Precursor #3 to September.

Last summer I booked a kayak trip through Kayak Tillamook which was subsequently cancelled, rescheduled, cancelled, rescheduled and cancelled again.  The owner ended up giving me two free seats for the August full moon kayak trip as an apology for all the inconvenience - totally unnecessary but most certainly appreciated. So precursor #3 involved this kayak trip followed by three nights at Kilchis River County campground.  The main campgrounds are a big RV-friendly circle (in a word: yuck) but our tent-only area was right by the river which ended up drowning out most of the noise.  For a shorter trip we would've opted for a no-frills campsite but since we were staying three nights we decided readily-available showers might be a good idea. 

The full moon kayak trip was awesome.  The weather couldn't have been better and the skies were perfectly clear - we even saw a shooting star.  The moon was so bright that we didn't need flashlights.  (We could've done without the family from LA splashing and chatting the whole time, but I guess that was to be expected.)

like a big-a pizza pie

Friday morning after breakfast at camp we hiked up to Cape Lookout.  The trail was pretty crowded and I'm glad we didn't wait until Saturday.  Like last time I was there, it was muddy.  Unlike last time, it was misty and the view wasn't that great.  Still a nice hike, though.

August 2012

same view, May 2011

After the hike we headed to Cape Meares for some serious sitting.  Most of the Oregon coastal beaches are small and very popular.  Don't tell anyone, but Cape Meares is completely the opposite - a wide stretch of beach with very little people.  We ended up spending quite a bit of time there throughout the weekend.

pretty much the only activity we saw

Friday night at the campsite was not as loud as I would have expected, and we were able to rest up for our big hiking adventure the next day: Elk Mountain.

I'd done nearby Kings Mountain somewhat accidentally about a year ago (actually, one of the times the kayak trip got cancelled and I'd already booked lodging at the coast).  It completely kicked my butt.  As in, I was still hurting three days later.  So we wisely opted not to do the Elk Mountain-Kings Mountain 12-mile loop, but even the Elk Mountain-Elk Creek 8.5-mile hike was fairly intense - especially the 1.5 mile uphill scramble at the beginning.

free riders

We saw two people when we first started and about six people near the end.  Otherwise we were alone on the trail the whole time.  (Not surprising - it was close to 100 degrees and I'm sure all the smart people opted to play in the river instead of ascend 2600 feet in only partial shade.)  Most of the trail views overlook the highway, though, so it was hard to remember you weren't that far from civilization.

worth the work

The hike uphill was far more challenging and interesting than the 4-mile gradual downhill slog along Elk Creek trail.  But the downhill slog went quickly and we were able to get on the road by about 4pm.  On the way back to camp we stopped off at Tillamook Cheese Factory where I hopped out to grab squeaky cheese while Patrick waited in the car.  I was tired, sweaty and dirty, and I'd spent the last five hours alone in nature.  Walking into the mass of ice-cream-scarfing humanity and consumerism was much like the experience of being in Vegas after rafting on the Colorado River.  The cashier even commented that I looked a little irritated - in a very nice way, of course...  The sacrifices one makes for squeaky cheese.

Our well-deserved dinner that night (priority #2, with priority #1 being well-deserved showers) was a mishmash of grilled veggies and, of course, sausage. 

I don't know when I developed this affinity for sausage
... but I'm just going to go with it

There is just nothing like grilled corn on the cob.  Nothing.  And for dessert we enjoyed some unlikely combinations.

vacuum-fried banana chips from Trader Joe's

+ peanut butter

+ squeaky cheese

= DELICIOUS

The next morning after packing up, we stopped at Cape Meares again.  The weather wasn't as pleasant but we enjoyed a long walk along the still-desolate beach.

if a wave crashes and no one is around,

does it make a sound?

(A: of course it does, silly)

happy campers/beachcombers

On the way back we stopped at Alice's Country House for lunch.  I can say I've eaten there, and that's about all I have to say about it.

So the third camping experiment was another success.  All of this is very good news.  The plan for September is to take 7-9 days and head down to the Redwoods and up the Oregon coast, car camping along the way.  We have no real plans, just some ideas, so we'll be winging it.  I keep remembering that first road trip I took back in 1995 where we were armed only with AAA camping tour books and a 1975 Ford F250.  This time we'll have wifi and slightly (!) better gas mileage, but otherwise it will be very similar.

So...  Is it September yet?  How about now?  Now? 

Precursor #2 to September.

The backpacking trip I alluded to earlier was a two-night stay at Pamelia Lake, just southwest of Mt. Jefferson.  The campground was recommended by friends (they had me at "flat 2.2 mile hike in") and we were able to snag their favorite campsite.

I can't imagine why it's their favorite campsite

Patrick wisely brought his hammock,
I wisely brought Carol's old crocs

Access to Pamelia Lake is restricted, so even though the campsites were close together and basically right on the lake trail, we had a pretty quiet night.  The ranger stopped by to say hello and tell us about some GIS research happening in the area.  He also let us know that the loop trail we were considering the next day still had a good bit of snow on it.

