Let me start by saying that there is nothing in this world quite like the high desert in spring time. The dessert is lush and green. Yes. Lush and green. The spring brings tufts of grass, and wildflowers, and trees that take decades to grow but a few inches, and prickly things. All beautiful.
The core team (Atreyu and Fawn) and I did two nights in the Cottonwood Canyon state park on the banks of the John Day river, just a bit south east of The Dalles OR. We pulled in around 5-6 on Friday and set up. It's super windy here so set up your tent on the leeward side of the provided shelter walls. These will also give a little shade in late hours if the sun is blazing. We had a little dinner and settled in to watch the stars from the door of our tent with my boy all cozied in his bag with his head laying in my lap so he could see.
The thing you might not expect is the cold. Year round it gets cold at night.
On Saturday we woke up and made windy breakfast, oatmeal bar and coffee. I LOOOOOVE oatmeal (#sarcasm), but it is good for you, especially out in the wilderness. Sticks to your ribs. I had a small stroll over with a group of adults(!!!!) for a guided bird walk. Cooler than it sounds, actually. Then the three of us packed some day bags and wandered into the desert. 1.5 miles each way along the river down the "Hard Stone Trail". It was beautiful. Theres a super nice spot overlooking a bend in the river with a bench. Trey managed to walk the whole distance down and back with minimal breaks and carrying a pack, (BACKPACKING IN THE NEAR FUTURE!!!) a picnic lunch and back to camp.
Dinner was a mish-mash of chicken legs, rice and broccoli. Followed by marshmallows toasted, not burnt, with melted chocolate on top. I never saw a kid so content as in that moment. Another 1.5 miles loop around the park and settle in. Sitting by the fire as twilight grows in the canyon, with the river rushing by and a warm fire. Sitting, and talking into the darkness.as the stars peek out and the moon shines so bright you don't even need a flashlight to see.
Remember what I said about cold at night? Well... we woke to frost. On everything. But I got a fire going and we had some hot breakfast. We packed up and soaked up some sun before heading home. Stopped in a little diner, marys pancake house or something, in The Dalles, another quick stop at a playground and then home.
No reviews of gear this time, nothing new to report on that front. However I'd like to do a review of the campground. How wonderful is this time of year. So perfect. A couple things. It is cheap only $10 a night and there is firewood but it burns out very quickly, and no fires for late spring all through summer. But I'll bet you could find a couple great spots to splash in the river once the level goes down a bit. Are you a star gazer? You couldn't do better than this park on a new moon in the summer. Complete unobstructed view of the whole sky without so much as an inkling off light pollution. But Id make the recommendation of bringing your stove to cook, or better yet just bring lots of snacks and fresh fruit. Stuff that doesn't need to be cooked or kept cold. Whole watermelon, oranges, apples kiwi, those kinds of things. There is no ice anywhere to be found here either. Not for miles. There is literally no store open after 5 for a 30 minute drive. Last pro-tip here: I bring extra ground cover for under the tent and maybe don't take off your shoes and go running around barefoot. It is the desert and a lot of the plants are super sharp. A hole in your tent or your foot wouldn't be pleasant.
Until next time...
Monday, April 10, 2017
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Hoh rainforest, rainy beach day, hot springs, and a vampire home-town.
Our "Car Camping Dad and Team" had the great idea of heading out into the temperate rainforest in the very beginning of spring. This gave us the most beautiful, and wettest, adventure in my life so far.
Tuesday, March 28th 2017: The trip begins. Of course we leave an hour later than we wanted to. But were still on the road by 10 am. We hoofed it into the campground on day one. Very few stops. We considered for a minute renting a cabin near our intended campground until they quoted a price for a night, and we would've blown our whole trip budget in a few hours.... sooooo... no.
The first night we stayed at Kalaloch campground. Right on a bluff, right at the edge of the beach. It was super rainy. But it was one of the most beautiful oceans I've ever seen. Wild and free. Waves rolling and crashing on a beach completely bathed in dense fog. Surrealistic. That first night we built a fire using one of the home-made fire starters we made and some wood we bought along the way. It would've been way too wet to try to get a fire going with collected wood. We cooked some quick easy camp food and snuggled in for the night.
In the morning it was still pouring. We broke camp and headed to the next spot. On the way we found a few treasures. We saw "Duncan, the worlds largest red cedar tree" and we stopped in Forks WA. Yes 'that' Forks. The town is basically one main street (101) running through it with a few residential side roads.... but near every store had some reference to "Twilight" in the window. Between Duncan and Forks we stopped for a walk in the Hoh rainforest. The "Hall of Mosses" was literally the most breathtaking mystical and magical walk I've ever been on. We took the simple .08 mile loop through lush dense rainforest that felt easily as if it had come straight out of a fantasy novel full of wizards and faerie folk. With mosses blanketing every surface and the rain coming down, every tree branch dripped with rain and puddles turned into ponds and ponds became streams. If I had to choose the place to spend all the rest of my days from here until the last I could choose with ease as the memories are still fresh of what will always be the forest by which I will judge all others from now on.
Our original itinerary had a planned swing and stop over to La Push, because the beach there is supposed to be breathtaking but the pull of the hot springs was too strong.
