Last week was the familys' birthdays. Fawn and Atreyu both had their special day last week. Monday for the boy and Sunday for my lady. I managed through some miracle to end up with a Saturday off so we headed out.
Small trip, small post.
We spent Saturday day running errands and looking at houses. Atreyu and I got to do some grocery shopping and hit up a book fair. That after noon with the car way too packed for an overnight we headed out. Destination; camping, anywhere. Atreyu is an amazing driving force to get out into the woods. He loves it outside. He will pull the tent out of the closet and say "camp camp Trey camp" how does one say no to that? We drive a few short miles out to a state park right off I5 called Paradise Point. Small park not too impressive. We snagged what I think is the best site in the whole campground, had to tote all our gear about 50 yards, but no big deal. Fire pit and table, both clean and maintained. Pit toilet near by and a flush with showers across the way. Only $12 a night for our walk in spot.
After the baby went to sleep fawn and I laid out and looked at stars for a bit but unfortunately there was still quite a bit of light pollution do we didn't get to see too much. Sunday we strolled down to the river. It was quiet, a little muddy and the water level was low, but we got to see a heron and some good animal prints in the mud. It was a good chance to test out Fawns new camera. Poor Relly hurt her foot on the walk and pulled a nail, vet said its fine Just keep it clean. We stopped for food at this tiny little diner that had the best food. Had to go a little out of the way for a farm stand and found the most beautiful tomatoes and some really nice corn. Swing by the old grist mill on the way home. Pretty nice overnight.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Highlights of some recent trips.
I recently started a new job, two of them actually. I have gone down to the one that will work best for my family. However since i have very few skills and no relevant experience to a real job Im back to working ion bar, that means weekends. SO our outdoor adventures have been killed for a time, which sucks to seriously no end.
But i didn't want to leave my readers out in the dark (Hi Mom!!) so I decided I could post a few places we'd been in the past with some reviews. I realized that most of my posts were free sites and they don't always work for car campers, but we do our share of state parks, we just try limit the amount we spend on camping, an activity that by all rights should be free. So a couple of reviews of pay campgrounds we camped at...
Cape Disappointment State Park, in Washington. Beautiful coast along the Pacific North West and this was no exception. The park itself had plenty of beach access and even had a really groovy bluegrass band playing in the park the weekend we stayed. We drove out here, like most places we visit, on a whim. The website said they had primitive campsites for $12 a night, they were near the ocean, that was enough for us. However when we got there and went to check in we were told that the $12 sites were hiker/biker sites, and that the cheapest basic site was 29!!! A NIGHT!!! TO PUT UP A TENT??? But we paid it. The sites were really close together and there was little to no privacy. This was a "what you expect" at state park camping spot. They had free hot showers and flush toilets, all sites have picnic tables and fire rings and of course you can buy firewood from the host. There was a camp store with limited and overpriced items. There were a couple of towns near by to visit. All in all it was nice but tooooo much money to camp. I mean we could have rented a shady motel for the same money.
Beverly Beach, in Oregon. Oh SOOOO Beautiful. We were there in off season so we had the whole of the tent camping area to ourselves, just about. The RV section was fully reserved. We went when it was still a little chilly and a little rainy. That doesn't stop us, an extra layer and a set of dry gear, cooking sucks in the rain though......
We were actually on our way to a freebie spot I had scouted on the net but after taking the day in and letting Atreyu play in the sand we didn't have the heart to put him back in the car for another hour when this spot was right here. If I recall it correctly it was $17 a night for tent camping this time of year. They had a small office/interperative center/gift shop where the nicest old guy worked. We spent the evening friday strolling on the beach, I went back wasted to listen to the waves after everyone else had passed out. Saturday we had coffee on the sand and came back to a hot breakfast cooked open fire by yours truly. I had seen eggs and bacon (in a paper bag!!!) method online and decided to adapt it for my camp pot. Worked great!! All day Sat we chilled on the beach, napped, strolled through the nature trail, ate snacks and laid around reading: it was wonderful. The Campsite was a 3 minute stroll from the ocean and you could hear and smell the salt water as you fell asleep. Sunday we booked out early cause it was still rainy and it was starting to get kind of..... wet. We hit a pig n pancake, saw another beach in groovy little coastal town and headed home. The caveat to this place was; I would never want to go here when it's tent busy, during peak season the campsite are right on top of one another, of course they're separated by a sort of natural barrier, but waaaaaay to close for stretching out a bit. Same accommodations you'd expect at any state park, showers, fire pits, picnic tables and firewood available from the camp host.
