Silver Falls - Rain, Rain Go Away....

I'm not sure, but I think this camping trip we actually did camp under the falls.... It was a very wet weekend!

Campground Info:  Silver Falls State Park  Silverton, OR.  Site 11.  Weather was rain, rain, and more rain.  Ideal sites for future camping:  37, 34, 25 or 14.  Bathroom rating:  Excellent!

Campers:  Jim, Deb, Geoff and Cyrus the boxer. 

A view of our moat.... 

Silver Falls is relatively close and easy to get to.  We got a late start on Friday and it started pouring rain when we got within five miles of the campground.   We had a much easier time backing in this time, but we did have to set up in the rain - almost a mandatory requirement when we camp!  We spent Friday night inside as it rained most of the night.

Saturday it showered but we were able to hike along the Rim Trail to the top of Winter Falls and back with minimal precipitation.  The rest of Saturday was spent recovering, both from the hike and the being chilled due to being wet.  Cyrus was not happy with us for such a long hike, nor a hike in the rain. 

"Don't make me keep hiking in the rain!" 

Jim got a new iPad this trip and we were all entertained by the games and books on it.  The fight for the iPad rages on! 

Loved this campground, but our site was one of the many that flooded.  The other sites mentioned up above were ones that might be a better site that had minimal flooding.  We would like to try this campground again - maybe next time sans rain! 

Beverly Beach (And My Birthday)

Happy Birthday to me!  This year I wanted to go camping, so we picked one of the spots off our list and away we went! 

Campground Info:  Beverly Beach State Park - Depoe Bay, OR.  Site E9 - but next time we will try for G24.  Weather was in the 50's and sunny.  Clean bathrooms!!

Campers:  Jim, Deb, Geoff and Cyrus the boxer

This was the "Lemony Snicket" camping trip - a series of unfortunate events.  I left work early to help pack up and go but it didn't go as planned.  The dog was at the vets and supposed to be available for pick up by noon - we were allowed to pick him up at 3:00.  New tires were put on the truck earlier, but we had to take them back after 25 minutes to have them checked and picked up medicine for the dog as well. 

Traffic was heavy - it took us 2 hours to drive 30 miles.  We arrived at Beverly Beach in full dark and discovered that if you are NOT familiar with the campsite, it is difficult to back in.  There were NO lights at all in the campground as the power had blown and the bathrooms, when located in the dark, were locked for the season and we had to locate another in a different loop.  Fortunately, the trip DID get better!

The weather, while cold, was beautiful.  We had LOTS of sunshine!  Our campsite  had a river running behind it and we were able to hike down to the beach.  We were able to tour Otter Beach, Devils Punch Bowl, Boiler Bay and Yaquina Head Lighthouse.  The lighthouse was particularly interesting as my great grandparents were lighthouse keepers at one time.

Devil's Punchbowl 

We did some Geo-caching along the nature trails and were able to locate one, but not the second.  We had a wonderful birthday dinner of grilled steaks, grilled cakes and played cards.  Overall a very relaxing way to spend my 46th birthday!

Happy New Year from Cape Disappointment

Well - our intentions for camping every month kind of fell by the wayside for October and November due to holidays and family obligations.  However, since we went on New Years Eve I think we barely managed to squeak in the month of December and hit January too! 

Campground info:  Cape Disappointment  State Park, site 59.  Weather was cold, cloudy and rainy.

Campers:  Jim, Deb, Geoff and Cyrus the boxer 

On the beach at Cape Disappointment 

Cape Disappointment has some wonderful driftwood that is on its beaches.  We spent the cold (think ice patches) morning on New Year's Day on the beach - climbing on driftwood, checking out shipwrecks and looking for a Geo-cache in a long, dark cave. 

The night before, when we arrived for set-up, we were visited by racoons who were checking out our cooler.  They actually were able to open it (while we were setting up in the GRUB) and ran off with a pitcher of juice.  Our next door neighbor and his little dog, Princess, came out to see what the fuss was about.  We called him Mr Teacher, as he was a retired teacher and knew a lot about the area and its history. 

This trip, the heater kicked in quite a bit and we were delighted to discover that cold would not be a hindrance to us in the GRUB.  That little space heater works very well!  We also picked up a dog coat for Cyrus as he is getting older and the cold affects him when we are out walking. 

Cyrus and his new blue coat (its reversible too!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite things on our hikes that weekend was the pine cones on the trees. 

A wonderful way to start out the new year! 

Crow Butte - Revisited Again

We wanted to try taking Cyrus to a campsite that wasn't quite as sheltered from vision as Manchester was to determine if he was really going to be good with camping.  So - back to Crow Butte!

Campground Info:  Crow Butte State Park  Boardman, WA  Site 42.  Weather was sunny and hot.

Campers:  Jim, Deb, Geoff and Cyrus the boxer.

Cyrus in the sunshine.

On this trip we borrowed a friends inflatable kayak.  We figured that we should try out the water sports at some point in time and this would also help us to determine if we wanted to look at purchasing a kayak ourselves at some point. 