We drove through 18 miles of the most awe-inspiring road I've ever driven to get to Sol Duc hot springs resort. Sol Duc is a series of man made swimming pools fed entirely by a natural hot spring. The resort is basically the hot springs and a handful of cabins. Our campground, surrounded by near untouched old growth forest, was just a couple hundred yards up the road it had all the basic amenities a campground usually has. We spent several hours at the hot springs before heading back to snuggle in.
The morning of day 3 we have a leisurely breakfast before we pack up and clean up, Fawn futilely tries to reorganize the van, and we hit the road. Side trip over get in a little stroll and picnic along the Elwah river and some great photos of a lake and snow peaked mountain. We have a quick stop in the town of Port Angeles before scooting to our last nights rest. In the idyllic town of Port Townsend we stay at a little shady motel (Port Townsend Inn) that has a pool and wonderful location. We have a delicious dinner at "Lanza's Restaurante", and a terrifically decadent chocolate torte from "Sweet Laurette" across the street. Some pool time for the kid and settle down. Morning brings the most basic continental breakfast and cartoons while we pack up. On the road we stop at Fort Worden state park, at the very NE tip of the Olympic peninsula. We had a nice early morning stroll and beach combing beautiful stones along the beach and out to the very tip of the peninsula. Saw some otter tracks and a golden eagle on a perch.
The last stop on the trip was a town called Paulsbo. We had some questionable lunch in a super cute/ touristy little "nordic" style town. Home was both welcome solace from the road and a reminder that the trip wasn't nearly long enough.
We bought two new pieces of gear for this trip I can review:
First review comes from Atreyu, who got a new brand new sleeping bag, 'Nodder by REI', of his very own!! He said it was just warm enough, not too warm and it was super cozy and that it was easy to get in and out of. Its a cool bag it has a built in stuff sack so you can cinch off the end as it kind of adjusts to your kid as they grow. Its rated to 20 degrees, which isn't bad because if we were camping in any colder he'd be in my bag to keep extra cozy anyway, and its synthetic so it would do pretty good even if it got wet. The weight is good, I think it comes in just about a pound and a half, but I would have liked if the cinch sac was also a compression bag. I think I could squeeze this thing down pretty small but in its built in bag its about the size of a vollyball. I'd call this a sweet value at around $80 as long as it holds up to the test of time.
The second item we brought for the first time was new boots for Fawn. Atreyu and I found a pair of waterproof Sorel boots on clearance (about $70) in Fawns size. I think these particular boots are more for snow but they did a great job keeping her feet warm and dry. She only once mentioned her toes getting cold and not once did she even get damp inside, even though my tried and tested hikers (that I've never had water get through before) were throughly soaked though after the rainforest walk. I can honestly say that if they had been much more money I wouldn't have picked them up but I'm so glad I did. Fawn seemed positively thrilled with them throughout the trip even though it was cold and rainy most of the time.
Bonus mini review!! Our friend Scott let us borrow his canopy. 10x10 "weekender". Did great. was easy to put up and take down by myself, a little tough to get back in its original bag (but thats not unusual), and gave us some space to keep ourselves and our gear dry during the 24 rainiest hours the Hoh has seen the whole season. This thing really made all the difference, the trip might have been near unbearable if it weren't for having a basic dryish place to hang out.
P.S. If any one has any questions about any of the gear we use/have used in the past, about menu planning, places we've stayed or want to stay please fell free to ask. Comments are awesome. Also if anyone wants to make suggestions about adventures or gear let me know. I also have a wish list on Amazon if anyone wants to see the types of things we need to get or to update, I'll gladly take suggestions on brands of gear you see there, Im always willing to try something new out and I can write up a review in a blog.
Tuesday, March 28th 2017: The trip begins. Of course we leave an hour later than we wanted to. But were still on the road by 10 am. We hoofed it into the campground on day one. Very few stops. We considered for a minute renting a cabin near our intended campground until they quoted a price for a night, and we would've blown our whole trip budget in a few hours.... sooooo... no.
The first night we stayed at Kalaloch campground. Right on a bluff, right at the edge of the beach. It was super rainy. But it was one of the most beautiful oceans I've ever seen. Wild and free. Waves rolling and crashing on a beach completely bathed in dense fog. Surrealistic. That first night we built a fire using one of the home-made fire starters we made and some wood we bought along the way. It would've been way too wet to try to get a fire going with collected wood. We cooked some quick easy camp food and snuggled in for the night.
In the morning it was still pouring. We broke camp and headed to the next spot. On the way we found a few treasures. We saw "Duncan, the worlds largest red cedar tree" and we stopped in Forks WA. Yes 'that' Forks. The town is basically one main street (101) running through it with a few residential side roads.... but near every store had some reference to "Twilight" in the window. Between Duncan and Forks we stopped for a walk in the Hoh rainforest. The "Hall of Mosses" was literally the most breathtaking mystical and magical walk I've ever been on. We took the simple .08 mile loop through lush dense rainforest that felt easily as if it had come straight out of a fantasy novel full of wizards and faerie folk. With mosses blanketing every surface and the rain coming down, every tree branch dripped with rain and puddles turned into ponds and ponds became streams. If I had to choose the place to spend all the rest of my days from here until the last I could choose with ease as the memories are still fresh of what will always be the forest by which I will judge all others from now on.
Our original itinerary had a planned swing and stop over to La Push, because the beach there is supposed to be breathtaking but the pull of the hot springs was too strong.