Deschutes River Recreation Area. This was a gem. We passed a bunch of spots along the way here specifically because I wanted this spot. We head out here because it is in the high desert and it was supposed to pour anywhere west of the cascades that weekend, so we headed east. The campsites weren't amazing, a field with a number of parking spots and fire pits and picnic tables. NO shower for the tent sites! But spots were only $5!!!! We woke up in the cusp of a valley, on either side of us the spring flowers of the desert cropped out in all directions. It was beautiful, like a painting. We were camped less than 150 feet from the Deschutes river, amazing water, right near where it meets the Hood river. You'd could get cheap supplies from the host, but there was no town near for shopping or dining. Although there was a corner off an exit to the highway near by where you could have your choice of truck stop convenience stores and fast food joints. The park is most famous for a hie that follows the river into the desert (start early and bring lots of water and sunscreen) and for a bike road that leads to some cool destinations, about an 11 mile ride, I didn't bring my bike, don't make the same mistake.
Well I think thats probably enough for now, I want to save a couple of ideas for another time and stuff on the internet should be kept as short and sweet a s possible.
Pro tip of the day: Off season many of these places are not policed and have no host, not always the case but often, now I'm not saying you shouldn't pay, but it's possible no one will ever know you were even there. #Ninjacamping
****ninjacamping is not a trademarked idea and I'll remind you that you are already paying for this place to be built and operated with tax dollars, a place it might totally be free to camp if they hadn't built a state park there....
But i didn't want to leave my readers out in the dark (Hi Mom!!) so I decided I could post a few places we'd been in the past with some reviews. I realized that most of my posts were free sites and they don't always work for car campers, but we do our share of state parks, we just try limit the amount we spend on camping, an activity that by all rights should be free. So a couple of reviews of pay campgrounds we camped at...
Cape Disappointment State Park, in Washington. Beautiful coast along the Pacific North West and this was no exception. The park itself had plenty of beach access and even had a really groovy bluegrass band playing in the park the weekend we stayed. We drove out here, like most places we visit, on a whim. The website said they had primitive campsites for $12 a night, they were near the ocean, that was enough for us. However when we got there and went to check in we were told that the $12 sites were hiker/biker sites, and that the cheapest basic site was 29!!! A NIGHT!!! TO PUT UP A TENT??? But we paid it. The sites were really close together and there was little to no privacy. This was a "what you expect" at state park camping spot. They had free hot showers and flush toilets, all sites have picnic tables and fire rings and of course you can buy firewood from the host. There was a camp store with limited and overpriced items. There were a couple of towns near by to visit. All in all it was nice but tooooo much money to camp. I mean we could have rented a shady motel for the same money.
Beverly Beach, in Oregon. Oh SOOOO Beautiful. We were there in off season so we had the whole of the tent camping area to ourselves, just about. The RV section was fully reserved. We went when it was still a little chilly and a little rainy. That doesn't stop us, an extra layer and a set of dry gear, cooking sucks in the rain though......
We were actually on our way to a freebie spot I had scouted on the net but after taking the day in and letting Atreyu play in the sand we didn't have the heart to put him back in the car for another hour when this spot was right here. If I recall it correctly it was $17 a night for tent camping this time of year. They had a small office/interperative center/gift shop where the nicest old guy worked. We spent the evening friday strolling on the beach, I went back wasted to listen to the waves after everyone else had passed out. Saturday we had coffee on the sand and came back to a hot breakfast cooked open fire by yours truly. I had seen eggs and bacon (in a paper bag!!!) method online and decided to adapt it for my camp pot. Worked great!! All day Sat we chilled on the beach, napped, strolled through the nature trail, ate snacks and laid around reading: it was wonderful. The Campsite was a 3 minute stroll from the ocean and you could hear and smell the salt water as you fell asleep. Sunday we booked out early cause it was still rainy and it was starting to get kind of..... wet. We hit a pig n pancake, saw another beach in groovy little coastal town and headed home. The caveat to this place was; I would never want to go here when it's tent busy, during peak season the campsite are right on top of one another, of course they're separated by a sort of natural barrier, but waaaaaay to close for stretching out a bit. Same accommodations you'd expect at any state park, showers, fire pits, picnic tables and firewood available from the camp host.
