Care-free Labor Day weekend

Unemployment is high, jobs are scarce, and the country is still at war. Even the summer movie season was disappointing by many accounts.

But bummers in everyday life seemed to be in the background for many on Labor Day weekend as they headed for the Yuba foothills to camp, boat or work hard at not working.

"Just have fun, relax, forget about reality," said Nick Cuthbert, 29, of San Francisco, as he prepared to cast off Saturday afternoon at Bullards Bar Reservoir on a boat full of young adults sipping light beers and listening to a mix CD of reggae, hip hop and rock. "Anytime I'm free, I get out of the city."

Cuthbert said he was part of a group of 40 people spending the weekend on the lake, many of them working in construction, a line of work hard-hit by the severe economic downturn.

"It does suck with the economy," he said. "We work extra hard to get out here."

Marina office manager Billy Graham said vacationers like Cuthbert were coming in steady streams, with business definitely busier than a year ago.

On Marysville Road leading to the boat launch at the reservoir, many parked trucks were a mile or more from the marina itself, with empty boat trailers attached.

"People recreate no matter what," Graham said. "They still have their boats, they still like to camp."

Graham said marina employees feared the worst when a wildfire flared up in the canyon below Bullards Bar Dam a week earlier. But favorable weather helped knock the fire out within days, and people began arriving in midweek.

Down at Collins Lake, the resort manager said he'd been sold out for weeks. A reservation screen for next summer already showed plenty of filled spots.

"What we see is people choosing recreation choices like this," said Lincoln Young of Collins Lake Resort, as campers around him bought ice cream, bags of ice, snacks and other items from the resort's store. "As long as we keep the place clean and well-organized, it's a very loyal clientele."

As he grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and corn still in the husk about 100 yards from shore at Collins Lake, Tim Vanover said he and his family have recently rediscovered places to get away in his figurative backyard.

"We're just going to try to relax," said Vanover, a Yuba City resident who works at a Roseville business that finds jobs for the disabled. It's not easy, he said, but some government contracts help them make it.

"We'll stay until dusk," he said. "As long as we've got food for grandma."

But while the shore was crowded at paid resort Collins Lake, people enjoying a mild breeze and sunny skies at free day-camp sites at Lake Francis wondered where everyone was.

Lloyd and Mary Pask of Yuba City said they'd packed equipment to have breakfast by lakeshore, thinking they'd need to arrive that early to get a good spot.

While the campground nearby was full, they and another family had their site to themselves at midday.

"It's $250 to camp for five nights, but this is what we like to do," said Lloyd Pask, 53. "Normally, I'd say if they're not here by now, they're not coming."

Nearby, Hershel Petty of Browns Valley said he was also surprised by the relative quiet. When his two sons came up with their families for the weekend, Lake Francis was an affordable choice, he said.

Petty, 52, said money was a consideration. A contractor by trade, he's had little to no work for months.

"I'm stressed about it," he said as he watched his sons and grandsons splash in the lake and make sandwiches on the shore. "But I'm for sure not done."

As he relaxed in the shade, he said, worrying about such things could wait. At least until Tuesday.

CONTACT Ben van der Meer at 749-4709 or bvandermeer@ appealdemocrat.com