We drove through 18 miles of the most awe-inspiring road I've ever driven to get to Sol Duc hot springs resort. Sol Duc is a series of man made swimming pools fed entirely by a natural hot spring. The resort is basically the hot springs and a handful of cabins. Our campground, surrounded by near untouched old growth forest, was just a couple hundred yards up the road it had all the basic amenities a campground usually has. We spent several hours at the hot springs before heading back to snuggle in.
The morning of day 3 we have a leisurely breakfast before we pack up and clean up, Fawn futilely tries to reorganize the van, and we hit the road. Side trip over get in a little stroll and picnic along the Elwah river and some great photos of a lake and snow peaked mountain. We have a quick stop in the town of Port Angeles before scooting to our last nights rest. In the idyllic town of Port Townsend we stay at a little shady motel (Port Townsend Inn) that has a pool and wonderful location. We have a delicious dinner at "Lanza's Restaurante", and a terrifically decadent chocolate torte from "Sweet Laurette" across the street. Some pool time for the kid and settle down. Morning brings the most basic continental breakfast and cartoons while we pack up. On the road we stop at Fort Worden state park, at the very NE tip of the Olympic peninsula. We had a nice early morning stroll and beach combing beautiful stones along the beach and out to the very tip of the peninsula. Saw some otter tracks and a golden eagle on a perch.
The last stop on the trip was a town called Paulsbo. We had some questionable lunch in a super cute/ touristy little "nordic" style town. Home was both welcome solace from the road and a reminder that the trip wasn't nearly long enough.
We bought two new pieces of gear for this trip I can review:
First review comes from Atreyu, who got a new brand new sleeping bag, 'Nodder by REI', of his very own!! He said it was just warm enough, not too warm and it was super cozy and that it was easy to get in and out of. Its a cool bag it has a built in stuff sack so you can cinch off the end as it kind of adjusts to your kid as they grow. Its rated to 20 degrees, which isn't bad because if we were camping in any colder he'd be in my bag to keep extra cozy anyway, and its synthetic so it would do pretty good even if it got wet. The weight is good, I think it comes in just about a pound and a half, but I would have liked if the cinch sac was also a compression bag. I think I could squeeze this thing down pretty small but in its built in bag its about the size of a vollyball. I'd call this a sweet value at around $80 as long as it holds up to the test of time.
The second item we brought for the first time was new boots for Fawn. Atreyu and I found a pair of waterproof Sorel boots on clearance (about $70) in Fawns size. I think these particular boots are more for snow but they did a great job keeping her feet warm and dry. She only once mentioned her toes getting cold and not once did she even get damp inside, even though my tried and tested hikers (that I've never had water get through before) were throughly soaked though after the rainforest walk. I can honestly say that if they had been much more money I wouldn't have picked them up but I'm so glad I did. Fawn seemed positively thrilled with them throughout the trip even though it was cold and rainy most of the time.
Bonus mini review!! Our friend Scott let us borrow his canopy. 10x10 "weekender". Did great. was easy to put up and take down by myself, a little tough to get back in its original bag (but thats not unusual), and gave us some space to keep ourselves and our gear dry during the 24 rainiest hours the Hoh has seen the whole season. This thing really made all the difference, the trip might have been near unbearable if it weren't for having a basic dryish place to hang out.
P.S. If any one has any questions about any of the gear we use/have used in the past, about menu planning, places we've stayed or want to stay please fell free to ask. Comments are awesome. Also if anyone wants to make suggestions about adventures or gear let me know. I also have a wish list on Amazon if anyone wants to see the types of things we need to get or to update, I'll gladly take suggestions on brands of gear you see there, Im always willing to try something new out and I can write up a review in a blog.
Monday, October 10, 2016
Cabin in the woods, totally not haunted.....
What a beautiful weekend!! All Thanks to our friend family, The LJS team.
The weekend started out with a longish drive. Not to worry, it wasn't because I got lost this time. We head down to a cabin near La Pine, just a bit south of Bend, in the high desert. I love the high desert. On the way we stop for, possibly the worst ever, burritos. Literally only after having traveled about 10 minutes outside of town, as it goes....always... The road is forgiving over the length of the trip however, 4 hours south and east with a stop at a rest area that has one of the most beautiful sights, a 300 foot deep canyon. Arriving at the cabin, an old guard station, just after dark was a little creepy at first. It felt like the forest was watching. For realz. But inside it was super cozy and it warmed right up once I figured out how to get the lights and heater going. Build the boy a PB&J sandwich and wash him up for bed.
Team LJS arrive a little over an hour after we got there and we all settle in. Wine, fireplace, good friends, cozy cabin and relaxing after a long day make a good combo for chilling in and having nice quiet conversation. YAY KIDS SLEEP SOMETIMES!!!!!
A small late night episode, uhm..... I kinda put the propane lantern on low and it set off the CO detector in the little bedroom, so we had to air it out and sleep in the living room instead.... (don't worry nobody died).
Trey woke up early so he and I sat by the fireplace for coffee and water. Breakfast was nice J made some challah french toast and we all got a little exploring in and built a fire in the fire pit and pretty much perfect lazy morning. I helped the boys build a little bit of a fort, which of course means they wanted to do it but I ended up doing all the work and then they were no longer interested. Of Course.