Deschutes River Recreation Area. This was a gem. We passed a bunch of spots along the way here specifically because I wanted this spot. We head out here because it is in the high desert and it was supposed to pour anywhere west of the cascades that weekend, so we headed east. The campsites weren't amazing, a field with a number of parking spots and fire pits and picnic tables. NO shower for the tent sites! But spots were only $5!!!! We woke up in the cusp of a valley, on either side of us the spring flowers of the desert cropped out in all directions. It was beautiful, like a painting. We were camped less than 150 feet from the Deschutes river, amazing water, right near where it meets the Hood river. You'd could get cheap supplies from the host, but there was no town near for shopping or dining. Although there was a corner off an exit to the highway near by where you could have your choice of truck stop convenience stores and fast food joints. The park is most famous for a hie that follows the river into the desert (start early and bring lots of water and sunscreen) and for a bike road that leads to some cool destinations, about an 11 mile ride, I didn't bring my bike, don't make the same mistake.
Well I think thats probably enough for now, I want to save a couple of ideas for another time and stuff on the internet should be kept as short and sweet a s possible.
Pro tip of the day: Off season many of these places are not policed and have no host, not always the case but often, now I'm not saying you shouldn't pay, but it's possible no one will ever know you were even there. #Ninjacamping
****ninjacamping is not a trademarked idea and I'll remind you that you are already paying for this place to be built and operated with tax dollars, a place it might totally be free to camp if they hadn't built a state park there....
Sunday, July 20, 2014
A quiet spot almost on a lake, and a busy weekend.
How many miles can a family of three put on a brand new minivan in the first week you say? Well it seems the answer is at least 700.
The back and forth of day to day helps, but you really rack on the miles when the toddler sees all the outdoor gear in the closet points and says "camp?". So, load up the minivan. Were going camping. It doesn't take much to get this team excited about the forest. The minivan was fun, I literally loaded all the stuff I never bring because it's waaaaaaayyyyy too much stuff, but I guess, why not(?) since we had the room.
We went to the Sherwood OR on Saturday and spent the day strolling around, they have apparently been having the Robin Hood fair here for a few decades by now, it was a fun little fair. We ate some popcorn, corn on the cob, sweets and some tasty burgers, for charity, of course. Saw the tail end of sword fight, and the beginning of a comedy show. Atreyu and Fawn did some arts and crafts. On our way out of the fair we came across a community yard sale on the tail end of not as busy day as they had hoped for. The sale was being advertised as "anything that fits in a garbage bag for $5" sale by the time we got there, we had to stop. Filling a bag wasn't too hard, so we filled a giant moving box as well (minivan).
After the fair we headed for Mt Hood. An overnight was in the works. Packed and ready to go, we search for Timothy Lake, out route 26 past Government camp and a quick right onto the "Oregon Skyline Road", which doesn't really have near the amount of skyline you might guess from the name. Our trip out here took us past a forest fire in the distance and a guy sitting next to a truck wrecked in a ditch. Seeing as it was Saturday and we weren't really exactly sure where the campsites we were looking for were, we didn't find it that night. We popped up the tent in a 'throw it up quick for the night, cause I'm hungry and tired of driving around looking for a good spot' spot. It will do. Our site was clean and had obviously been cared for by previous users, there was evidence of a second fire pit that had been recently removed and there was very little litter in the area. We did our usual, check around and clean up anything we can. A pay campsite cost $20, a free one is worth a half hour of your weekend. Our spot was a little sketchy as it was pretty near the road and had that "I hear banjos" feel. We didn't find the lake on Saturday despite driving around for an extra hour looking for the spots in our camping reference book that clearly state there are some prime spots to be found right on the lake front, what we did find was evidence of a lake though. About a billion mosquitos and helicopters collecting water from the lake flying overhead. Our spot was just about a half mile east of the entrance to the "little crater lake" campground. We were able to draw clear cold delicious water at the well here and there are pit toilets at the campground if you're too squeamish to dig a cat hole.
The day use area in the campground is where we started our hike on Sunday morning. Little Crater lake is amazing, a geologic feature like none I have ever seen, only about 100 feet across and 45 feet deep, and you can see clear down to the bottom, water so blue its almost like looking into a painting of a lake. We troop it out about 2.5 miles down the trail where we find Timothy Lake!!! And all the camping spots we were looking for the night before!! No sweat, Fawn didn't want to take a chance driving a 6 day old car down the trail road, which (in all fairness looked mostly ok, but had some sketchy spots) led down to the lake from the main forest road. All the spots down here were taken anyway. We hiked on, another half mile hike in we found what I can only describe as one of the most ideal tent camping areas I have ever come across. Too hard to reach for some, but those who make the trek would be greatly rewarded, with a scenic outcrop looking out over the whole of the lake and a small sandy spot to wade and dip into the (not too) cold lake. A couple of fire rings not too close to one another make this an ok spot for a few camps. It would have been amazing to find this the night before. Oh well, next time. We did spend some time here on the little beachy area before heading back, Atreyu did his thing. Yes!! Throwing rocks in the water!!
On our walk out we carried out some garbage left at this site. It baffles me how a case of PBR is light enough to carry the half mile walk in when it's full but is too heavy to carry out when it's empty. We ran into some people parked along the trail that allowed us to leave the bags with them to load in their pickup so we didn't have to carry them the rest of our hike. (Thank You). On our way home we decided it would be cool to stop for lunch, we toughed the van up the trek to the Timberline lodge to take in the scenery and then we hit "Ratskeller" in Government Camp for lunch, and like the reviews online say, food was good, service was meh. After that Fawn and I shared a chocolate bar like ninjas in the front seat so not to have to share with the 'all mighty and crazy on sugar one' in the back seat on the way home. Comfy cozy, showered and in bed.
I have been asked a few times in my travels what is the one piece of equipment I recommend people get for newby campers. The answer is easy, cook wear. Most first time campers are going out when it's warm and dry in the summer, there isn't a real need for an ultra light tent, or sub zero thermal sleeping bag. But you can do real damage to the pots and pans from your kitchen by cooking with them over a fire or even with most camp stoves (which burn way hotter than a conventional stove at home), but for a small amount of money you can get a pots and pans set that will travel with you for years, it will be light weight and durable enough to handle being placed right into hot coals on an open fire.*Pro-tip, by learning the subtle art of controlling the way the coals burn you can make almost anything on the fire you can at home. I have baked cookies and biscuits, pancakes are one of my favorite campfire foods, ever.* I have a personal size mess kit for backpacking but for car camping I carry a 4 quart pot w/ lid and 16" skillet. Between those two I have yet run into an issue with being able to make coffee and breakfast at the same time. Even the most cranky of camping reluctant teenager can be soothed by a warm cup of cocoa if it gets chilly out. Nothing tastes better than when it comes out just right and right off the open fire under the big trees.
The back and forth of day to day helps, but you really rack on the miles when the toddler sees all the outdoor gear in the closet points and says "camp?". So, load up the minivan. Were going camping. It doesn't take much to get this team excited about the forest. The minivan was fun, I literally loaded all the stuff I never bring because it's waaaaaaayyyyy too much stuff, but I guess, why not(?) since we had the room.
We went to the Sherwood OR on Saturday and spent the day strolling around, they have apparently been having the Robin Hood fair here for a few decades by now, it was a fun little fair. We ate some popcorn, corn on the cob, sweets and some tasty burgers, for charity, of course. Saw the tail end of sword fight, and the beginning of a comedy show. Atreyu and Fawn did some arts and crafts. On our way out of the fair we came across a community yard sale on the tail end of not as busy day as they had hoped for. The sale was being advertised as "anything that fits in a garbage bag for $5" sale by the time we got there, we had to stop. Filling a bag wasn't too hard, so we filled a giant moving box as well (minivan).
After the fair we headed for Mt Hood. An overnight was in the works. Packed and ready to go, we search for Timothy Lake, out route 26 past Government camp and a quick right onto the "Oregon Skyline Road", which doesn't really have near the amount of skyline you might guess from the name. Our trip out here took us past a forest fire in the distance and a guy sitting next to a truck wrecked in a ditch. Seeing as it was Saturday and we weren't really exactly sure where the campsites we were looking for were, we didn't find it that night. We popped up the tent in a 'throw it up quick for the night, cause I'm hungry and tired of driving around looking for a good spot' spot. It will do. Our site was clean and had obviously been cared for by previous users, there was evidence of a second fire pit that had been recently removed and there was very little litter in the area. We did our usual, check around and clean up anything we can. A pay campsite cost $20, a free one is worth a half hour of your weekend. Our spot was a little sketchy as it was pretty near the road and had that "I hear banjos" feel. We didn't find the lake on Saturday despite driving around for an extra hour looking for the spots in our camping reference book that clearly state there are some prime spots to be found right on the lake front, what we did find was evidence of a lake though. About a billion mosquitos and helicopters collecting water from the lake flying overhead. Our spot was just about a half mile east of the entrance to the "little crater lake" campground. We were able to draw clear cold delicious water at the well here and there are pit toilets at the campground if you're too squeamish to dig a cat hole.
The day use area in the campground is where we started our hike on Sunday morning. Little Crater lake is amazing, a geologic feature like none I have ever seen, only about 100 feet across and 45 feet deep, and you can see clear down to the bottom, water so blue its almost like looking into a painting of a lake. We troop it out about 2.5 miles down the trail where we find Timothy Lake!!! And all the camping spots we were looking for the night before!! No sweat, Fawn didn't want to take a chance driving a 6 day old car down the trail road, which (in all fairness looked mostly ok, but had some sketchy spots) led down to the lake from the main forest road. All the spots down here were taken anyway. We hiked on, another half mile hike in we found what I can only describe as one of the most ideal tent camping areas I have ever come across. Too hard to reach for some, but those who make the trek would be greatly rewarded, with a scenic outcrop looking out over the whole of the lake and a small sandy spot to wade and dip into the (not too) cold lake. A couple of fire rings not too close to one another make this an ok spot for a few camps. It would have been amazing to find this the night before. Oh well, next time. We did spend some time here on the little beachy area before heading back, Atreyu did his thing. Yes!! Throwing rocks in the water!!
On our walk out we carried out some garbage left at this site. It baffles me how a case of PBR is light enough to carry the half mile walk in when it's full but is too heavy to carry out when it's empty. We ran into some people parked along the trail that allowed us to leave the bags with them to load in their pickup so we didn't have to carry them the rest of our hike. (Thank You). On our way home we decided it would be cool to stop for lunch, we toughed the van up the trek to the Timberline lodge to take in the scenery and then we hit "Ratskeller" in Government Camp for lunch, and like the reviews online say, food was good, service was meh. After that Fawn and I shared a chocolate bar like ninjas in the front seat so not to have to share with the 'all mighty and crazy on sugar one' in the back seat on the way home. Comfy cozy, showered and in bed.
I have been asked a few times in my travels what is the one piece of equipment I recommend people get for newby campers. The answer is easy, cook wear. Most first time campers are going out when it's warm and dry in the summer, there isn't a real need for an ultra light tent, or sub zero thermal sleeping bag. But you can do real damage to the pots and pans from your kitchen by cooking with them over a fire or even with most camp stoves (which burn way hotter than a conventional stove at home), but for a small amount of money you can get a pots and pans set that will travel with you for years, it will be light weight and durable enough to handle being placed right into hot coals on an open fire.*Pro-tip, by learning the subtle art of controlling the way the coals burn you can make almost anything on the fire you can at home. I have baked cookies and biscuits, pancakes are one of my favorite campfire foods, ever.* I have a personal size mess kit for backpacking but for car camping I carry a 4 quart pot w/ lid and 16" skillet. Between those two I have yet run into an issue with being able to make coffee and breakfast at the same time. Even the most cranky of camping reluctant teenager can be soothed by a warm cup of cocoa if it gets chilly out. Nothing tastes better than when it comes out just right and right off the open fire under the big trees.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Time away is a magical journey in the forest.
This week our troop followed some of the suggestions in a couple of the many camping/hiking reference books we have collected over our time here in the PacNW. Leaving Thursday after work and going on no more information than trusting our whole weekend to an adventure and the knowledge granted to us via a book we bought on a whim, we headed east toward Mt Hood. The national forest here is amazing. Countless streams and hiking trails are enough to keep the outdoorsy kind busy for decades, but there is so much more. Views of a snow-peaked mountain pop out when you least expect it, and depending on the side of the mountain you're on will be an entire different climate zone.
The decision to head out on Thursday was an easy one, besides actually just having Friday off, it was also a holiday weekend, not always the best time to go out but, we were confident we would get a spot so go we did. Thursday we arrived just after 6, a quick ride from downtown for sure. We camped at a dispersed camping area off of "Lolos Pass" (we'll get to more about Lolos Pass later), the area was a dead end dirt road that was fairly passable in all except the lowest of cars with just a small amount of care, but there were plenty of rocks and dips in the road to go slow around and to go corner wise across. The road had about 15 established camping spots with fire rings and trees, nothing more as this is a primitive camping area within the national forest, so don't forget your shovel. There was easy water access at a small sandy "beach" on the Sandy river.
The river here is way to cold and fast for swimming but proved really nice for retrieving water, our fancy pump (Kataden water filtration system) was well loved this weekend, and we were able to freshen up a bit with a few splashes. If I had brought my fishing pole I probably wouldn't have broken it out here.
Our site was great, plenty of space to set up our new tent and to stretch out a little, a couple of camp chairs next to the fire was indeed in order and there was plenty of dry firewood to be collected. Our space was so nice we decided to stay the third night even though we'd only planned for two nights. Thursday night was beautiful and quiet, but Friday morning (being a holiday) brought tons of traffic even though most the spots were full already. Friday we did some strolling around and we found a Faerie circle and some powerful magic old growth woods, and we spent the day in relax mode, chilling by the creek/fire/tent/faerie circle and read books and talked and ate much of the day away. On Saturday we decided to head out for a short easy hike(as we had the baby) and maybe a swim, our outdated camping book, purchased at GW for $1.99 seemed to suggest both were available at "Lost lake".
Lost Lake is a small lake, the hike around it was just over 3 miles and mostly flat. The scenery was beautiful and near pristine in every direction as far as the eye could see. One of the most iconic views of Mt Hood is from here on the bank of the lake. The water was warm enough to swim but not hot and there was good access most of the way around the lake with lots of shallow area for Atreyu to play in the water and to throw rocks, his favorite activity. All these wonderful things about the lake almost evened out the fact that so many people were there they should change the name to Found Lake. If you do go make sure you have pockets as deep as the lake itself, 175 feet in the middle, because it's spendy... $7 to park for the day, the camp-store was at least 50% more expensive than standard retail, $24 minimum to rent a rowboat and starting at $26 a night for a standard tent campsite. the most fun part of the day was getting back and forth from Lost Lake, which required us to drive the length of.... wait for it....you guessed it...... Lolos Pass.
Lolos Pass is a road that travels straight up and into the heart of some of the most mountainous region of The Mt Hood forest accessible by a standard car. The 8 mile stretch of road is windy and wrought with step cliffs and amazing views. there are plenty of places to pull off and take in some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever had the pleasure to witness. this road seems popular with bicyclists and i think it would be hella fun to ride up here and do some bike camping. The drive to lost lake would have been barely an adventure if the trip was all Lolos. Lolos pass dead-ends at the top of one mountain, where you make a right turn onto a single lane dirt road through and over the next mountain. There are camper trailers and pick up tucks and SUVs (probably logging trucks on weekdays as there were some active clear cuts all along here) galore flying up and down this road and there is only but a few pullouts to make sure you both have room to pass. As if single lane with crazy drivers and only a few pull-offs weren't enough, the length of the road has shear cliffs on one side, no guard rail. Fun.
Since we hadn't packed food for 3 nights we ate dinner Saturday night and Sunday morning breakfast at the ZigZag Inn. An affordable, rustic spot with ok food, but we like supporting local and it was right at the end of the road as it rejoins the main thoroughfare.
I had intended to make this post a bit of a review of our new tent but that went to the way side. I'll just say we are really happy with it, the "Drifter 3" by Mountain Hardwear. It is dry and lightweight, the fly is convenient and can be used individually from the tent itself in conjunction with the poles for the beach or ultralight backpacking. It has lots of features and enough pocket space although it is just a smidge small for the three of us and the dog.
The decision to head out on Thursday was an easy one, besides actually just having Friday off, it was also a holiday weekend, not always the best time to go out but, we were confident we would get a spot so go we did. Thursday we arrived just after 6, a quick ride from downtown for sure. We camped at a dispersed camping area off of "Lolos Pass" (we'll get to more about Lolos Pass later), the area was a dead end dirt road that was fairly passable in all except the lowest of cars with just a small amount of care, but there were plenty of rocks and dips in the road to go slow around and to go corner wise across. The road had about 15 established camping spots with fire rings and trees, nothing more as this is a primitive camping area within the national forest, so don't forget your shovel. There was easy water access at a small sandy "beach" on the Sandy river.
The river here is way to cold and fast for swimming but proved really nice for retrieving water, our fancy pump (Kataden water filtration system) was well loved this weekend, and we were able to freshen up a bit with a few splashes. If I had brought my fishing pole I probably wouldn't have broken it out here.
Our site was great, plenty of space to set up our new tent and to stretch out a little, a couple of camp chairs next to the fire was indeed in order and there was plenty of dry firewood to be collected. Our space was so nice we decided to stay the third night even though we'd only planned for two nights. Thursday night was beautiful and quiet, but Friday morning (being a holiday) brought tons of traffic even though most the spots were full already. Friday we did some strolling around and we found a Faerie circle and some powerful magic old growth woods, and we spent the day in relax mode, chilling by the creek/fire/tent/faerie circle and read books and talked and ate much of the day away. On Saturday we decided to head out for a short easy hike(as we had the baby) and maybe a swim, our outdated camping book, purchased at GW for $1.99 seemed to suggest both were available at "Lost lake".
Lost Lake is a small lake, the hike around it was just over 3 miles and mostly flat. The scenery was beautiful and near pristine in every direction as far as the eye could see. One of the most iconic views of Mt Hood is from here on the bank of the lake. The water was warm enough to swim but not hot and there was good access most of the way around the lake with lots of shallow area for Atreyu to play in the water and to throw rocks, his favorite activity. All these wonderful things about the lake almost evened out the fact that so many people were there they should change the name to Found Lake. If you do go make sure you have pockets as deep as the lake itself, 175 feet in the middle, because it's spendy... $7 to park for the day, the camp-store was at least 50% more expensive than standard retail, $24 minimum to rent a rowboat and starting at $26 a night for a standard tent campsite. the most fun part of the day was getting back and forth from Lost Lake, which required us to drive the length of.... wait for it....you guessed it...... Lolos Pass.
Lolos Pass is a road that travels straight up and into the heart of some of the most mountainous region of The Mt Hood forest accessible by a standard car. The 8 mile stretch of road is windy and wrought with step cliffs and amazing views. there are plenty of places to pull off and take in some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever had the pleasure to witness. this road seems popular with bicyclists and i think it would be hella fun to ride up here and do some bike camping. The drive to lost lake would have been barely an adventure if the trip was all Lolos. Lolos pass dead-ends at the top of one mountain, where you make a right turn onto a single lane dirt road through and over the next mountain. There are camper trailers and pick up tucks and SUVs (probably logging trucks on weekdays as there were some active clear cuts all along here) galore flying up and down this road and there is only but a few pullouts to make sure you both have room to pass. As if single lane with crazy drivers and only a few pull-offs weren't enough, the length of the road has shear cliffs on one side, no guard rail. Fun.
Since we hadn't packed food for 3 nights we ate dinner Saturday night and Sunday morning breakfast at the ZigZag Inn. An affordable, rustic spot with ok food, but we like supporting local and it was right at the end of the road as it rejoins the main thoroughfare.
I had intended to make this post a bit of a review of our new tent but that went to the way side. I'll just say we are really happy with it, the "Drifter 3" by Mountain Hardwear. It is dry and lightweight, the fly is convenient and can be used individually from the tent itself in conjunction with the poles for the beach or ultralight backpacking. It has lots of features and enough pocket space although it is just a smidge small for the three of us and the dog.
Monday, June 23, 2014
A quick dip is essential to life.
A we've gone to few swimming holes in the near past. All are great, some are a little more family freindly than others.
Most recently we went to a swimming hole on the Nehalem river in Oregon. The river was beautiful, the water was a little warmer than most around here. There was a small beach area but most of it was kinda rocky. There was a bunch of salamanders in the water and I probably could have reached down and picked one up if i wanted. Atreyu liked stomping into the water and splashing. He enjoyed the pastime activity here of, throwing rocks into the water. The trail was pretty easy except for a small part where it was a little treacherous climbing down a small bank and our old dog needed a boost coming back up. I don't recommend a large picnic or a bunch of beach furniture, but what ever fits into a bag or a day pack would be fine.
We have been out to the Washougal river in Washington a few times, twice this year and once last summer. Atreyu and I headed out to a park on the river one day in late April, no swimming just a little toe dipping, the water was still too high and cold anyway but the hot day sure made the water look inviting. We have gone swimming a few times on the western bank of the river, we found a convenient and easy spot to go to right off the road and just a couple miles up from the highway. I'm sure this spot gets super busy on big hot days but it is nice, the water isn't too fast here and the hole is big enough and deep enough for actually swimming and there is plenty of shallow area for the little guys. Not too much beach space so don't bring too much stuff if you think it might be busy. I did take the first dip of the summer at this spot, man that was cold.
A great spot for a cold dip in Oregon is the "3 pools" area in the opal creek wilderness. I think this is a forest pass area but you could always park up the road and walk down if you don't want to pay the $5. This area is a pretty far drive from any major town, the nearest city is Salem and that's about an hour away. So definitely make a day of it. The distance doesn't sway people from using this spot though, it is pretty heavily used, but not totally trashed (the two times I've been there anyway) but I do recommend you bring an extra bag to pick up some extra litter.There is plenty of parking and the trail is easy down to the swimming holes. Wear shoes, I almost lost a Teva when jumping off the rocks here.
Do you have a spot you'd like to share? Feel free to comment with a story. Always looking for, and willing to trade, good (especially free) camping sites.
Most recently we went to a swimming hole on the Nehalem river in Oregon. The river was beautiful, the water was a little warmer than most around here. There was a small beach area but most of it was kinda rocky. There was a bunch of salamanders in the water and I probably could have reached down and picked one up if i wanted. Atreyu liked stomping into the water and splashing. He enjoyed the pastime activity here of, throwing rocks into the water. The trail was pretty easy except for a small part where it was a little treacherous climbing down a small bank and our old dog needed a boost coming back up. I don't recommend a large picnic or a bunch of beach furniture, but what ever fits into a bag or a day pack would be fine.
We have been out to the Washougal river in Washington a few times, twice this year and once last summer. Atreyu and I headed out to a park on the river one day in late April, no swimming just a little toe dipping, the water was still too high and cold anyway but the hot day sure made the water look inviting. We have gone swimming a few times on the western bank of the river, we found a convenient and easy spot to go to right off the road and just a couple miles up from the highway. I'm sure this spot gets super busy on big hot days but it is nice, the water isn't too fast here and the hole is big enough and deep enough for actually swimming and there is plenty of shallow area for the little guys. Not too much beach space so don't bring too much stuff if you think it might be busy. I did take the first dip of the summer at this spot, man that was cold.
A great spot for a cold dip in Oregon is the "3 pools" area in the opal creek wilderness. I think this is a forest pass area but you could always park up the road and walk down if you don't want to pay the $5. This area is a pretty far drive from any major town, the nearest city is Salem and that's about an hour away. So definitely make a day of it. The distance doesn't sway people from using this spot though, it is pretty heavily used, but not totally trashed (the two times I've been there anyway) but I do recommend you bring an extra bag to pick up some extra litter.There is plenty of parking and the trail is easy down to the swimming holes. Wear shoes, I almost lost a Teva when jumping off the rocks here.
Do you have a spot you'd like to share? Feel free to comment with a story. Always looking for, and willing to trade, good (especially free) camping sites.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Staring at the stars. An idea comes.
I decided that our life outside the world, the mundane world that is, was interesting enough to read about. When did I decide this? While I was staring at the stars from the doorway of our tent last night. I thought about it, and thought "people might be interested in what spots we camped, and what we thought about each destination." I thought that we have enough experience in the field of camping and tramping we might be an authority. Well, you can't have a reputable blog without being an authority.
This weekend we spent two nights out among the stars and the trees in Tillamook forest at the "Cook Creek camp area". This area is made up 4 mile stretch of road with 17 dispersed established campsites running along the Cook Creek. Free camping only a 20 minute (or so) drive to Manzanita, a beautiful and quaint little beach front town more than made up for the, fairly light, ATV traffic. The short trip to the coast didn't make up for the lack of river access or the guns going off at 10 o'clock at night. The majority of sites had shear drops of 8 feet or more to reach the creek and there was a crazy person firing off a gun at what seemed an unreasonable hour (it was the solstice, the longest day of the year) even though there were signs clearly stating it was allowable behavior.
We were able to clean up our sight, which wasn't too overly abused, and set up camp in a quick minute. The car camping access was easy enough and I am pretty sure even the large RV's would be easy to get into most of the sites (no hookups). No amenities to be expected here besides a single porta-potty near site 4-5-6 and fire rings at each site. Sites were all open and spacious however and allowed for some fantastic night time sky gazing. We enjoyed the space and privacy overall but probably would not choose this spot over some others in the area in the future, but a great one to keep in the back of your mind.
This weekend we spent two nights out among the stars and the trees in Tillamook forest at the "Cook Creek camp area". This area is made up 4 mile stretch of road with 17 dispersed established campsites running along the Cook Creek. Free camping only a 20 minute (or so) drive to Manzanita, a beautiful and quaint little beach front town more than made up for the, fairly light, ATV traffic. The short trip to the coast didn't make up for the lack of river access or the guns going off at 10 o'clock at night. The majority of sites had shear drops of 8 feet or more to reach the creek and there was a crazy person firing off a gun at what seemed an unreasonable hour (it was the solstice, the longest day of the year) even though there were signs clearly stating it was allowable behavior.
We were able to clean up our sight, which wasn't too overly abused, and set up camp in a quick minute. The car camping access was easy enough and I am pretty sure even the large RV's would be easy to get into most of the sites (no hookups). No amenities to be expected here besides a single porta-potty near site 4-5-6 and fire rings at each site. Sites were all open and spacious however and allowed for some fantastic night time sky gazing. We enjoyed the space and privacy overall but probably would not choose this spot over some others in the area in the future, but a great one to keep in the back of your mind.
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