We took Ian and Adam camping at Bowman Bay. Spent two days and nights there. We all had a blast--hiked, played on scooters (them, not us), went to the beach, ate s'mores, had pancakes for breakfast every morning (yum, thanks Vicky), sat around the campfire. Another visit to Grandparent Heaven.
One of the primo features of this campground is that it is a fantastic reflection of the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, Franklin Roosevelt's program that got thousands of young, unemployed men out into the natural areas to plant trees and build roads, dams, structures, bridges, and trails. Roosevelt's "Tree Army."
Without this program the parks in our country would be shadows of what they currently are.
There are several structures in this campground that were built in the CCC style--massive wood beams and skilled rock masonry. We have found that style of building all over the country, sometimes in the most unusual and unexpected places.
But even the best construction is no match for years of weathering, and the structures here were beginning to show their age.
So we were extremely pleased to see that the Washington State Park Service is investing in restoring these buildings. The efforts can be seen in some of these photos.
The caps of many of the beams are being replaced with new wood.
New roof structure:
80 years later. Good as new.
Statue erected to honor the young men who were part of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
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