The afternoon saw a short (mostly) pleasant stroll, a quick jump in the river off a little bridge (OMG COLD) and then everyone had a nap while I started dinner and collected firewood. I found a great spot where it looks like they recently did a control burn and there was a lot of easily gathered wood. I love low hanging fruit. I made a reasonable chicken noodle soup, from scratch of course, and grill cheese and ham melts for dinner. I really loved the convenience of a full stove. The weather was just about perfect all day. We had a nice evening and night sitting by a big warm fire. Atreyu fell asleep under the stars, by the fire, in my lap. Magical. I did not set off the CO detector a second night.
Day two: Little late start but a big blueberry pancakes and eggs breakfast then clean up and pack up. Hit the road and get turned around going the wrong way to go to the Newberry Volcanic Monument, google it, well worth the side trip if you're in the area, but I wouldn't make this a destination trip. There was a 9 mile bumpy drive each way to the monument, a mile walk on a paved path throughout the lava field with lots of gorgeous vista. I wanted to hit up the "High Desert Museum" but we missed out on that one this time. We stopped in Bend for lunch, everyone was hungry so we made a poor choice...... "The Beach Hut". The food was ok but overpriced. And everything was served on a frisbee and they had surfboards for tables... *reminder* Bend is in the middle of the desert. We parted ways with Team LJS and we went on a small side trip to the town of Sisters. What a cute little town, fun food and shops. We had some strudel and ice cream strolled the harvest fair. Hit the road home, took the road less traveled and safe and sound in the driveway about 8.
My review of the cabin: I really liked the convenience of the cabin, it was much warmer and spacious than a tent, good when its super cold out at night. It had some modern amenities like stove, lights, heat and refrigeration, but lacked running water which was not too bad to deal with (we brought a bunch and boiled some from the river). I think it was a little spendy and I would preferred the outdoor fire pit was closer to the cabin and more like a fireplace with a bbq top on it for the trouble, thats the kind of touch that would have made it an outstanding spot. This particular cabin was right at the head of popular trail and parking area so it was a little busy. The Fall Creek does literally bubble right up out of the ground at the cabin so it was a unique place. Overall I'd give it 3.5 stars. Well worth second try at another cabin. We will be sure to invite LJS to come!!
The weekend started out with a longish drive. Not to worry, it wasn't because I got lost this time. We head down to a cabin near La Pine, just a bit south of Bend, in the high desert. I love the high desert. On the way we stop for, possibly the worst ever, burritos. Literally only after having traveled about 10 minutes outside of town, as it goes....always... The road is forgiving over the length of the trip however, 4 hours south and east with a stop at a rest area that has one of the most beautiful sights, a 300 foot deep canyon. Arriving at the cabin, an old guard station, just after dark was a little creepy at first. It felt like the forest was watching. For realz. But inside it was super cozy and it warmed right up once I figured out how to get the lights and heater going. Build the boy a PB&J sandwich and wash him up for bed.
Team LJS arrive a little over an hour after we got there and we all settle in. Wine, fireplace, good friends, cozy cabin and relaxing after a long day make a good combo for chilling in and having nice quiet conversation. YAY KIDS SLEEP SOMETIMES!!!!!
A small late night episode, uhm..... I kinda put the propane lantern on low and it set off the CO detector in the little bedroom, so we had to air it out and sleep in the living room instead.... (don't worry nobody died).
Trey woke up early so he and I sat by the fireplace for coffee and water. Breakfast was nice J made some challah french toast and we all got a little exploring in and built a fire in the fire pit and pretty much perfect lazy morning. I helped the boys build a little bit of a fort, which of course means they wanted to do it but I ended up doing all the work and then they were no longer interested. Of Course.
The afternoon saw a short (mostly) pleasant stroll, a quick jump in the river off a little bridge (OMG COLD) and then everyone had a nap while I started dinner and collected firewood. I found a great spot where it looks like they recently did a control burn and there was a lot of easily gathered wood. I love low hanging fruit. I made a reasonable chicken noodle soup, from scratch of course, and grill cheese and ham melts for dinner. I really loved the convenience of a full stove. The weather was just about perfect all day. We had a nice evening and night sitting by a big warm fire. Atreyu fell asleep under the stars, by the fire, in my lap. Magical. I did not set off the CO detector a second night.
Day two: Little late start but a big blueberry pancakes and eggs breakfast then clean up and pack up. Hit the road and get turned around going the wrong way to go to the Newberry Volcanic Monument, google it, well worth the side trip if you're in the area, but I wouldn't make this a destination trip. There was a 9 mile bumpy drive each way to the monument, a mile walk on a paved path throughout the lava field with lots of gorgeous vista. I wanted to hit up the "High Desert Museum" but we missed out on that one this time. We stopped in Bend for lunch, everyone was hungry so we made a poor choice...... "The Beach Hut". The food was ok but overpriced. And everything was served on a frisbee and they had surfboards for tables... *reminder* Bend is in the middle of the desert. We parted ways with Team LJS and we went on a small side trip to the town of Sisters. What a cute little town, fun food and shops. We had some strudel and ice cream strolled the harvest fair. Hit the road home, took the road less traveled and safe and sound in the driveway about 8.
My review of the cabin: I really liked the convenience of the cabin, it was much warmer and spacious than a tent, good when its super cold out at night. It had some modern amenities like stove, lights, heat and refrigeration, but lacked running water which was not too bad to deal with (we brought a bunch and boiled some from the river). I think it was a little spendy and I would preferred the outdoor fire pit was closer to the cabin and more like a fireplace with a bbq top on it for the trouble, thats the kind of touch that would have made it an outstanding spot. This particular cabin was right at the head of popular trail and parking area so it was a little busy. The Fall Creek does literally bubble right up out of the ground at the cabin so it was a unique place. Overall I'd give it 3.5 stars. Well worth second try at another cabin. We will be sure to invite LJS to come!!
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Goose lake and trout dinner
What a great weekend! Lets start at the beginning shall we? I don't want to get ahead of myself.
Memorial day weekend 2016.
The family and I spent the weekend with another family we love dearly (I shall call them the J/L/S Clan). I realize I have been skipping writing about many of the adventures we've been having. This was a super fun and amazing adventure so I had to share. You could say I was inspired....
We headed up to Goose lake. Theres a campground up near the base of Mt Adams. Nice little lake that was very scenic. Campground had about 20 campsites that were not large trailer or RV friendly, a pair of vault toilets and a busy boat launch. Sites were sparse with a fire pit and a table and not much else other than a hard time finding a flat spot for a tent. Would have been ideal place for hammock camping. The trip started on a little pain in the ass as we accidentally tried to drive up over the mountain pass that I had warned team JLS to avoid several times and had to back track almost 20 wooded miles to go the way I supposed to go in the first place. Oops. Stopped on the way and had a nice lunch. Get to the campground and its almost completely empty. Choice of spot is always nice.
Set up our new (to us) car camping tent. Free find. Coleman 4-person. Not the warmest or easiest to set up but nice to have plenty of space for the whole family and the new dog. New big....bed hogging... dog.
Get the fire going and some snacks ready. And stroll down to the lake and talk to an older gentleman who tells me they recently stocked the lake with trout, so... Atreyu and I decide to try to catch one. The boy caught, not only his first fish ever, almost entirely by himself (he reeled it in, I just helped hold the rod) but the first of the whole weekend!! We ended up with a yummy Saturday night dinner. OH SO GOOD.
*Recipe: trout, butter, salt, pepper, garlic, and spritz of citrus.
Spent the evening by the fire. A couple of beers. Watching an eagle fly around the lake swooping for fish.
Next day was fun filled with a blend of fishing, hiking and relaxing.... and fighting a short willful person.
We went to some ice caves and natural bridges. Both very cool formations created by lava tubes. And we took turns paddling round the lake on a kayak. The campground filled up pretty good on saturday. There was a crazy incident where someones truck rolled down a hill and almost into the lake. Yikes!! And then...fire and chillin.... Sunday brought us to a lazy breakfast. And a terrible lunch. Some time by the river for Atreyu to throw rocks. Ice Cream cones at a funky little gift shop.
All in all a great weekend. No new equipment reviews. But I'd give the campground a solid four. Just make sure to check if the mountain pass is still snowed under...
Memorial day weekend 2016.
The family and I spent the weekend with another family we love dearly (I shall call them the J/L/S Clan). I realize I have been skipping writing about many of the adventures we've been having. This was a super fun and amazing adventure so I had to share. You could say I was inspired....
We headed up to Goose lake. Theres a campground up near the base of Mt Adams. Nice little lake that was very scenic. Campground had about 20 campsites that were not large trailer or RV friendly, a pair of vault toilets and a busy boat launch. Sites were sparse with a fire pit and a table and not much else other than a hard time finding a flat spot for a tent. Would have been ideal place for hammock camping. The trip started on a little pain in the ass as we accidentally tried to drive up over the mountain pass that I had warned team JLS to avoid several times and had to back track almost 20 wooded miles to go the way I supposed to go in the first place. Oops. Stopped on the way and had a nice lunch. Get to the campground and its almost completely empty. Choice of spot is always nice.
Set up our new (to us) car camping tent. Free find. Coleman 4-person. Not the warmest or easiest to set up but nice to have plenty of space for the whole family and the new dog. New big....bed hogging... dog.
Get the fire going and some snacks ready. And stroll down to the lake and talk to an older gentleman who tells me they recently stocked the lake with trout, so... Atreyu and I decide to try to catch one. The boy caught, not only his first fish ever, almost entirely by himself (he reeled it in, I just helped hold the rod) but the first of the whole weekend!! We ended up with a yummy Saturday night dinner. OH SO GOOD.
*Recipe: trout, butter, salt, pepper, garlic, and spritz of citrus.
Spent the evening by the fire. A couple of beers. Watching an eagle fly around the lake swooping for fish.
Next day was fun filled with a blend of fishing, hiking and relaxing.... and fighting a short willful person.
We went to some ice caves and natural bridges. Both very cool formations created by lava tubes. And we took turns paddling round the lake on a kayak. The campground filled up pretty good on saturday. There was a crazy incident where someones truck rolled down a hill and almost into the lake. Yikes!! And then...fire and chillin.... Sunday brought us to a lazy breakfast. And a terrible lunch. Some time by the river for Atreyu to throw rocks. Ice Cream cones at a funky little gift shop.
All in all a great weekend. No new equipment reviews. But I'd give the campground a solid four. Just make sure to check if the mountain pass is still snowed under...
Monday, June 27, 2016
Backpack the beach!
