Bear Creek Lake State Park

When I made my service appointment I decided I could get in a camping trip either before or after depending on when the weather would be best. Having Spring Break in March means the weather is always iffy. And, it's hard to find campgrounds open.

I'd been wanting to ride The High Bridge Trail in Farmville and it looked to be the perfect "if the weather cooperates" option to go with my trip to Richmond. I also discovered that Virginia State Park campgrounds are open year round (not sure if it's all of them, but many are!) and there were two State Parks close to Farmville.

I picked the closest one to Richmond, Bear Creek Lake, for the first night since I was expecting to be at Rusty's till late in the day. Since I got done so early, I was here for lunch! It's only an hour from Richmond straight out US60.

Despite the perfect weather, there aren't many sites occupied in the campground and I got my pick. I'd reserved a large RV site since the small RV site's limit was 20ft. The Ranger who checked me in saw my van and pointed me in the direction of some smaller sites and I'm glad she did because I hit one of the best sites in the campground, #17. It's one of a few with a lake view! And a picnic table that was in the full sun! It was in the 60s today so perfect for sitting in the sun for lunch! The site it just barely big enough for me and the road in is steep and twisty, so anything bigger than me wouldn't make it!

 

After lunch at my sunny picnic table I headed out to explore. The lake isn't very big and there are a bunch of trails. I managed to put together a figure-8 ish loop hike that was about 6 miles long. It was a nice hike, fairly easy, no big hills. I think I saw a bald eagle! It was a huge bird with a white tail, it flew off before I could get a good look.

 

After my hike I pulled my chair out and sat in the sun reading for awhile. Eventually I forced myself inside to put my bed back together - it wasn't as hard as it sometimes is! Now it's almost time for dinner and the sun is sinking low, the wind is picking up and it's getting chilly.

 

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