Well how has everyone been doing? This is your old friend Red ( camp host at Holland Lake ).  I hope that everyone is having a good winter so far.  Here in Indiana it is nice out with no snow so far.  This is where I live in the winter.  I just got an e-mail from the Jantzen family ( they are the ones that had the contract with the forest service to take care of the campgrounds including Holland Lake) and they did not get the contract this year so there will be a lot of changes this year.  I will probably not be there this year at all so everyone have a great summer when it gets here okay.  Since they still run a few other Montana campgrounds I may get a re-assignment.  I have worked for the Jantzen family for many years and do not want to work for any other concessionaires.   I will write more on this blog as I know more about where I will be.  Everyone have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR and we will see what the new year brings.

Your friendly host ,
Red

     Due to the heavy smoke and fire nearby we are closing the campground on Sunday 9/30/2012. 

Everyone have a great winter and we'll see you all next season.  Throughout the winter I will try to put something on here to let you all know when we are going to open back up for the season. Take care and be safe too.    RED  (your  friendly host at Holland Lake Campground)

 These are some awesome pictures of Holland Lake from Holland lookout that is about 8000 ft. elev. The campground is at 4000 Ft. Elev. . Two couples from the campground went up to Holland lookout on 9/17/2012 and this is what they saw. The lower picture is the cabin that was used for the lookout station. Thanks Kevin and friends for these great pictures.

Well today we only have two couples in the campground so there are only a few more weeks of camping left . . . so come on out before I lock up and go home .
Don't forget Oct 9th is the last day we will be open then it will have to be next year for camping.  It gets down in the upper 30's at night and up in the upper 70's in the daytime here at the lake. There has been no bear siting for about a week now . . . so lets go have some fun around the campfire one more time.

Oh just about forgot to let you all know about the fires.  They are still going and there is some smoke in the mornings and as it warms up and the wind blows,  it clears up.  There are about two hundred people and six helicopters on this fire at this time. They are really trying to get it put out.

Condon Fire Flares Up Again

 Well I am sorry to say but the Condon fire is going again but this time it is worse than the first time I am told.  These first four pictures were taken this morning at 6:30 am at the Condon ranger station / work station . They have more people fighting the fire and the Helicopters are back too. So if you are traveling in the area PLEASE slow down and be careful .  We will be open for three more weekends and during the week.   The campground closes October 9th.

This picture was taken as I was going back to the campground along the highway on highway 83 . The sun is trying to shine though.   The temp. was 36 out this morning and should get up to in the 70's today .

Yesterday I took the swimming buoys out so the season is coming to an end for this year . There is still time to get out for one last time before I close down for the season . . .so come on!  It is a little cool at night but gets warm in the daytime.

Over the last weekend there was a wedding at the beach area and here is a chair that the wedding couple sat in together around the fire . I took this picture on Sunday morning as everyone was starting to get up an about.

Here are two campers out on the lake yesterday afternoon with their two dogs . They told me later that it sure was fun out on the lake . . . so come on out while the campground is open, rent a canoe, and have some fun.  The weather is cool at night but warms up in the daytime.   Plenty of fresh air and sunshine!!!

This is our newest unusual pet that was here in the campground this past week .  She and her husbund say that they take him everywhere . If you don't know what it is . . . it's a Ferret and his name is Loki . 

Well each day is an interesting day here in the campground . Today at about noon this is what was going through the campground . The Black Bear was not hurting anything just going through looking for some food . There were about six campers in the camp and most of them saw the Bear . In the bottom of this picture is my truck so there you can see he was close . My truck was parked at the Host spot . He's a big one too.

 Here I was watching him to make sure he would keep going and not get into anything . I walked him all the way through the camp ground to the Group site .Then the Bear went off into the woods . So i just hope he stays out of the campground .

It was 1:30pm when i finally got back to my camper and made sure that everyone knew about the bear and that he was gone for today anyway . It's that time of the season for the bears to be looking for more food getting ready for the long winters here in Montana .

The campground is still open for awhile so come on out . It is getting cool at night down in the upper 30's at night and getting up in the upper 70's in the day time . This morning it was 38 out and it is already up to 46 out now and it is only 9 am. So you might want to bring a good jacket for the mornings. I have been told that the fishing is still good too . As long as you get off the shore where the water is a little deeper they are biting.

The camp ground will try to be open until Oct. 9 , 2012

 This one was taken in the early morning as the sun was coming up this morning .

This one is of the sunset last night at about 7 pm . Neat how the sun moves up the mountain as it is going down in the west because of all the tall trees you cannot get a good picture of the sun set from the west in the campground without leaving and going out on the highway .

