded with super bright lights allow you to commune with nature? And let’s not forget that even with high-efficiency lighting, you’re still wasting a crap tonne of money overlighting areas where it’s completely unnecessary to do so. Totally unacceptable!
The weather that weekend was pretty uncooperative. It was very cold and windy which I didn’t complain about too much after that brutal heat we had in July but something a tad warmer would have been nicer for camping. But it gave us a chance to drive around a bit and check out the park. The lake is gorgeous and the saving grace of our trip. There is definitely a need for better markings in the park both on the road and on water taps as it was darn near impossible to find potable water in the park. FYI: most of the potable water is on the short hiking trail inaccessible by vehicles. No idea why but there must be method to that madness…I hope!
Strangely, before dinner, everything calmed down. The crazy wind died down and it felt a tad warmer. I was pretty cosy in my hammock (precariously hung over some wild rose bushes) but I forced myself to get up and get on the water. Oh, I’m so glad I did! It was amazing. And not just because it was calm and quiet. There were so many birds hopping along the trees on the shoreline. There were the usual suspects like sparrows and woodpeckers but I also goldfinches and orioles which was incredible. Seeing those bright yellows and oranges flashing in the trees really seemed like fairies coming to say hi as I floated past them.
Overall, it was a short trip but as usual, it was wonderful to be out in the fresh air. Lucien Lake definitely has a lot of potential but it also has some very real problems to work out. Unfortunately, with the number of long-term seasonal trailers out there, it’s unlikely that there is any desire to make this park into anything noteworthy in this province.
Note: All photos in this post were taken with my Google Pixel 2 and unedited.