Stony Gorge Reservoir

Stony Gorge Reservoir

Many of us have that special place where we can go to forget about our problems and relax from our everyday lives. Stony Gorge is that distinct place to me because every year I go camping there with my family. It's fun because I spend time with the people most important to me. This place is located north of Woodland and takes two hours to reach the destination. It is a dam where nearby rivers flow into it, as well as rainfall. This place is special to me because when I go here I relax and forget about the city for a few days and I have time to think. It is also very fun because I get to stay up all night till the next morning.

Anxiously, I wait in the car which was rolling over the hot cement on the freeway. I could feel the dry, hot air hit my face as I roll down the window. As a result of the heat, everyone in the car was complaining about how hot it was because it was ninety-eight degrees outside and it felt very uncomfortable to be outside. It sucked because the air conditioning was broken so we were out of luck. We were on our way to Stony Gorge Reservoir, which was west of the town called Willows, California. The road was very curved and had lots of turns, as we drove we were looking at the hills that looked golden as the sunlight hit the dried grass. The trees that overlooked the road were of different shades of green. Their shade looked like if they could be a cooling blanket over our hot bodies. We passed by a few farms and country homes by the side of the road. The animals that were grazing were looking at our car as we drove by.

When we were arriving, to the left of us there was a dirt road leading to the campgrounds where we were headed next. Meanwhile, we rolled down the windows and were looking at the water to our right. I remember hearing the song Reefer Party by Wiz Khalifa playing in the car as we were getting out of the car to our camp spot. Next, we settled down next to the shore, the water looked very refreshing as the waves it the shore full of pebbles. The sun was shining very bright over the reservoir. Above us the birds were chirping and seemed to be enjoying the nice weather, but I think they just wanted our food. I went for a swim a little bit after we set up our tent. I had to walk very carefully because the pebbles hurt the bottom of my feet as I entered the water. The water felt very cold when I got in but then I got used to the water. Then, when it became night we were drinking sum beers next to the water while eating sum carne asada. We were listening to music while we were setting up a fire for my little cousins. As the night was coming my friends and I wanted to go to a cool spot I always go when we camp. We got all of our stuff ready and went for a walk and followed a dirt road until we got to a fence.

Luckily, the fence wasn’t very high so we hopped it and got our stuff to the other side. As we were walking we could hear the gravel crunching under our feet. To the right, the sunset looked very cool over the water as shades of red, orange and yellow reflected off the surface. The trees over our heads seemed like giants towering over us. Along the right side of the road, there was a steep slope with boulders and wild grass leading to the shore. The water hit the shore comfortably on the sand and the water sounded very calm. Next, we sat on the edge of the hill and overlooked the relaxed water waves, the moon was full by now and its light steadily was shining on the water and you could see the reflection of the moon on the water. We could hear the hum of crickets and the sound of the waves that hit the coast. There was bats were flying over the water trying to catch fish and trying to eat fruit off of the fig trees by the campgrounds. The moonlight felt light an illuminating blanket over the landscape. Suddenly, a nice cool breeze hit us in the face and felt very refreshing because it was relieving us from the hot day.

The moon had an aurora around it and the stars shined happily like Christmas lights on a tree. On the other side of the lake the mountains were full of trees and nocturnal animals. There were deer that came to drink water with their young and we watched carefully with binoculars. We decided to start a fire and hangout until morning came. We all started to open our beers and suddenly we could hear one of my cousins yell out that there was a skunk close to us. We all got startled and got up quick; we saw the skunk pointing its behind at us. It didn’t spray us but we managed to scare it off by throwing rocks at it. After that we went back to the fire and sat down, the fire’s warmth felt good on our legs because it was starting to get a little cold as the night progressed. 

The heart of the fire could be seen as it gave off its warming light. We could hear the sounds of the crickets chirping and sounds of the people down at the campgrounds. The moon had an aurora around it; we watched the moon change its location in the sky. The moons reflection looked distorted and was forming shapes with its light on the water. There was a spot on the opposite side of the lake where two peninsulas met and the moon’s light made that spot of the lake give off a glow. The moon also made the waves of the water move faster and more aggressive as if the moon was pulling the water toward it due to its gravitational pull. Soon the sun was going to be up and we saw the moon go over the western horizon.  After that we decided to head back to camp and get some rest.

This place is important to me because it is filled with a cool landscape filled with natural aspects. This will always be a place for me to go when I need to clear my mind or just go hang out with my friends. In the future I hope to bring my children to see this place because of how it important it is to me. Watching the moon shine high in the sky makes me appreciate the little things in life that make everyday a little better. I love nature because it gives you the experience of learning about our world in which we live and nothing beats spending time with family.