Links

Links:
New Blog : http://www.chilliwacklakecamp.blogspot.com/ New address is hopefully easier to remember and all new posts will be on here.

Think about the last Saturday of April.

Lord willing, we will be holding our 2010 Spring work day.

Any maintenance or improvements that your group wants to do towards making Camp better for all, Please let me know what your plans are before work day. All are welcome to come without a job prepared, but you might get stuck with one of the jobs off my list - like washing / cleaning / painting an outhouse.

I walked around Camp and in about 4 minutes, came up with a short list to start with:
-All bricks brought back to, and brick pile cleaned and organized. (They seem to grow legs for different projects and never get returned - ie: left in the Lake / on the beach / in the bush / here and there / everywhere.)
- Clean, pack and stack blocks needed for changing room building.
- Block layer needed for 13 lineal ft of block walls
- Fix or rebuild picnic tables
- Carpenter to re & re window and door casings (then paint or varnish)
- Chimney sweep

The Camp is looking great!
Thanks to all the groups that leave it clean, rake up, and take the empty rolls out of the outhouses!!

Starting to see winter time around Camp!

The snow level is at or around 2,000 ft elevation (and so is Chilliwack Lake). Last trip in, there was snow on the road past the Provincial Park and one would need either a 4x4 or chains to get in. With the big wind and rains, there were no trees or slides across the road. - No huge rocks either.

Please remember that if you are using the Lodge in the winter, you have to close the valve under the sink and prime the pump if you want it to hold a prime. Please remember to open the valve to drain the pump so that it won't freeze and break! ....Put a bucket under the drain so you won't get your foot wet..... Also don't try to prime the pump without closing the valve.... you'll get the same result.

Any questions about the emergency phone system, please call me before you go up!

Kris

"Sabout" Time ...A couple of work day pics

I guess I only missed a month. Last post was in July and it's only September!

Total of 69 people came on work day to clean, dig, mix, feed, eat, pour, cut, rake, shovel, carry, organize, wash, clear, swim, brush, burn and did I mention eat? Great weather, fellowship, food, jobs and great people all added up on a beautiful September day.
We finished the paver stones on the picnic shelter floor, then built a set of stairs and a ramp up to the floor level! PLEASE keep all motorized vehicles on the roads!

The picnic shelter is 24 X 60 feet has a paver stone floor, low wattage flourescent lights wired in for connection to your generator or inverter.

The Picnic shelter has a retractable roof (plastic tarp) that is hung straight up and down off the ridge line during the winters to let more light in (and shed the snow)

We laid another row of large pavers down the side of the lodge to join the front to back porch. We aim to encourage less sand dragged into the Lodge!

We washed windows, vacuumed, swept and gave the trailer a thorough cleaning. We did NOT get time to connect the wood stove properly in the trailer so PLEASE - Do Not Use the wood stove until that job gets completed.

We ate again!

We prepared the drains, forms and sump, mixed cement and poured a slab for a new "Changing House"

69 volunteers came and all (or most) managed to smile while numerous cameras clicked away.

We cleared forest fire material and chopped most of it into 12 inch lengths and stacked it in the woodshed. (The other 80 wheelbarrow loads were burnt. )

We cleared all the way between the old boatshed and the Chapel.

We prepared a place and built a bench to sit, relax and enjoy the view of God's creation.

We started taking bookings for 2010. (Ticket prices are more valuable but less costly than the Olympics)

THANKS to all who came and helped on the 2009 Fall Work Day!

No takers for the Job?

No one bid on my job at Camp - so I had to come back from the Maritimes. Thanks to those who kept good care of the Camp. The place looks real good! Any groups with ideas for fall work day, please let me know.

New news for July 23. As of noon, July 24th, there is a campfire ban in place. Please check Forestry website before heading up to Camp.

http://bcwildfire.ca/hprScripts/WildfireNews/DisplayBan.asp?ID=244#CampfireBans

This open fire ban applies within BC Parks and all public (Crown) and private land outside of organized areas. This fire ban does not apply within municipalities or regional districts with their own burning bylaws. This ban does not restrict fires in stoves using gas, propane, or briquettes. This restriction does apply to open flame campfire apparatus (i.e. propane campfires, etc.).A campfire ban will be in effect until weather conditions no longer pose a threat to wildfire starts.

