Fall Tranquility at Holland Lake Campground

The summer campers have gone.  The camphost has locked the gate and headed east.   Holland Lake settles into it's quiet and peaceful autumn life until the snow blankets the ground and the roads are closed.   No boats break the water.  A solitary moose can swim the lake at any time (see this link: http://www.swanvalley.com/    )   

Wedding Vows in Brown County, Indiana

We were married in a lovely Gazebo bordering Brown County State Park on Saturday, October 22, 2011.  My daughter, Katy Jordan from Houston, Texas and Red's brother Danny May from Rolling Meadows, Illinois were our Matron of Honor and Best Man.  My son, Ricky gave the bride away for "my brothers, my sister, and I."    I suggested to Red that he build one of these overlooking the lake and the falls at Holland Lake!  While he is at it he could become a registered Justice of the Peace and hold beautiful weddings there!  I guess I am just a natural born wedding planner!

Fall at Holland Lake

Holland Lake campground is quiet and tranquil now.   The days and nights are frosty cold and soon snow will blanket the ground and the roads will be closed.   Fall has been beautiful this year. 

Camping experience Brown County, Indiana style

We had some outstanding fall color during our honeymoon camping in Brown County State Park in Nashville, Indiana.  This is the state's largest campground.

Beautiful fall colors @ Holland Lake

Charlie emailed Red some beautiful fall pictures from Holland lake recently.  We hope you enjoy them.

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne (Red) May

We were married on a beautiful fall day Saturday, October 22, 2011 in Nashville, Indiana.  A new adventure begins for us!  We were surrounded by loving family and friends for which we are so grateful!  Red will be in Indiana until April and will then return to Holland Lake for the camping season.  

WEDDING DAY IS ALMOST HERE!

OCTOBER 22ND . .WEDDING DAY . . .BROWN COUNTY STATE PARK, NASHVILLE INDIANA    Weather forecast:  Partly Sunny  High of 59

Wedding in Brown County, Indiana October 22, 2011

Our wedding day is fast approaching.   Red has been busy taking over the yard work and is enjoying the beautiful fall days we are having here in Indiana.   Humidity has been LOW and that is just fine with him.   Cool evenings, warm days.   All we need is mountains!   Brown County is as close as we will get to mountains here in Indiana.   They are called the Hills of Brown.    While not at all as majestic as the Rocky Mountain Range they remind us more of New England.   Since it is about 45 miles from where we live and is one of the biggest quaint shopping venues in the State of Indiana . . . not to mention close to Indiana University in Bloomington . . . it is a popular place.   We are praying for the beautiful fall weather and colors to continue! 

Wayne Arrives in Indiana to prepare for the wedding!

Red actually left Montana for Indiana on Saturday as Friday evening my teenage son disabled my only car by bottoming out my car after passing through an historic covered bridge in Rush County, Indiana at 45 MPH instead of the posted 25 MPH.   Red came straight to Indiana (safe and sound)  instead of visiting family in Kansas and Illinois as I had no vehicle.  He was able to assess the damage and after much deliberation helped me pick out a new vehicle.  He came just in time for some beautiful fall colors . . I hope some of them stay for our Oct. 22nd wedding!   See the announcement attached!  We hope Charlie is enjoying himself.  He was camphost at Holland Lake for 17 years!! 

Red's Last Week at the campground

Red spent the week tidying up the campground and taking a hike to the falls.   He took this spectacular picture on that hike.   He also took a GPS reading which was interesting!   He heads out on Sunday morning as Charlie Jantzen takes over camphost duties on Saturday. 

Welcome back, Charlie

As the camping season draws to a close (Holland Lake Campground will officially close on 10/11) . . . we welcome back Charlie Jantzen to fill in for Red for a few weeks.   Red heads back east to begin a new adventure as a married man but will return next Spring when the campground is thawed out enough for camping activity!  He will start getting restless about April 1st to hit the open road and go back to the country he loves! 

Charlie served as camphost at Holland Lake Campground for 17 seasons before relocating his family to Montana from New York and taking over the concessionaire/management duties for the National Park Service.  As his two children, Leona and Chuck, continue that family tradition Charlie looks forward to building new memories here at the campground.   All of his old friends and those new ones he will make are delighted to have him there even for a couple of weeks.