Well it is good to see the clouds are back and not the smoke . Most of the fires are out in the area . This was taken at the boat launch this morning . It is about 38 degrees out this morning . We only have 12 campers here this morning so there is a lot of room for you to come out for a nice day in the campground or just come on out for a drive and have a look see at the scenery .  Larch Loop is all empty at this time too.

Hey it's raining out at this very moment.  Much needed rain,  and boy does it sound good with the rain hitting the trailer roof!  Well that's about all for today so come on out and do some camping while we are open. The rain will not last long.  We had  14 campers last night so come on out because the crowds are gone. The views are great this time of the year, too.

THE CROWDS ARE GONE - FALL BEGINS

Labor Day found the campground totally full with people doubling and tripling up on campsites.   By Monday night there were only 12 campers left out of 40 campsites.   Luckily a mild breeze was blowing and all the smoke from fires in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area went away.   Now is the season to come out during the week or weekend for your favorite camping spot and enjoy the fall atmosphere.  We are open until October 9th as long as the weather holds out ! If it gets too cold we will have to close so the water lines don't freeze up .  So come out, rent a canoe, enjoy some s'mores on the campfire and take life a little easier!!   For many FALL is the most favorite time of the year at Holland Lake!

 Holland Falls  on 8/29/2012 

 This is one on the little friends that you will see up at the Holland falls. It is a Columbian  Ground Squirrel .

 View of the Lake as you go up to the water fall

View of the lake and Misson Mountains from the water fall

Holland Lake Campground has hosted guests from Germany, Canada, and  Denmark this past week.  As the camping season is winding down our international friends are trying to enjoy the outdoor Montana beauty.   As of today there were several camping sites open but they will fill up Thursday and Friday.   Come and get your site claimed early! 

This picture was taken yesterday afternoon at 5:30 pm. There was so much smoke in the sky that the sun had a beautiful glow to it .  The smoke is from Idaho and California.  That is what I am told anyway .

Also, there is a little work done on highway 83  from highway 200 to Seeley Lake but it doesn't take long to tell you  fires are going again . . . so take care .

3 - 2 -1 Cake . . . .this is such a simple great single dessert recipe shared by campers Jesse and Linda from Kalispell in June.

1 Box Angel Food Cake Mix added to 1 Box any flavor cake mix stored in a gallon plastic ziplock bag.
In a microwavable dish or mug add 3 TABLESPOONS dry cake mix,  2 TABLESPOONS water, and MICROWAVE on High for 1 MINUTE.  Frost with favorite frosting. 
TRY IT!!!  Fantastic!   This has become our favorite quick dessert!  You can use white cake mix and use for strawberry shortcake.  We especially love the Pecan/Coconut German Chocolate Icing as well as the Lemon Supreme canned icing.   Yummy!

Well just a few more days until Labor day weekend and the last three-day weekend of the season . . . so let's get out and go camping before it is all over until next year.  As of today there are a lot of camping sites open but not for long. . . so come on out. The weather is fantastic and will be right through Labor Day weekend!   Cool at night and warms up in the daytime . I am also happy to say that the campers are doing their part in keeping the bears out by keeping their food, beer and pop put up. SO NO BEARS  have been seen in several weeks!

 This was taken on Friday morning as the sun was coming up.. .beautiful!

 One of the campers rented a canoe to go fishing early in the morning about 6 :30 am . When he got back he told me that he did well and enjoyed it very much, too.

This one was taken Saturday morning with fog rising off the lake as it was very cool out that morning.

 Sorry I zoomed in too much on this one but anyway this is one of the helicopters that was helping out on the Condon fire over the weekend.  It is a tanker.

 The crew is getting it ready for work the next day. They say it is about the size of a box car . . . . BIG anyway.

When this big boy comes on the scene the crew and all the water they can bring with them put out the fires or at least slow the fire down.  I took these pictures on Tuesday evening after it had stopped raining at about 8 pm.  There were also two other helicopters on the landing field that had buckets ready to go, too.  There were about 140 fire fighters on this fire also. Thanks to everyone for their hard work to contain this fire.  My hat is off to all of you .

This picture was taken this morning at 6:30 am of the sunrise without the smoke!  The Condon fire is almost out thanks to the hard work of the men and women of the Forest Service fire team  Once again we have clear skies.  We still need everyone's help in keeping the forest free from all the fires.  Campfire only in the pits and keep them low!   Let's go camping before the season is over! We are keeping the campground open until Oct. 9th this year as long as the weather will let us. So let's go do some camping! 

This was taken in the morning a few days ago as the sun was coming up over the mountain above the Holland Falls. The smokey haze is from the fire.

