Small Scale Websites and Hosting
Here’s what I have for pictures from Family Camp ’24 at Webber Lake. I also added some post-camp pictures from when Tanya and family finally arrived. Click any image to biggerize it and see the full image. I would love to add more photos if you want to share them…not all of them, maybe your top 10. Text them to Mark.
Hello family,
It’s not too early to get things going for family camp this year, as suddenly our summer calendar is looking pretty busy. We are sure that your calendar is the same, so a bit of early planning is probably for the better.
Our dates this year are from Sunday, July 21 through Wednesday, July 24th. This is not ideal for everyone, but it is what we could get. Ideally we wanted about a week later. We tried during the “race for reservations” on March 1st. But we were competing with another group that had been using that site during that first week of August for 5 years or so and they had eight people working to get it again. There are some positive points though as the above dates does include some birthdays. Also, the tree cutting operations near the campsite are not scheduled to start until August 1st.
Our two biggest challenges to consider at this point in the game is the number of RV’s and getting a head start on meal planning.
We can only have four RV’s in the group campground and looking ahead we could end up with five.
As mentioned last year, the hosts have zero flexibility on this. It’s not that they are not nice people, we have gotten to know them pretty well. It’s just that if they give an inch, people will push a mile. Not that we will, but if other people see us with 5 RV’s in the group camp, they will want 6 or 7 when they book the group site next year. An RV gets defined as any vehicle that someone could sleep in, so a van with a bed would be counted.
The proposed solution here is that we rent one extra campground space to accommodate one RV. Update: Site #30 on the north shore booked for Sunday night to accommodate an extra RV. It makes sense to put one of the two vans there for the night.
The group site is limited to 20 people, same as last season. Here’s a list of possible attendees: 1. Mark 2. Ann 3. Tessa 4. Danny 5. Eddy 6. Reagan 7. Patty 8. Randy 9. Orea 10. Luke 11. Sarah. 12. James 13. Garrett 14. Drew 15. Lauren 16. Adam 17. Jami 18. Marley 19. Iylee 20. Braysen 21. Tiare 22. Katie 23. Tanya 24. Melchior 25. Saskia We might lose a couple to Jr Lifeguards, but you can otherwise see we are at the limit. This is not the camp to invite friends and neighbors.
In case last year was all a blur and you need a refresher how to find the group camp at Webber Lake, here are some specifics directions. It might be worth printing them out as there is not much phone service once you leave Highway 89.
Last year was a bit shorter so it was easy for Ann & I to take on the two dinners and let others fill in the breakfasts. This year we have an additional day to cover and potentially more people than last summer. There’s 6 major meals to cover, assuming we do lunches on our own.
Hopefully we can get each family unit to cover one of those meals. Again use the comments below to suggest what you want to take on, and I will summarize it above. I am not expecting Tanya and Melchior to take on anything, we are just happy if they can make it! Assuming I can get Drew and Lauren to haul it out there, we will bring the big Blackstone griddle.
Just like last summer, you are welcome to arrive early at Casa De Fisher before the camping begins, or to stay an extra day or two after the campout. The only caveat is there are some limitations for parking space. Between ourselves and Drew and Lauren we have 6 vehicles on property through the summer, only two of those fitting in the garage. If you’re wanting to do either an early or late thing, you should declare that in the comments below so others will know and can gauge space availability.
Current Info: Katie arriving Friday; Tanya et al arriving Saturday; Trish & Randy arriving Saturday and staying Wednesday too
Family Camp was absolutely the best part of the summer for many of us last summer so we hope you are all still game. Thanks for helping get things a bit more organized sooner rather than later. Before family camp we have a Central Coast van trip, a Mexico trip and a trip to SoCal around July 4th plus a trip to Europe after Family Camp and a van trip to Utah in the fall. There is much planning and coordination to be done.
Thanks!
Your Family Camp Coordinator Mark
Comments posted below will not appear until I moderate them, so don’t panic on that.
Gallery Last Updated: August 4, 2023: Added some great photos from Luke
(I don’t plan on notifying y’all on updates, but you can check the date here)
Here’s the “best of” photos from Family Camp at Webber Lake. If you still have photos you want to have added, text or email them to Mark.
The thumbnails below are exactly that, click an image to see the full picture in a new tab. Depending on your device, clicking that individual photo may open it full size, which is a good idea before saving it to your device.
Hey family,
We are now just about one month away from the Webber Lake Family campout from Sunday, July 30th through Tuesday, August 1. Summer is a busy time for all of us. We have closing weekend at Alpine Meadows over the Fourth of July weekend, followed by a dozen days or so touring Washington coastal areas in our van. It seemed like a good idea to get some of this conversation going before panic sets in during the last week of July.
• Handy link to specific directions to the Family Camp group site.
• Webber Lake was a private fishing resort for 60 years and just opened to the public for camping in 2018. It was a well kept secret for a few years until it was featured in Sunset magazine and SFGate.com Those two spoil everything! Now it’s very difficult to get reservations. We’ve been trying to reserve the group camp for 3 years.
• Webber Lake is 40′ deep at it maximum, and most of it is less than 10′ deep. It’s great for paddle boards and kayaks and small boats, until the wind or thunderstorms pop up. Fishing is good from a boat, difficult from the shore due to a lot of weedy growth near shore. The boat speed limit is 5 mph.
• There’s a lot of great hiking and mountain biking in the area. Jackson Meadows Reservoir is 10 miles down the road if you secretly bought a jet ski or ski boat recently.
