We had decided to base camp here for the remainder of the trip - not only because we liked our new home, we also were just too lazy to break and set up camp again.

There's nothing like pancakes in the BW:

after breakfast, we decided to see how far up we could travel on Dawkins Creek with the naïve possibility/goal of reaching Dawkins Lake.

As on Cross Bay river, Dawkins had a beaver dam pullover:

Continuing the paddle, we soon found the stopping point. It was a narrowed cliff area with jammed rock and blow down. I suppose a portage trail could have been made but there’s nothing wrong with leaving these areas wild:

We did take the time to bushwhack over the other side to see that the creek was very navigable from there:

Turning back, we decided to checkout Cross Bay Lake's southern camp site and lunch there - nice site, lots of tent pads. It looks like the area was once designated as 2 sites.

Some eagles were looking us over on the paddle back to camp:

And then the big surprise. Approaching our camp, we saw a USFS canoe at the landing:

What did we do? Did we leave trash burning in the fire grate? Were our margaritas from the night before being consumed by a local bear? Did Old Scout's reputation from earlier days finally catch up with him? No! There were there to put in a new latrine!

Of course Betsy Ranger had to look over OS's permit. Remembering back to Canoecopia, will someone please tell me what it is that Old Scout has with the attractive women hanging all around him? Is a bungee dealee bob some kind of Babe Magnet?

We tried to talk Betsy into staying for dinner, but her and her compatriot, John, had more work to do. She missed a great one of Italian Sausage (seasoned and dehydrated by OS) in Zatarain’s Jambalaya:

Along with cheesy biscuits cooked to perfection in OS's reflector oven:

YUMM!: