June 26, 2024
Stillwater Lake
And a scam glamping adventure
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
After a good breakfast as Cafe Jax in downtown Eureka, Rich and Gen got ready to ride. It was a relaxed start because we couldn’t check into our accommodations until 3:00 pm. The skies and weather report both threatened light rain and warm temps in the mid 70s, and our riders were well prepared for any eventuality.
Our destination today was Stillwater Getaway, a campground and
“glamping” park, with tented platforms and one-room cabins. We had booked it through VRBO (Jim and Gen through AirBnB). We didn’t have a lot of information, but from what we could glean from the website, toilets and showers would be in a separate building and there was supposed to be a communal kitchen—and not much nearby in the way of restaurants or food. Just one pub 2 miles south. So, after Rich and Gen got on the road, Jim and I went to the local grocery store to pick up breakfast makings for tomorrow morning (eggs, English muffins, fruit, and yogurt) and then to Subway for sandwiches to take with us for lunch. For dinner, we’d decided to check out the pub.
All set, we caught up with the riders at about mile 11, right after they’d turned off Tobacco Rd onto Hwy 93, which they’d ride the rest of the way. Tobacco Rd is a quiet little rural road that winds around roughly parallel to the highway and is a scenic way to ride out of Eureka. On Hwy 93, for the most part has wide shoulders—or wide enough anyway—but the traffic travels at 70 mph or faster, and that includes a lot of large trucks. So riding it isn’t as pleasant as it should be, given how scenic it is with sweeping views of lakes and forested mountains.
When we arrived at Stillwater Hideaway, we were greeting by a man named Ryan asking how he could help us. We replied that we had reservations for the night. He looked confused and said that he didn’t have anyone coming in today. We said we had confirmation numbers etc., and then he asked how we had booked the cabins. When he heard it was AirBnB and VRBO, he said it was a scam, that he’d been having some trouble with this issue for about a year, and the rental organizations weren’t doing anything about it. He had availability, but we’d have to pay him for the cabins and then get our money back from VRBO. Well…okay.
Ryan showed us around the grounds, which used to be an old Girl Scouts camp and still retains that summer camp feel. We each have one-room wood cabins with a king bed and electricity. The windows are screened in squares cut from the wood with wood doors to close over the screens (and glass). All serviceable and comfortable enough. The bathhouse is a little walk away, and the room came with a lantern for walking outside at night (we also have flashlights). The “mess hall” is outfitted with all the cooking equipment we might need as well as a lounge area with couches, a ping pong table, and foosball.
It’s wonderfully quiet here, tucked away in the pines, right on the shore of Stillwater Lake, with only birdsong, insects, and the faraway sound of the highway.
Today's ride: 37 miles (60 km)
Total: 456 miles (734 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 5 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 3 |
2 months ago
2 months ago
2 months ago