Please take extra precautions with any and all heat sources...... Vehicle exhaust etc.

We have installed a gas pump to help wet down the bush areas around the lodge. Please familiarize yourselves with the operation of the pump. Remember to refill the gas tank when you leave and please lock the lock onto the hasp when the lid is open and lock the lid before you leave the Camp. (same key as the gate)





Again - Many of the groups tell me that they had to ask strangers to leave the Camp. When asked "How did they drive in?" I was told that the gate was only left open for a minute for part of their group that was still coming! ... None of these people saw the private property signs??

Please observe the rules. Keep the gate locked. Your party can walk the 2 minutes to come get the key and lock it behind them again.

As always - no caretaker on site!

Any one want a volunteer position for a bit? I'll offer double or triple my pay.... for the next 6 weeks, I've traded a view of THE Lake for the Atlantic Ocean. >Halifax Citadel>

Some of the jobs that I usually do (or ensure that they are done)

-Bring a shovel and stop at culverts along the last 5 miles to ensure that they are not blocked. (Roll rocks off the road)

-Remove all the empty toilet paper rolls from, and sweep out the outhouses. ...Seems no one's Mom ever comes Camping so it rarely gets done!

-Wipe down the counters and clean the windows in the Lodge.

-Check the batteries for the phone system.

-Take away the rest of the garbage that the last group missed.

-Empty, cleanout and put 3" of fresh water in the mouse traps.

-General Camp condition check.

In the mean time, as there never is any caretaker there, User Groups, please ensure that the checkout sheet items are completed, sheet is filled out and (preferably) e-mailed to me right after your Camp time. Pictures of any good times with your group or potential problem areas would help also!

We had a debris torrent last Saturday afternoon that plugged a culvert and washed over the road. The group at Camp had to clear a path to get their vehicles out! Please remember that you are travelling to a wilderness location Camp and be prepared for wilderness situations that may come up. This includes wild animals, rough or impassable roads, vehicle troubles and Camp visitors that we always welcome warmly and show them that the exit is pretty well where they came in.

There have been pests in Camp that we do not want to encourage. City racoons that have been trapped elsewhere and dropped off in the "Wilderness." Do not leave your garbage out and be careful with them in the evenings. They are brazen and not afraid of people. DO NOT FEED THEM! - This also includes the Canada Geese! If you enjoy walking on green lawns, green beaches and green docks, visit Deer lake and go for a swim there. You don't even have to know how to swim as the water there is thick enough to walk on without faith!

Any problems, please e-mail me asap

Thanks,

Kris

Thanks to Telus and the other volunteer workers

Saturday we had 27 Telus workers volunteer their time to run 3 Km of cable to bring dial tone into the Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park. Total cost estimate of $27,500 was reduced by donation of time from the workers and some materials from Telus.

Thanks to all who pray for continued road access and for safety of all who attend and work on Camp projects! Thanks to the Crew from Northside that gave their time to bring cooking equipment, (sharp knives), culinary skills, and music to serve the community. They prepared and served lunch and dinner to the volunteers that came to work to provide emergency communications capability to both the Provincial Park and Chilliwack Lake Camp. Thanks to the people who came up to drop off tables and chairs at the temporary kitchen at the Provincial Parks service yard. Thanks to the crew that went down to Camp and vaccumed the cobwebs out of the lodge, swept up, raked, emptied the ashes from the fire pit. Thanks to the guys who gave time expertise , materials and equipment to mount and wire up the solar panels, antennas and radio equipment to facilitate any emergency communications needed for Camp.

The Provincial Park people are so VERY happy to be able to have access to emergency communications that they gave space for us to erect an antenna for a radio shot to extend dial tone down to Camp! Still a little bit of "Tweaking" to give better service, but it works way better than the old system.
Please remember to keep campfires as small as possible to lower the chances of forest fire! Wind can come up and blow sparks into the tinder dry bush. Please clean up and burn small brush from around the woods all over Camp. The more of that we burn in a controlled fire, the less chance of wildfire!

Thanks for your help with this!

This system is to be used for emergency communications only..... not to call Mum to say "Hi" or talk too long as it is battery operated. You may need the battery to be strong enough to complete your call in the case of an emergency!