Today ends a short but exhausting adventure. Its been a while but this trip was worth it. Took the family on the first, all of us walking under our own power, backpacking trip. A short distance, flat, easy walk of just about 7 miles to the end of a peninsula with the Tillamook bay on one side and the Pacific ocean on the other.
The Bayocean Peninsula starts with a beautiful drive half circling the bay and looking out over the mud flats before turning on to a dirt road onto a dike onto the peninsula. Our walk started out pretty nice as we saw a handful of horses in the parking lot. We strolled out at a nice preschooler pace the first 2.5 miles (about a mile per hour) along the bay side of the walk and found our campspot. Stopping only a couple of quick breaks, one to go potty and one for a snack. S.N.: Atreyu really likes those applesauce in a pouch, and while I would never condone those (simply based on environmental concerns) they are great for backpacking; lightweight, no muss, no fuss, no spoon required. Our spot, a cozy little nook tucked away a short distance off the main trail and only a few steps off the dunes was simply perfect for our little troop. We set up camp and checked out the beach..... for.... about.... a minute. After all that walk the kid simply was not feeling the oh so windy beach. OH SO WINDY. Ok so dinner it is which was ok I suppose ready to eat rice and chicken in a tuna can, mixed together with a little hot water and voila!! As good as any MRE I've ever seen. A tiny little fire to heat water and then the awesome special treat, yes....we toted s'mores out with us. Trey just wanted a burnt marshmallow, IDK why I even went through the trouble to set him up a stick (cleaned and pointed, UGH) and I made maybe the best S'more I've ever eaten, I suppose it could've been pure hunger. After dinner we had planned to watch the sunset into the Pacific, one of Fawns favorite pastimes. BUT.... instead we walked along the bay out to the very end. Found some crabs and a jaw bone from a sea lion and search-and-rescue training weekend. Nice stroll, about half mile each way. Back to camp for some rest.
*Middle of the night. Wake up to dog growling. Realize the packs have all the food in them about six inches from my head separated by only a thin nylon barrier that I seriously doubt is bear proof. End up having to chase a raccoon out of camp. Whew!
Morning brings coffee and oatmeal AND an army of biting bugs; fire ants, mosquitos, and spiders. OH MY! But it also brings packing up camp, dumping out a few pounds of water and heading out onto the beach for the second half of our walk. 3 miles down the most gorgeous beach and not even a trace of another human being as far as the eye can see. Taking our time finding treasure, taking a break for snacks (I told you Atreyu loves those pouches) and finding a few hundred jellyfish. I think Atreyu wanted to stop and see everyone one of them and to squish a few.... The walk back was wonderful, except the last stretch, after we stepped off the beach we climbed the trail on the dune and expected to see the parking lot right there, but, instead, it was about a mile across the only wide spot on the whole peninsula. But that stretch was well rewarded with a finding the van, AND a lunch of burgers, chowder and a pint at the Pelican Brewery. YUM
Stop at ,not one, but TWO cheese factories for samples, fun and ice cream and head home. But of course not without a stop on the way for a dip in the Wilson river.
All in all it was a great two days I loved near every minute.
Two quickie reviews. Our tent: the Drifter 3 by Mountain hard wear. I loved this tent before but it is a bit small when car camping with the whole family and a big dog. But for backpacking (as it was designed) it was perfect. I didn't feel it was too heavy at all. Yes my pack was heavy but I never once thought "oh the damn tent" fit nicely in a tight space and was able to fit everybody pretty comfy.
The food: We ate a dinner of Uncle Bens chicken flavor rice mixed with canned chicken. Worked great. Hearty and tasty after a big walk. As easy and good as any MRE. And for breakfast we brought milk in a box, kept just fine and was a huge improvement on powdered creamer. If not for the boy I might not bring it again but I wouldn't complain since we did.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Short trips and long naps.
What a nice weekend. Quiet family time at home... Nah!!!! JK!! We drove all over Western Oregon in search of fun stuff to do and beautiful things to see. The weather has held out for almost all of our winter adventures so far, to be honest a number that has been lacking.
Fawn was concerned about cold and rain this week. Plus she had some work to do so we didn't really put forth the idea of camping on Friday but we did want to get outside and get some exercise and air. The Scenic Columbia Gorge area is literally less than 40 minutes from our home. We went out to the gorge and tried to see one hike, but it was too cold and looked too difficult a hike for a nap overdue baby.
As we sought out a more family friendly stroll ...... he fell asleep....... leaving us waiting in a parking lot for an hour while he naps. We did find a nice walk and a waterfall. The name of the area: Bridal veil Falls, we had a 2/3 mile roundtrip walk down and back up trip to and from the waterfall and then a 1/2 mile loop around an overlook and through a picnic area. It was chilly but beautiful. Atreyu managed the whole walk, and only had some problems with leaving the river, like always.
On Saturday we pilled into the van. A quick jaunt into the Tillamook forest. We had planned to camp at Elk Creek campground, but it was closed, and its at least more than a quarter mile down the trail and we had everything all thrown in the van all willy nilly. It's about this time that Atreyu decides to nap again so we've got a little time to look around. We followed a sign that led to another campsite, Jones Creek. Just a little ways past we found an amazing dispersed camping area. Nice sites, mostly clean. No facilities or tables, just a few cleared spaces and fire pits. Like always when finding a treasure, like free camping spots: Leave it cleaner than when you found it!! Rule number 1!!
