Badin Lake Campground

Home from an ever-so-brief overnighter in the Uwharrie National Forest.  It was about an hour from where Louise has been spending the winter in Concord.  A small-ish campground with 35 spots, it was easy to find and a lot of the sites had great lake views.

I didn’t make a reservation and in hindsight, I should have paid the reservation fee and done that to get a better spot, but for $6 a night after my Access Pass discount, you can’t go wrong. (Though, the four cars worth of families staying in the sites adjoining mine last night made for a much less peaceful evening than I was hoping for!)

This was my first solo camp. It was nice to get away, but since I had cellphone reception the whole time, I didn’t really feel like I was alone as I usually do when I am in the woods. I spent the evening by the campfire roasting s’mores, re-reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and chatting with my best friend (who doesn’t appreciate the joys of camping!)

The campground was nice. It’s still early spring, and without the foliage filled in for summer, the campsites seem close together and not at all private, but I think that will change as summer arrives. The campground seems to cater to off-roaders, fishers and hunters, none of which are my ideas of a good time.  The bathrooms were not as clean as they could be, and in the 36 hours I was there, didn’t get serviced. I also never saw a forest ranger, which is completely contrary to my trip to South Mountain State Park. As a solo camper, I would have appreciated more presence from the National Forest Service.

My camper suffered her first disaster at the hands (or teeth?) of my dog. Will didn’t appreciate being left behind when I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and decided to break through the screen window in my door.  Needless to say, I’m going to learn a new skill in the form of window screen repair thanks to Will Shakespeare. He is a terrible camper.

The coolest thing about Badin Lake Campground were the great people I met. Holy cow was Louise popular! Four different people stopped to get a glimpse of her and ask questions about my camper. They were impressed, but she’s the most colorful teardrop I’ve ever seen, and I know how pretty she is so it’s no surprise others recognize this too.

And now… the beer.

I took three different beers, but only got into one growler, and boy was it delicious.  The Three Laws Black Saison was a collaboration between Haw River Brewing and Wooden Robot. Talk about tasty. I picked it up at my favorite Charlotte craft beer store, the Beer Growler. One of the guys who works there has gotten to know my tastes pretty well and suggested I try it and it was a home run. A bit spicy (it has black peppercorn), it’s also an incredibly complex yet smooth saison, and was perfect for sipping around a fire.

Needless to say, I can’t wait for Wooden Robot to open this summer. Charlotte desperately needs a brewery that does great saisons and farmhouse ales, and I think this is going to be the place.