 Well it's this time of the year, folks, with the dry season we have had. . . the fires are here.  The Forest Service is going to keep me posted via email on the Condon fire.  Both pictures are taken by me from the Condon Forest Service Work Center. The fire crews are doing the best that they can do with the help of the helicopters in putting this fire out. The Forest Service tells me that there are no fire restrictions at this moment.  All we have to do is keep the campfires in the fire rings and as a low fire .  So come on out and lets go camping before the season is over.

STANDING ROOM ONLY!!

Per Red's report 21 campers left on Sunday and by the end of the night 20 campsites were filled for Monday!  It has been non-stop at the campground and group site for Red who keeps hoping with chopping wood, garbage hauling,  and renting out our 3 canoes.  He reported actually seeing flames from the road where wildfires are spreading near Condon.  Also saw the helicopters fighting the fire with water supply.   Hope the rain forecasted on Wednesday will put the fire out!  Check out the fire report:  http://inciweb.org/incident/3070/ or http://www.topix.com/city/condon-mt

FIRE SEASON IS UPON US - BE CAREFUL!

 This was taken last night at about dark 8/8/2012 . It is smoke from a fire . so far that is all we are getting here at the camp ground . The fire I think is between here and highway 200 . .

This picture was taken at the same time the one above was but where is the mountain? The smoke is so bad that it is hiding the mountain. We need some rain to help put out  the fire.  Compare with the Canoe Sunset picture below. If you look real hard you can see a little of the mountain but not the whole range.   There is also a fire in the Bob Marshall.  This fire is the one near Seeley.

Public Beach and Day Use Area at Holland Lake Campground

with a beautiful view of Holland Falls

You can take a mile and a half hike right to the falls!

Camphost  Wayne "Red" May and former Camphost/Concessionaire  Charlie Jantzen having four wheeling fun @

Holland Lake Campground this spring!

CANOE SUNSET ON HOLLAND LAKE

Vicky took this picture on her vacation here in June.  It is on her desktop wallpaper so she can be at the lake every morning!   This is only one of glorious western sunsets over Holland Lake.  Guiding the canoe to shore after a long day of fishing over Father's Day weekend this father and son were surprised to find the rest of their family decided to camp for the rest of the weekend!   Just a word of caution to inexperienced canoists . . a canoe can tip easily . . ALWAYS wear your life vest when renting our canoes!   Thank you.   Come and enjoy the lake thru early October when we close for the season for spectacular sunsets and beautiful scenary.

All kinds of things to do in the campground!

There are all kind of trails to hike on just near the campground. Here are a few of them.

New pet in camp

Today there was a family that came into the camp ground and had a very nice pet with them . Even on a leash . It's a lop-earred Rabbit. The family said that it goes everywhere with them . They also said that the only problem is that people don't keep their pets on a leash because the little rabbit is scared of dogs.  This is so neat to see.

lets go have some fun

Here are some things that campers bring to have fun on the lake and here are the canoes that I have for rental at five dollars an hour or $25 a day . . .very affordable so come on . . .let's go have some fun on the lake before it's all over for the season!  "In summer the song sings itself!"  One more month of glorious summer!  Some early for the weekends we fill up fast!

Visitors from all over

We have had visitors here at the campground from Switzerland , Denmark ,Sweden , Germany and Canada .  One thing I like about being a camphost is getting to meet people from all over the world and from all over this beautiful land of the United States of America .

Here is the sunrise this morning as the sun was coming up over the mountain and the other one is the friendly geese down at the boat ramp . Well that's it for this time so everyone have a great time at whatever you are doing for the summer .
 Okay ,
Red

Since the last post a lot of things have happened

I have been awful busy so I'll try to bring you up to date . On the     4th of July we had a little cinnamon bear here in the camp.  He was a yearling.  At first he was just looking around and then one day he found food in a campsite. That started him coming back for more and then I was running him out of the campground three or four times a day.  This went on and on for the next few days . Then on the 11th of July the wildlife and game people said that was enough and brought out the bear trap . So within 24 hours the bear was in the trap.   I called the wildlife and game people and then they came out to get the bear.  As they were hooking up to the trap another bear came up to see what was going on so thay ran it out of the camp ground.  Then about two hours later the bear came back and went to a campsite and found a can of bear spray in a back pack that smelled like candy.   So the bear bit into the can and to his surprise it was a full can so he got a full mouth full of pepper spray!  The camper was inside his camper while this was going on and he told me that the bear left.  To this date we have not seen any bears in the campground  since. Well that was about all except that the campground has been busy each and every day . Each day the camp ground is full so come on out and don't miss out of all the fun that everyone is having this year.
When you get here and the campground is full don't go away until you talk to me because I have an overflow place to have you go to . Each day people leave and sites open up so I can have you get in that way . It may not be the site you want but at least you are here and you can have some fun camping and playing in the beautiful lake . Some of the campers are telling me that the water is nice to swim in too.     Red

Here are pictures of the little Cinnamon bear that was here . He is now relocated up higher in the mountains.  He was pretty cute!