We threw out the tent to claim our spot and went to the cheese factory for the afternoon. We had some samples, took some pictures and bought the baby a cone. Head back out to camp before dark. There was a big pile of wet wood and a trail that strolls right down to a beautiful little spot on a creek. Trey woke up at 4am asking to go down to the creek. It was raining in the morning, so we packed it up and headed out rather than make coffee. A small roadside diner was nice, food wasn't awesome. A local guy invited us to use his river access and we found one of the most gorgeous stretches of the Wilson River, where Fawn looked for interesting minerals, Atreyu threw rocks in the river and I was just happy to be outside.
Fawn was concerned about cold and rain this week. Plus she had some work to do so we didn't really put forth the idea of camping on Friday but we did want to get outside and get some exercise and air. The Scenic Columbia Gorge area is literally less than 40 minutes from our home. We went out to the gorge and tried to see one hike, but it was too cold and looked too difficult a hike for a nap overdue baby.
As we sought out a more family friendly stroll ...... he fell asleep....... leaving us waiting in a parking lot for an hour while he naps. We did find a nice walk and a waterfall. The name of the area: Bridal veil Falls, we had a 2/3 mile roundtrip walk down and back up trip to and from the waterfall and then a 1/2 mile loop around an overlook and through a picnic area. It was chilly but beautiful. Atreyu managed the whole walk, and only had some problems with leaving the river, like always.
On Saturday we pilled into the van. A quick jaunt into the Tillamook forest. We had planned to camp at Elk Creek campground, but it was closed, and its at least more than a quarter mile down the trail and we had everything all thrown in the van all willy nilly. It's about this time that Atreyu decides to nap again so we've got a little time to look around. We followed a sign that led to another campsite, Jones Creek. Just a little ways past we found an amazing dispersed camping area. Nice sites, mostly clean. No facilities or tables, just a few cleared spaces and fire pits. Like always when finding a treasure, like free camping spots: Leave it cleaner than when you found it!! Rule number 1!!
We threw out the tent to claim our spot and went to the cheese factory for the afternoon. We had some samples, took some pictures and bought the baby a cone. Head back out to camp before dark. There was a big pile of wet wood and a trail that strolls right down to a beautiful little spot on a creek. Trey woke up at 4am asking to go down to the creek. It was raining in the morning, so we packed it up and headed out rather than make coffee. A small roadside diner was nice, food wasn't awesome. A local guy invited us to use his river access and we found one of the most gorgeous stretches of the Wilson River, where Fawn looked for interesting minerals, Atreyu threw rocks in the river and I was just happy to be outside.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Yes, its cheating to get a Yurt, but it was cold outside.
Picture this: Its the days between Christmas and New Years, the air is crisp and cold, all around people are making plans for the coming holiday and sharing stories of the day just passed. The shy has been clear all day and night for the past few and coldest nights in a long while are coming up ahead, you know its just gonna get down right chilly. What should you do?
Go camping, of course.
Our adventure starts out by trying to coordinate another family we know and ourselves to get together for an overnight, we decide very quickly with the cold it might be better to finally try getting a yurt or a cabin. Fawn and I have talked about doing about a billion times or so, and we've chatted with the other family about it on well more than one occasion. Lesson number one about renting a yurt: Do not wait until the last minute. These things need to reserved well in advance, otherwise its first come first serve and there aren't that many of them. Even less allow dogs in them.... We find that trying to pick one out the day before you just can't reserve them. So its gonna be an adventure. The other family quite understandably decides to stay home, with no guarantee of a warm place to sleep and only an inkling if the three hour drive will prove successful they are the wiser. But off we go. Tent loaded up just in case. We head to southern Oregon, to a park named William A Tugman. OK first impressions count, and mine was "Really?!?!? We just drove 3 hours for this???" The first thing we notice is that this park is NOT on the coast. Its about a mile in. Theres a lake here and its beautiful. But the hiking trail was closed due to the clear cutting that started at 8am.... Don't get me wrong that facilities were well kept and clean and all in working order. But I would certainly hope so, since there were four camp host spots, all filled.
I was skeptical about the Yurt form the first sight of it. It was small and sparse inside, all of the furniture consisted of a bunk bed, with a full bed on bottom/ twin on top and a futon couch. there was a small table with two chairs. All of the furniture, save the two chairs, was bolted in place and in such a way that put them a little too far into the middle of the yurt. It felt like you probably open the space up quite a bit more if that wasn't so. And they were spendy, for the same amount we could've rented a roadside motel room with free coffee and continental breakfast. The yurt was comfortable and warm.
We spent the first night with a few drinks and staring at the stars by the fire, playing a little chess and then snuggling into the cozy bed, and it was cozy. I devised a plan that evening where I put my pot of water on the fire and boiled eggs while it was blazing rather than have to cook them in the morning. Worked great. No reason not to keep in mind for a backpacking trip or a day when you just need to get up in the morning and break camp fast. Sizzled up some ham steaks and warmed some hard boiled eggs and off we went, by off I mean strolled at a leisurely pace. We strolled along one of the sides of the lake for a bit and played on the playground. Then we headed out, the plan was to play on the beach and take in a town. So we did. We checked out Coos Bay, apparently the largest city on the Oregon coast, but it was still small and kinda nice. We had a good coffee, some tasty German food and stopped into a thrift store. On our way back to camp we pulled into a Dunes area. The dunes are gorgeous we let the boy run on the beach for a bit and then went back to camp.
