As I posted on my Facebook status:
HOME! Camping trip by the numbers:
7 days on the road.
Miles driven: 1,000.
Campsites: 3.
National Parks visited: 2.
"Left turns in Albuquerque": 1.
Kids begging to go camping again REALLY soon: 2.
Yep, I call that a win!
Seriously, there is nothing like being outdoors in this beautiful world He created for us. And even better... half the time we didn't have cell service. Darn the bad luck that no one could get a hold of us.
We took off last Sunday afternoon and headed down to Fort Stevens State Park. Ronnie and I got the camper and camp site set up and we explored a bit before heading to bed. The next morning we woke up to a cold but beautiful morning. I forgot just how cold it can get when you're on the coast. I took off for a run through the woods while Ronnie took off on a bike ride with the girls.
We met back up and then headed to Fort Clatsop, Lewis and Clark National Park for a little history. The fort is the site where Lewis and Clark wintered after their transcontinental journey. The girls earned their Junior Ranger badges while learning more about the Corp of Discovery and what life was like for them.
After stuffing all that history in their heads, we had to go do something fun. You see, Fort Stevens State Park is in Astoria, Oregon. Not ringing a bell? Well, maybe this house will do the trick:
Goonies Never Say Die!
Yes, we went and found the house plus a few more of the filming sites around town. Seriously, one of my favorite movies that is quickly becoming one my girls' favorite movies. They were even quoting some of it with me.
We also explored Astoria a bit. Pier 39 is home to the original Bumble Bee Seafood packing house and a Rogue Ale House. More history and a pint to go with it? Yes please! But I think the most fun was hearing and then seeing all the seals hanging out in the harbor.
When we got back to the campsite, we made some supper and then headed for the beach on our bikes. Again, just so nice that this was all right there within reach. We beach-combed for a bit and marveled at the old shipwreck.
The next morning, we packed up camp right after breakfast. We had a lot of driving and sight seeing to do while getting to our next campsite. First up was a trip to Battery Russell.
Fort Stevens was an earthen fort built to protect the Columbia River from the Confederacy. It later served as the main coastal defense fort for Oregon from the Spanish-American war all the way to World War II and the Cold War. Battery Russell was finally decommissioned in 1945.
Then we headed south on the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping at yet another picturesque spot for lunch.
After playing on the beach and soaking up the sun, we got back in the car for a few hours to our next pit stop. And when I checked in on Facebook where we were, there was an outcry of NO FAIR from people in the know....
Yes, the Tillamook Cheese factory in Tillamook, Oregon. Seriously, they have some of the best cheese and ice cream. We got a scoop of ice cream to enjoy while we browsed the factory and picked up some fresh curds to snack on for our trip. Best place to stretch your legs EVER! We got back in the car for the still long drive to our next campsite, South Beach State Park in Newport, Oregon.
We arrived at the campsite, set up camp and then decided to go out for supper instead of cooking. It was more because we were only going to be there for the night and didn't want to do dishes. Of course, as we were driving to supper, we saw one of the best sights ever.... Turns out Newport is the home of:
Oh yes, we love us some Rogue!!! After our tour, we headed back to the campsite where we made friends with the kids at the site next to us and turned on the "camping tv"
The next morning, we went ahead and packed up camp right after breakfast and then headed for the beach to do some beach-combing. It had worked for us the day before and it was perfect this time too. We had a nice bike ride down to the sand dunes and then explored the shore.
We packed our lunch and headed out for our next stop. While planning this trip, I had carefully entered most of the stops in our GPS. Unfortunately, the pin for Diamond Lake didn't transfer. So we looked it up in the GPS and headed down the road.
Finally, at 10 pm, we got to Diamond Lake in the Umpqua National Forest. And I just have to brag. Ronnie and I backed our pop up into our spot, got it all set up, and were in bed in 30 minutes... in the dark! Now how's that for some teamwork?!?
The next morning, we woke up to find this:
Our view and our campsite was SPECTACULAR!!!! The lake was so calm... it made me miss not being woke up by my parents for the first ski.
We got our lunches packed and got back in the car to head to Crater Lake for the day! We hiked to the watchtower and had lunch while enjoying the views. Man what a beautiful place!
After hiking back down, we headed for the ranger station to get the girls their Junior Ranger books. While hiking and doing the activities, Ronnie and I chatted... we were only supposed to stay one day in the park and then head up to Mount Hood for two days. One day just didn't feel like near enough time. We decided to ditch the next campsite and stay at our spot on Diamond Lake until it was time to head home.
We got back to the campsite and confirmed that we could stay (!!!) and we didn't even have to move spots (even better!). The girls went swimming in the lake; it was cold, but they sure had fun. Then we got cleaned up and made supper.
The next morning reinforced the reason why we wanted to stay.... Just look at this view!!!!
Again, we had breakfast, packed our lunch, and headed to Crater Lake for the day. We wanted to drive around the whole lake and do some hiking while at it. And the park did not disappoint. We hiked down to the pinnacles, drove a bit and hiked in to a waterfall, drove a bit more and saw some really cool rock formations around the lake.
When we turned in the Junior Ranger books for the girls to get their badge, the ranger was impressed. We had seen near about everything in the activity book! But on our way back to our campsite, Ronnie and I saw the best sight of the ENTIRE trip. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of it... So let's see how my words work....
There is a Pumice Desert to the north of Crater Lake, It was formed when Mount Mazama exploded and covered the area with pumice and ash. It is more than 200 feet deep in some places. Now this is an amazing thing to see in the middle of a national forest with nothing but huge trees. Anyway, as we were driving out of the park, we noticed there was a park employee about 40 yards off the road in the middle of the desert with a rake in his hand. Ronnie and I just gave each other a look, like do you see that? We looked back at the employee who then happily waved as us passing by. We waved back and then looked at each other and started cracking up. He was combing the desert y'all! Seriously!!!!
We laughed and laughed... the girls didn't get it. But we sure did!
When we got back to our campsite, the girls made friends with the new kids across from us. They rode their bikes all around the camp ground as we fixed dinner. That night, we finally had a clear night and broke out the telescope. We had drug this thing with us on this trip and had mostly overcast skies every night of our trip. We got lucky and the clouds broke for us and we enjoyed the bright night sky.
The next morning, it was time to pack up the camper and move it one more time. We decided to get on the road right at check out time, since we weren't rushing to get to the next site. We also took our time getting home, though we took the route back to I-5 that we were supposed to take getting there. And we lucked upon passing by the Dexter Lake Club, one of the locations where Animal House was filmed. You know the scene where they go to the bar and Otis is playing and the locals ask to "dance with your dates?"
So yes, we made it! But more importantly, I think we made some excellent memories. Now, I'm off to clean out the camper and buy a new GPS before we move to Alaska.
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