THIS LOOKS FUN!!!

    Concessionaire and former Holland Lake Campground Host Charlie Jantzen and friends camped in the group site last week and treated Red to a ride in his new four wheeler!  They got a little lost but it had a GPS so they made it back to the campground ok!  What fun!!

FANTASTIC WEEKEND COMING

FORECAST:  Wed 6/20 68/43  Partly Cloudy; Thurs 6/21 80/51 SUNNY;
Fri 6/22  78/51 SUNNY; Sat 6/23 78/51  SUNNY; Sun 6/24 76/50 30% Isolated Showers;
Mon 6/25  75/45 SUNNY; Tue 6/26  68/47 SUNNY; Wed 6/27  75/49 Partly Cloudy 20%

Holland Lake Campground is a glorious place . . especially when the sun is shining like it will be this coming weekend into next week!  What amazes me is how QUIET the campground is even when full.  I spent some quiet time out as the sun was setting by the Lake and you could hear a pin drop Saturday night . . and we were full!!   Kids have a blast riding their bikes and scooters . . be sure to bring those!  Also we have 3 canoes for rent and they were busy this weekend!!  $5 and hour or $25 for the day.   We also have WiFi available for a daily fee $3.  We only had 5 spots open last weekend so make sure you come early in the week to get your favorite spot!  Montana and the campground put on their best face for me Thursday thru Saturday!!  The rain failed to dampen my spirits!  Made a day trip over to Garnet Ghost Town . . suggest you ONLY take the road turn off between Missoula and Salmon Lake and NOT any other way!!!  It was interesting!  Looking forward to exploring more of Montana and sharing it with you on this blog another visit!  I am back to "real life" in Indiana tomorrow (Wed).   Y'all take care of my husband, Red,  while I am gone and joke with him . . he loves to laugh!!! I was so happy to meet so many of you "regulars" at the campground.  Can't wait to come back!  Vicky

CAN'T WAIT TO GET TO MONTANA!

The weather is definitely improving for my trip to Montana!   I arrive tomorrow in Kalispell at 1:00 pm.   The weather for the week is:   Wed  6/13   Morning Showers 50%  63/40;  Thurs 6/14 Partly Cloudy 66/41;  Fri 6/15  Partly Cloudy 65/40;   Sat 6/16  Partly Cloudy 69/47   . . .LOOKS LIKE A GREAT WEEKEND!  Hope all of you come out to the campground so I can meet you! 

When will it stop raining?

Montana Mother Nature has a week to get her act straightened out!   I hope I bring the beautiful summer weather we have been having in Indiana to the campground!  Here is the latest forecast:
Today 6/5  58/39 60% showers;  Wed 6/6  48/34 70% Showers and gasp . . snow showers?; Thursday 6/7 58/37 10% chance of rain; Friday 6/8  37 30% chance of showers; Saturday 6/9  54/28 40% chance of showers; and Sunday 6/10   51/40   30% chance of showers.    Good grief!   I fly in on Wednesday 6/13 and showers are forecast again.  I told Red I will "not be a happy camper" if it rains the entire week I am in Montana!! 

WARMING TREND for this week!

Today (5/29)  49/37;  Wednesday (5/30) 65/40 Partly Cloudy; Thursday (5/31) 64/46 Isolated T-Storms 30%; Friday (6/1) 66/49 Mostly Cloudy; Saturday (6/2) Few Showers 30%  67/42; Sunday 63/37  Partly Cloudy

After the cold weekend for Memorial Day the warming trend starts.   Red always brags on the beautiful summers in Montana with low humidity . . .looks like it is beginning!   Let's go camping!

Are you sure it's Memorial Day???

Well here in Indiana it is 94 degrees for the running of the Indianapolis 500.   This morning in Montana Red left to attend church services and look what greeted him.    Oh my goodness!!  So far there are 15 sites still occupied . .maybe they are hoping for a little bit better day tomorrow!   This has not been a good Memorial Day for camping but it can only improve RIGHT??    I know there are many idyllic days and weekends ahead for Holland Lake!   Hope one of them is when I get to come and spend a week with my sweetheart June 13 thru June 20th!   I am so excited!!!