The next day we packed up early and headed out, I had to work that night, it was New Years eve and I work in a bar.... but we wanted to make the most of the day. We stopped at a lighthouse overlook and did some whale spotting (yes!! we actually saw some!!), which was pretty easy once you knew what you were looking for. Our plan after that was to get back on the beach for a bit. We choose a random turn off that had a sign indicating the beach. Our stroll to the beach as it looked form the top of the bluff couldn't have been more than a few hundred yards........ man were we wrong. It was a mile and a not entirely easy mile at that. but we made it and when we got to the beach we were blessed with a gift we are likely to never have again. The entire length of the beach as far as the eye could see, in both directions, was completely deserted. We had the whole Oregon coast to ourselves that morning. We spent the time looking for treasures and chasing a toddler. It was heaven on earth.
On our way home we stopped in another town, because we can't go anywhere near the ocean and not get Fawn some chowder. Mo's chowder in Florence, yum.
It was a nice weekend as any weekend should be, but it left a little something to be desired, it felt rushed and forced. I might attribute that to the yurt or the fact that we decided the day before to go, but I think it was something different. I think we were trying to create a camping trip rather just have one. Camping is organic, you bring some food and a tent and build a fire. Its just that simple. What more do you need? Oh the rest is great too, day trips and sight seeing, but its not needed in order to be. And thats what camping is, a chance to just ...be.
Go camping, of course.
Our adventure starts out by trying to coordinate another family we know and ourselves to get together for an overnight, we decide very quickly with the cold it might be better to finally try getting a yurt or a cabin. Fawn and I have talked about doing about a billion times or so, and we've chatted with the other family about it on well more than one occasion. Lesson number one about renting a yurt: Do not wait until the last minute. These things need to reserved well in advance, otherwise its first come first serve and there aren't that many of them. Even less allow dogs in them.... We find that trying to pick one out the day before you just can't reserve them. So its gonna be an adventure. The other family quite understandably decides to stay home, with no guarantee of a warm place to sleep and only an inkling if the three hour drive will prove successful they are the wiser. But off we go. Tent loaded up just in case. We head to southern Oregon, to a park named William A Tugman. OK first impressions count, and mine was "Really?!?!? We just drove 3 hours for this???" The first thing we notice is that this park is NOT on the coast. Its about a mile in. Theres a lake here and its beautiful. But the hiking trail was closed due to the clear cutting that started at 8am.... Don't get me wrong that facilities were well kept and clean and all in working order. But I would certainly hope so, since there were four camp host spots, all filled.
I was skeptical about the Yurt form the first sight of it. It was small and sparse inside, all of the furniture consisted of a bunk bed, with a full bed on bottom/ twin on top and a futon couch. there was a small table with two chairs. All of the furniture, save the two chairs, was bolted in place and in such a way that put them a little too far into the middle of the yurt. It felt like you probably open the space up quite a bit more if that wasn't so. And they were spendy, for the same amount we could've rented a roadside motel room with free coffee and continental breakfast. The yurt was comfortable and warm.
We spent the first night with a few drinks and staring at the stars by the fire, playing a little chess and then snuggling into the cozy bed, and it was cozy. I devised a plan that evening where I put my pot of water on the fire and boiled eggs while it was blazing rather than have to cook them in the morning. Worked great. No reason not to keep in mind for a backpacking trip or a day when you just need to get up in the morning and break camp fast. Sizzled up some ham steaks and warmed some hard boiled eggs and off we went, by off I mean strolled at a leisurely pace. We strolled along one of the sides of the lake for a bit and played on the playground. Then we headed out, the plan was to play on the beach and take in a town. So we did. We checked out Coos Bay, apparently the largest city on the Oregon coast, but it was still small and kinda nice. We had a good coffee, some tasty German food and stopped into a thrift store. On our way back to camp we pulled into a Dunes area. The dunes are gorgeous we let the boy run on the beach for a bit and then went back to camp.
The next day we packed up early and headed out, I had to work that night, it was New Years eve and I work in a bar.... but we wanted to make the most of the day. We stopped at a lighthouse overlook and did some whale spotting (yes!! we actually saw some!!), which was pretty easy once you knew what you were looking for. Our plan after that was to get back on the beach for a bit. We choose a random turn off that had a sign indicating the beach. Our stroll to the beach as it looked form the top of the bluff couldn't have been more than a few hundred yards........ man were we wrong. It was a mile and a not entirely easy mile at that. but we made it and when we got to the beach we were blessed with a gift we are likely to never have again. The entire length of the beach as far as the eye could see, in both directions, was completely deserted. We had the whole Oregon coast to ourselves that morning. We spent the time looking for treasures and chasing a toddler. It was heaven on earth.
On our way home we stopped in another town, because we can't go anywhere near the ocean and not get Fawn some chowder. Mo's chowder in Florence, yum.
It was a nice weekend as any weekend should be, but it left a little something to be desired, it felt rushed and forced. I might attribute that to the yurt or the fact that we decided the day before to go, but I think it was something different. I think we were trying to create a camping trip rather just have one. Camping is organic, you bring some food and a tent and build a fire. Its just that simple. What more do you need? Oh the rest is great too, day trips and sight seeing, but its not needed in order to be. And thats what camping is, a chance to just ...be.
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