Debra Ward and Bill Metz are sold on private camping. They own lots at Port Susan Camping Club in Tulalip and a spot at Gold Bar Nature Trails.
After I wrote Feb. 22 that “Gold Bar campsite makes roughing it smooth,” Ward invited me to cruise through Port Susan.
I toured the Tulalip club five years ago before buying my camping spot at Lake Tyee near Concrete. We liked the amenities near Marysville, but chose a getaway high in the mountains.
That was before higher prices for gas. Realizing that being closer to our home in Mill Creek would have advantages, I took a fresh gander at Port Susan, on the Tulalip Indian Reservation, on almost 700 acres of forest land.
Consider it a home base for RVs, a family vacation spot, or a place to disappear for weeks or up to 180 days a year on one of the 2,500 camping sites.
There is a store where you can buy bread, milk or a deli sandwich. You can even get a can of food for your dog or cat. There are swimming pools, gamerooms for adults and kids, a laundromat, fitness center and post office. You can hike, row a boat, fish, throw horseshoes and play cards or softball.
Pulling into Ward’s huge lot, I immediately envied what they’ve carved between the trees. The centerpiece is a park model, exactly what we crave for our Tyee spot. Ritzy folks don’t recreate in trailers, they have park models, which are stick-built units, like a mobile or manufactured home.
They have a gorgeous deck along the full side of the park model, perfectly stacked cords of wood, a roomy shed, back and side yards, no nearby neighbors and utter quietude.
“It is among the largest sites in the club,” Ward said. “It is 160 feet deep, surrounded by a vast greenbelt.”
There is metal roof over a 1997 model that includes a living room, kitchen, bathroom with a shower, and bedroom.
Ward and Metz met and fell in love at Port Susan. She’d see him drive by. He gave her candles and a pair of socks. They like to take long walks together.
“I love my trees and animals here,” she said. “We are outdoors a lot.”
The couple are selling four lots they own at Port Susan.
They said they plan to head East and settle at Gold Bar Nature Trails.
Facilities there include two swimming pools, one for kids, adult-only areas for games and an active social club.
Board of directors president Bill Trautman of Everett pitches in to cook a meal weekend mornings in the bustling clubhouse.
“A lot of people come to breakfast,” Trautman said. “They come up on weekends just to relax. That’s the main objective of the park.”
Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