Jim and Geoff took care of inflating the kayak and then took the maiden voyage while I stayed back at camp with Cyrus.  Because of his nails, and the fact that the kayak was borrowed, we didn't feel it was a good idea for him to go in the kayak.  Not only that - Cyrus isn't too crazy about water.  He will get his feet wet when necessary, but other than that... not so much! 

Off into the wild!

Again, another relaxing and enjoyable weekend!

Manchester State Park

This was our first week long trip in the GRUB.  We had our nephew, Justin, out visiting from Colorado and our friends, the Fuller's, joined us later in the week at a site right across from ours.

Campground Info:  Manchester State Park  Manchester, WA.  Site 9.  Weather was foggy and sunny.

Campers:  Jim, Deb, Geoff, Justin and Cyrus the boxer.  Joining us later:  The Fuller family.

 
Manchester State Park had very woodsy sites - each one had you feeling like you were out in the woods, surrounded by trees and wildlife.  Unless you knew for sure - it didn't feel like you had any neighbors.  The bathrooms are very clean and having locking showers!  This park takes it quiet hours very seriously, which is nice at night.  There is lots to see and do at Manchester - Geo-caching, hiking and a lot of World War II points of interest.  At one time, Manchester was an armory and battery point during the war. 

There is a lot of water, as Manchester is on the Puget Sound - practically across from Seattle, WA.  The lake, while it was pretty further out, was slimy and smelly at the shore line.

Firsts for us:  Joining another family for camping, having our nephew Justin along and taking Cyrus the boxer camping for the first time. Cyrus did so well camping, not barking or growling at others, that we will take him along on future trips.

Cyrus doesn't like sleeping on the dirt.... 

We introduced the Fuller's to Geo-caching and the guys took in a night Geo-cache that was very cool.  They did well and only got "a little" lost along the way out.  During our day hikes, we stumbled across a field with two camels in it.  Yes, camels!  Turns out they are "rescued camels" and the owners keep them in a field and rent them out at Christmas for Nativity scenes.  Not what you expect to see during a hike!

It was fun spending time with friends in the afternoons and evenings, sharing desserts and wine.

Good company, good food, good wine!

Crow Butte - Revisited

Crow Butte will be a favorite camping area for us - we love its closeness to home for a quick weekend camping trip.  Only a three hour drive along the Gorge and you're there!

Campground Info:  Crow Butte State Park  Boardman, WA.  Site 42.  Weather was sunny and hot.

Campers:  Jim, Deb, Carl, Geoff, Kyle (Geoff's friend).

This trip is full of first time things.  We got the new truck to pull the GRUB.  Previously we had been using our Subaru, but it limited how much we could take camping with us.  With the new truck, we can pack coolers, chairs, and the new lasso golf set.  This was Geoff's birthday trip this year - and the lasso golf was one of his gifts.  As you can see, the large grassy areas made it a perfect playing field!  We also took the new fire pit so we could cook S'mores.  Another first time - having a guest of Geoff's along with us.

Learning the fine art of Lasso Golf 

We brought the scope with us this trip and the guys went up to the "observatory" at night to view the stars.  They were able to view a lot of wonderful stars and the temperatures were perfect for it.  During the day, the boys went to the swimming area and swam in the river for most of the late morning and afternoon. 

With the nicer weather and the end of the school year, there were a lot more campers on site.  Some came with boats and used the boat launch to spend the day on the water.  Even with a full campsite - it still felt wide open.  Another relaxing weekend accomplished!

Crow Butte State Park

Jim & Geoff have gotten into astronomy.  However, in the Pacific Northwest that can be a challenge as there always seems to be cloud cover.  Jim discovered Crow Butte while he was looking for a place to observe the night skies unobstructed by clouds, trees and light pollution.

Campground Info:  Crow Butte State Park  Boardman, WA  Site 42.  Weather was hot and sunny with beautiful night skies.

Campers:  Jim, Uncle Carl, Geoff, Deb.

Crow Butte is more of a "park like" setting than a lot of other places we have been too.  The sites all have large grassy areas with trees - which help during the sunny, hot afternoons.  It is on an island in the Columbia River up the Gorge.  On two sides you have the river and views and on the other is the more arid and hilly spots.  We have the arid spot - that leads up and away from the trees for better stargazing.  There are no campfire pits at the sites - only little BBQ pits.  If you want a campfire, it is permitted but you need to bring your own.  Bathrooms are very clean. 

There is boating and swimming available.  It is also a day use park for the nearby towns - which are not that near by!  Fisherman have been seen up and down the river as well.  We found a couple of Geo-caching opportunities, but this campground, for us anyway, is all about the stargazing and relaxing.

The path to the Observatory

Jim and Uncle Carl started out on this trip and the rest of us joined Jim on the weekend.  There are many, many, many rattlesnake warnings at the camp - however, we were fortunate enough not to see or hear any.