Here is a recent picture of Charlie with a Hwy 83 casualty . . a 2 year old black bear about 75 lbs that frequently visited the Swan Lake Campground.  This is something everyone hates to see as our human world invades the wildlife's territory.

Mountain Lake Mist

Beautiful morning when Red woke up this morning.  He went out to take care of campground clean up before his camp host luncheon at noon.   As the sun rose it revealed the beautiful mist rising up over the water with the reflection still mirrored in the lake.  He really captured the beauty of Holland Lake when many are not up to see it!  It is views like this that keep our loyal guests coming back year after year.

A Little Visitor but a big Mooch!

A couple of weeks ago Red had a little visitor and he gave him some scraps from his Hobo pie.   The black squirrels in Montana are very small and as Red says "don't have much meat on them!"   But they are sure fun to watch.   A few minutes later he heard a large THUD coming from the storage shed.   He investigated and an entire jar of peanut butter was rolling on the floor and it appeared to him the little mooch was trying to make off with his can of peanut butter!   So the peanut butter jar got put in the camper.  Then this last week one of the nice campers left Red a sack of cookies on the picnic table and the little thief got into the package and took a bite out of one.  Red left that cookie for the squirrel but the rest he put in the camper for safe keeping.  It looks like the third week of September is going to be beautiful . . . sunshine through the weekend and high 84 and lows 47.   Another beautiful week in the campground.  The lake is uncrowded and anyone can enjoy canoeing on the lake.   Red reports no fall color to be seen yet.  He will be leaving the campground in two weeks on 9/30.   

A Cagey Bear!

There are still some nice weeks left to visit the campground.  Red will be at the campground until September 30th and then Charlie will come down to take over for the final weeks.  Luckily the bears appear to have gone to higher elevations in search of berries.  A report from about 8 miles up says berries are still green up there and haven't ripened yet.   In July there were many bear sightings in or near the campground.   In fact, one bear was sighted three days in a row in the campground so Red called the Forest Service and they delivered . . the trap!  Actually Red had cooked his meat out on the campfire and had just gone inside to eat it when he looked out his camper window to see a bear sniffing around . . so he had a first hand account that a black bear was in the camp!  For those of you who have never seen a bear trap here are some pictures.   They put some meat bait in the trap and left it a couple of days . . the bear was a no show.   He might have had previous experience with a trap and knew to avoid it.  Anyway he was a "cagey" bear and was never caught.  Once caught they are driven up into the higher elevation and released.  That is done a couple of times.  If they persist in coming back near humans the bear is then put down.   It is always good to remember that we are the wildlife's guests in their backyard . . . not the other way around.  Happy Camping!

Enjoy An Autumn Hike to the Falls

The hike to the falls is a fairly easy 3 mile round trip from the trailhead at Holland Lake Lodge parking lot.  The views of the lake from the falls (see main photo) are breathtaking!  Autumn colors will begin their annual show as our nightime temperatures fall into the 40's and daytime temperatures top out in the 80's.  Great hiking weather!   Earlier in the spring there were several reports of seeing a cinnamon black bear within view of the trail but far enough away not to be a bother.  In fact, even in the campground there have been more visits than usual this summer from bears and bear cubs.  Once a bear trap was put up for a few days; however, the smart bear decided to make less frequent visits!  This is truly "primitive camping" and campers should remember at all times that we are uninvited guests in the wildlife's domain!  Strict enforcement of storage of food and beverages and diligent garbage monitoring on a daily basis are for the public's safety as well as the bear!

The Big Salmon Lake Fire . . began August 16th

This fire was started on August 16th in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and as you can see was beginning to affect Holland Lake Campground yesterday.  It has affected about 4100 acres and there are still active fire in some places.  There are numerous trail and road closures in the area due to fire activity.  Visitors are strongly encouraged to contact the Spotted Bear Ranger Station (406-758-5376) for the most current updates.

However, we are expecting a full house for the Labor Day weekend coming up so please come early . . . Thursday is preferable . . to get a good camp sight.   You can also try the online reservation system . . however, understand that once you reserve a campsight for the night there are no refunds.   If you choose to switch to another site that is open you will forfeit what you have paid on the campsite you reserved as well as having to pay for the new site. 

We have two canoes that are available for rent and plenty of firewood for campfires so come out and enjoy nature with us!