Tenmile Lake Trip September 7-10, 2007

           After our scuttled Labor Day plans, Holly, Sadie, and I were really looking forward to a good camping trip, and our experience at Lakeshore Lodge and RV Park, on beautiful Tenmile lake did not disappoint.  Both Holly and I took a half day off of work and we were on the road by 4pm beating most of the light weekend traffic.  We took the Alsea Highway to the coast and the scenic Pacific Coast Highway south from Alsea Bay to the RV park.  Driving on the PCH, especially as the sun is going down, is a beautiful drive, with a new vista around every corner.  We pulled into the park at around 7PM, and were no mood to cook after the drive.  Luckily for us the resort had a full service restaurant and bar where we had a wonderful dinner at a lake view table.  We started with a bottle of wine and the seafood sampler appetizer tray.  The appetizer tray came with clam strips, Winchester Bay oysters, fried cod fillets, and fried shrimp.  The Oysters were the largest that I had ever seen, and they were delicious.  I am not a huge fan of deep fried seafood, but the light breading and lack of any greasiness combined with the freshness of the ingredients made this appetizer plate a special treat.  There was enough on the appetizer plate to be a complete meal, but we also had our entrees coming along with the best clam chowder we had ever tasted and salad.  For our entrees, Holly ordered the rib-eye and I ordered halibut.  The dining experience was great and we had enough left for dinner the next evening.

            The next morning I launched my 12’ Alumacraft boat that I hauled in the bed of our pickup, after Holly and I ordered breakfast and coffee from the lodge restaurant.  There is just enough room to have the little boat in the bed of the truck and still haul the trailer.  I put my Yamaha 4hp, 4 stroke on a rack on the bumper of the trailer.  After launching the boat and putting about 1/3 of a gallon of gas in the little motor’s tank, I took Holly and Sadie for a boat ride around the lake and I tried casting for Bass in a few places.  By early afternoon Holly and Sadie were ready to go home, so I docked the boat at the resort’s dock.  In the afternoon, Holly and I took a walk around Lakeside and had a drink with Sadie in the Sportsman, a local, dog friendly bar.  The locals there were very friendly and loved Sadie.  Sadie made a new doggie friend and even got some beef jerky treats from one of the regulars.  Later on we watched Virginia Tech get crushed by LSU in football as we had our dinner.  Although the football game was a disappointment, the day was not.

            Sunday morning I went out fishing early and caught a couple of yellow perch which I threw back.  I didn’t get any bass although Tenmile Lake is supposed to be a good bass lake.  Early in the afternoon I returned to find Holly and Sadie waiting on the dock for me.  The weather was gorgeous, especially for the coast that can be cold, damp, and windy at times.  We hopped in the pickup and drove south to North Bend, Charleston, and Coos Bay.  We had lunch at the Marina in Charleston, but the food wasn’t nearly as good as at the Lakeshore Lodge.  We drove around the dunes and the coast and enjoyed some scenery.  We stopped by a flea market, and the folks that were running it also had two little Chihuahuas.   One of the two was a tiny, three year old, deer-like Chihuahua that was only about 2 ½ pounds.  It was so tiny that it was hard for me to believe that Sadie was once this small.  Sadie was very happy to be around other Chihuahuas.  For dinner, we went to the lodge and split another order of the famous seafood sampler and some Chowder.  We all took a ride in the boat to the other side of the lake and back before it got dark.  Much of the shore of Tenmile lake appears to be undeveloped, but there are some very nice vacation homes on the lake.

            On Monday morning, I went out fishing for Bass for a short time, but had no luck.  I loaded up my boat and we prepared the RV for the trip home.  We enjoyed the trip so much; we booked at the same place for October.  On the way home we took the PCH north to Florence and then we took highway 126 east to Veneta, and then the Territorial Highway to 99 for the final leg home.  This is probably the easiest way to make the drive with our rig.    

            Sadie at Our Lakeview Campsite                               Brian, Holly, and Sadie at the Dunes

            Holly and Sadie at the Lodge Dock                           Holly and Sadie in a Secluded Cove

                        Brian at the Helm                                Holly and Sadie at Coos Bay Marina