• There is no cell service at all at Webber Lake…zip nada. When we were going there a lot we had a Zoleo satellite messenger, but we discontinued the service because we got tired of the fee. But know that you’re off the grid. There is enough service, sometimes, to get a text to send or make a call at Little Truckee Summit, where Jackson Meadows Road meets 89.
• There are no stores or supplies at Webber or Jackson Meadows. You’re going back to Truckee if you need something.
• The campground finally added well water availability last season, after being dry for years. We have not tested that functionality yet as our one reservation last summer got smoked out in the fall. There’s pit toilets in the campground that are generally very clean. It’s about a 1/4 mile walk from the group camp. The last few seasons, they did place a SaniHut near the group camp. Walking is good.
• For the last three years, by midsummer, all campfires and charcoal fires were banned. This year was far snowier and wetter, so we shall see. We have construction cutoffs and its okay to collect dead and down wood if fires are okay.
• Mosquitos can be bad. Bring chemicals.
• Check in time on Sunday is 12:00pm, checkout time Tuesday is 11:00am.
So the primary message is, let your people know that you are out of touch a few days. Bring everything you need.
We are planning on bringing the big griddle BBQ from home. It gets a lot of food cooked fast. We are also planning on providing the base for the two dinners.
Sunday night is Taco Night. We will be grilling up carne asada and some sort of fish stuff for the pescatarians. We’ll also be doing the tortillas in both corn and flour varieties. We will do a Costco run for salsa, shredded cheese, pickled onions, avocados and other taco basics. We’re looking for you guys to commit to possible appetizers, sides, desserts and hopefully some margaritas.
Monday night is Burger Night. We will be grilling standard Costco burgers and something for the pescatarians and vegetarians. We will also cover buns, as long as you like Costco ones. We will grab the Costco picnic pack for condiments, cheese and tomatoes. We’re looking for you guys to commit to appetizers, sides and desserts and hopefully some interesting beverages.
At the bottom of this post, you can add comments to let us know what you can cover. Once I approve those comments, everyone can see them, and that will give us a little sense of organization.
Breakfasts are a bit more freestyle. Ann and I are usually up very early and we are happy with just a bagel and some coffee. But the big griddle is available, and it is fantastic for making large batches of bacon, pancakes, french toast, hash browns, etc. So feel free to do some coordination there.
Lunches also seem to be better handled individually, as you know better how you might want to spend your day time hours.
We are taking our van to Webber, as well as our truck. We plan to load the aforementioned big griddle, a couple of e-bikes, and up to three paddle boards plus a big cooler and two dogs. We also will toss in the Corn Hole game, although if you have ever tried to play a game of Corn Hole with Sunny around, you know she totally loves that game.
We also will bring cribbage and other popular family games. One thing to note is that we are pretty sad when it comes to lanterns, which have a low return rate after many Hoedowns. So if you have some good lanterns, that may help the afterdark gaming sessions.
As we mentioned when we first set this up, we can only have 4 RV’s at the group camp. According to the way the reservations came in, the RV spots go to 1) Mark & Ann 2) Danny & Tessa 3) Luke & Sarah and 4) Drew & Lauren. If there’s any further negotiations, duke it out on your own. The camp hosts have never demonstrated any flexibility. We can have 8 additional vehicles that people are not sleeping in.
The group site is limited to 20 people and we are there: 1 Mark 2 Ann 3 Tessa 4 Danny 5 Eddy 6 Reagan 7 Patty 8 Randy 9 Orea 10 Luke 11 Sarah 12 James 13 Garrett 14 Drew 15 Lauren 16 Adam 17 Jamie 18 Marley 19 Iylee 20 Braysen 21 Katie (days only) Again, the camp hosts have never demonstrated any flexibility. I did not even invite my brother’s family or my mom. That said, if Tiare can make it, that’s worth bending the rules.
We mentioned previously that you are welcome to arrive a day or two early or stay a couple of extra days at our house if that fits your plan. Obviously, three extra RV’s won’t all fit, but maybe one or two. Again use the comments below to let people know if you want to make that happen.
Webber Lake is about 45 minutes north of Truckee. Roadwork can add significant chunks of time to the route in the summer season. About 5 miles north of Truckee, cell service is super spotty, so asking for directions too late is problematic and there is no way to call for clarification.
1) From Truckee, take Highway 89 North toward Sierraville for a little over 14 miles. Your looking for the “Jackson Meadows” turnoff to the left.
2) Take the road to the left with a lot of potholes. It gets better in 100 yards.
3) Stay on Jackson Meadows Road for about 8 miles. There is a sign on the right side of the road for Webber Lake, about 20 feet off the road, so it is easy to miss. You’re making a left turn.
4) Proceed down the dirt road and you will see Webber Lake ahead. Keep your speed in check to keep dust down, unless you like getting yelled at.
5) Take the first right to a dirt road. There’s likely a sign indicating “West Campground”.
6) In about 1/4 of a mile you will see a tall firehouse looking building well off the road on the right. That is your cue to take the next left. There should be a sign saying Lacey Meadows & West Campground.
7) In another hundred yards or so, take the left fork the West Campground. It becomes a one way loop to the right.
8) The group site, also labelled as #12, is at the far end of the loop. There may be a chain across the entry. It’s easy to just unhook the chain.
These are a small selection of photos from the professional wedding photographer, being just some candid shots. Please do not post these anywhere on social media, as that is really up to Drew and Lauren to do first. But they are here for your personal enjoyment.
If you click on a picture, it loads the image all by itself for printing – although these are low resolution. Clicking on the image in the new tab will biggerize it a bit more.
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I used to work for this company…not any more. They’re still using my design. If there’s something ugly, it changed after I left.