Visits to Lake Madrone, CA

by Sharel
(Vacaville, CA)

When I was a little girl, we use to go our grandparents cabin at Lake Madrone, just above the Oroville Dam.

Once we unloaded the station wagon, swept off the deck and pathways around the cabin, all of us kids were handed a tall Pepsi paper cup and sent off to see whom could find the longest rolled-up piece of madrone bark.

The cabins and lake were surrounded by these beautiful trees.

We all thought that this was the greatest hunt ever.

Now I know, the parents were getting rid of all of us for an hour or so themselves :0) so, so smart.

When we would return with our cups filled with all the madrone sticks, we would compare them ... I do not remember what the prize was for the longest one, but I do remember sitting out on the deck of the cabin and getting to smoke them, we thought we were so cool.

Such wonderful memories! Even at 50 years old, if I see the madrone trees and the rolled bark, it makes me want to still find a rolled bark stick and sit and smoke it ... It brings back such wonderful memories of the cabin and grandparents and simple times.