2017 -Blog #4 - Chillin in Oregon

Cold Springs Campground in the Deschutes National Forest, just outside of Sisters, Oregon, is camping at its finest!  It reminds us so much of the campground that we really enjoyed in the Lolo National Forest in Montana last year.  Huge ponderosa pines with their black-streaked, reddish-copper trunks tower over the smaller pines and the forest floor is covered with a thick mat of pine needles and pine cones.  It is so peaceful here without boats, jet skis, and noise, just the breeze rustling through the pine branches and chickadees clicking and chitting all around.  There was even a nice little gurgling stream running through our campsite.    Yes, it’s a national forest, so there are only pit toilets, no electricity, and a hand pump for water, but we would gladly give up the amenities for a campground like this.   There was just enough sunlight coming through the trees for our solar panels to keep up with our electricity needs.  Also, the water was SO good here that pumping away on that hand pump to get it was worth the effort.  In fact, just before we left here we filled up every container we had with the cold spring water!

sunset over the Three Sisters

Sisters is a small, pretty, artsy, very busy, tourist town.   It was nice to visit all the art galleries here and to treat ourselves to Marionberry coffeecake from the Sisters Bakery, yum!   We thought of you, Eileen, when the woman camping next to us said that she was attending a ukulele convention nearby…. ‘interesting.  This lady also told us not to miss the scenic drive up the McKenzie Pass and we are so glad she did.  The summit (elevation 5335 ft.) is surrounded by lava flows with awesome views of the Cascade Range, including two of the Three Sisters peaks, Mount Jefferson, and Mount Washington.  At the top is an observatory (Dee Wright Observatory) built out of chunks of lava that the locals call “the stone house.”  Several people also told us not to miss Clear Lake, but we ran out of time, so we’ll just have to come back here again.

 "the stone house" - Dee Wright Observatory - that's Jerome standing by the sign at the bottom right

Our next stop was at South Beach State Park, on the pacific coastline, in Newport.   This is a huge campground with 312 campsites & yurts.  It’s like a mini-city for campers!  Thankfully, it is laid out well and our site was comfortably secluded.    We’re just glad we didn’t end up in one of the inner-circle sites that were more open and much less private.  While we were here we hiked to the beach and rode our bikes to the jetty, the aquarium, marina, and the Rogue Brewery and Pub (great albacore tuna fish and chips and the best root beer ever!).    We also enjoyed eating a great meal at Georgies, overlooking the misty coastline, and had the best clam chowder at Newport Café in town.   We were pleasantly surprised to meet up with again with Fred & Judy, who camped next to us in Lolo National Forest in Montana last year.   Fred recognized our kayaks when he was walking their dog….. ‘small world!    Camping on the coastline of Oregon, beware that the fog horn at the jetties/lighthouses sound 24/7 sometimes and if you are a light sleeper, like Jean is, that it can be annoying.   We have heard that some camper even asked the ranger if it could be turned off, ha ha!

South Beach  in Newport

"Cake by the Ocean"!!!

south jetty with Yaquina Lighthouse in the mist

Fun stop on our bike ride - yep, that's Jerome

After we left South Beach, we headed north, up the coastline, on US 101.   We had originally planned on staying in Ft. Stevens State Park in the northern tip of Oregon but had to change our plans.  Jean tried to book a reservation in April but found out that Oregon campgrounds fill up fast, especially the ones on the coast, and that all 500 sites were already reserved throughout the summer!  We got on their waiting list to be notified if they had a cancellation.   Well, they did have a cancellation that matched what we needed, unfortunately, they emailed us about it at 2:42am stating that we needed to let them know by 5:45am that same morning if we wanted it.     Really???? At 2:42am?  Do you know any “normal” people who read their email between 2:42 and 5:45am???   Of course, we didn’t get that site, so we were lucky to find a little known campground attached to the back of the parking lot behind the Ashley Inn hotel in Tillamook.   It actually was better than we expected and was as a nice little place after all.   Being in dairy country, there was the occasional smell of manure, but not overwhelming or for very long.    There was a Goodwill next door where we found a couple of books that we were missing from a series that we are reading.   We also were able to walk to the nearby Fred Myer to get groceries and to the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory where we learned about the making of cheese and ate free cheese samples. We passed on the long line for the ice cream and opted for the shorter sandwich line.   ‘Just an FYI… they have great sandwiches here.   We drove 8 miles south to Munson Creek Falls State Natural Site where we hiked a short way to the falls, which tumbles down 319 ft, making it the tallest waterfall in the Coast Range, and then 8 miles north to Garibaldi, to experience the annual Garibaldi Days Festival.

Munson Falls

Finally, we made it to Reeder Beach RV Park on Sauvie Island, just 9.5 miles north of Portland (where our oldest son, Joe, lives).  Yeaaaaa!    We love this laid-back campground which is on the grounds of an old farm.  Our campsite was on the banks of the Columbia River, looking across at Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helen, and Mt. Rainier in the far distance.  On clear days, we can even see Mt. Hood from the island.  We loved to sit and watch the HUGE, ocean-going freighters as they passed by only about 200 ft from us.  

'just in case you're wondering - no, Jean isn't trying to paint that passing freighter!

 Sadly, in the past year, coyotes have moved into this area and the campground owners have lost 40 ducks and over 100 of their chickens so we didn't see the “farm-life” roaming around quite like we use to and they had only a few fresh eggs a day available for purchase now.   Our stay here was just short of two weeks.   We packed in a lot of fun and a lot of visiting, especially with Joe, and with our friends (and Joe’s “second family”) Reza and Nur.

   We were here last year when Portland broke it's heat record and unfortunately, we were here for record breaking heat again!  The last few days that we were here there were heat advisories, and air quality advisories too (due to the thick haze from the forest fires in Canada).  Ironically, the thick haze kept the temperatures lower than the previously predicted 109 degrees.  The temperature hit 105 degrees, so we made sure we spent a lot of time on the beach where we could stay in the shade and appreciate the cool breezes off the Columbia River. 

"spaceship" in the woods on Collins Beach

Collins Beach - where else can you bask in 104 degree heat, on a clothing optional beach, while looking across the river at a snow covered mountain?  

 Three days ago we left Oregon for the Mt. St. Helen and Mt. Rainier areas in Washington.  We're heading northwest towards Glacier National Forest, in Montana.   ‘Until later, we wish you bright skies and cooler weather!   Jerome & Jean