(Helpful hint: in the literary world, they call this foreshadowing.)

After the ranger took off, we settled in for dinner.  This was the first camping test with my new food restrictions (no potato, no wheat, no dairy + grain for those of you who haven't heard).  Turns out, pre-made black eyed peas with sauteed zucchini (and sausage, of course) tastes pretty darned good, and lasts a day without refrigeration. 

anything made at a campsite and eaten with a spork

tastes pretty darned good, though

That first night, we enjoyed the hammock and the stars (even a shooting star!).  We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast the next morning and headed out around 10am on our three hour tour - I mean, 12 mile hike.  The first six miles were easy inclines and descends full of wildflowers, great views of Mt. Jefferson, and lovely tall trees.

I {heart} Oregon

We took our time, took lots of pictures, took in the views.  Eventually we hit a few small patches of snow on the trail.  Tromping over them, we mocked the ranger - "ha! he calls this snow?"  Sometime around 1pm we hit this...

what, you don't see the trail?

And that is what we tromped through for the next five miles... armed only with a basic map of the trail, some food and a water filter.

In hindsight, it was dumb...  But as Frank Turner sings, if you're all about the destination, then take a *&^% flight, right?

For the first mile or so, it was fun.  We followed some pre-existing footsteps, made our own, watched for trail markers in the trees, and when we couldn't find those, looked for sawed trunks to mark the trail (I cannot take any credit for that brilliance).  I even saw a little brown frog.  In the snow!  Crazy.

 

these became my new bff

The next three miles were not so fun.  Hiking about a mile an hour in many feet of snow, constantly looking for the next marker and watching footsteps, was mentally and physically exhausting.  And the false reprieves!  Every 30 minutes or so we would hit actual trail like the one above, make some good progress and start to perk up, only to run into more snow.  Patrick did an amazing job keeping us on the right track and keeping my spirits up, but the hours kept passing and I eventually started worrying.

The last snowed-in mile was not really fun at all.  I was tired, one of Patrick's boots was toast, it was getting late.  We had no warm clothes and were low on food.

But then a dog saved the day.  Well, a dog's footprints that Patrick spotted.  We were able to follow the backtrack to the trail, the snow went away, and we booked it down the mountain. On the way down we passed the couple with the dog and thanked them profusely.

we did stop to admire Hunts Lake

(or maybe it was Hanks Lake)

and mountain goats!

(who did not sing us depressing songs)

We also ran into the ranger somewhere around mile 11, and when he heard that we'd done the whole loop, he exclaimed, "Wow!  I'm proud of you guys!"  That just can't be a good thing.

Yes, in hindsight it was dumb, but at the same time, it was a great adventure and we were proud of ourselves too.  (Well, I was proud of Patrick - I was pretty much just along for the ride.)  There were times in the snow when I wished we would run into someone, just to know we were on the right track, but for the most part it was lovely to be alone in the wilderness, testing ourselves, for the whole day.

Clarence, Seymour and the bowling pin

drank all the wine while we were gone

We slept like rocks that night, headed out after another leisurely breakfast and stopped for a little reminiscing and ice cream along the way.  Experiment #2 - another success!

next time, Clarence carries the backpack

Oregon Caves: who knew?

For my birthday in January, I booked a few nights on the coast where we enjoyed beautiful sunsets, a cozy fireplace and wonderful pizza.  Patrick decided he wanted to see Oregon Caves National Monument for his birthday in June.  For being an Oregon boy, he's seen very little of Oregon, and I didn't even know these caves existed, so we were pretty excited about a weekend exploring Cave Junction.  The other enticing factor was our lodging: the Oregon Caves Chateau is really the only place to stay near the caves, but hey - birthdays call for splurges, right?

On the 5(ish) hour trek we stopped in The Vine Restaurant, a little taste of Tuscany in Grant's Pass.  (Our tagline, not theirs - but the gaudy burgundy and cream decor and older crowd reminded me of my hometown Italian restaurant, which bears little resemblance to an actual Italian dining establishment.)  I'm pretty sure they don't serve turkey burgers in Italy, but the friendly service and tasty food made up for that fact.  That, and the marshmallow goo.

foreground: turkey burger, Tuscan stylie
background: sweet potato fries with marshmallow goo dipping sauce

We arrived at the Chateau after dark, settled in and took a little walk around the grounds to admire the moon.

caves moon

The lodge was open, airy and warm thanks to the open fire in the main sitting area.  Antiques and random art projects were scattered among modern but comfortably worn furniture. Because of it's status as a national historic landmark, the grounds and indoors are kept immaculate and customer service is over the top.  While we were there the lodge received its monthly inspection by very serious-looking ranger-type people.  (Patrick actually had to defend my coffee cup to ensure that the inspectors didn't ding the staff for leaving empty dishes in the main sitting area.  If only we had those inspectors in the kitchens at work...)

keeping cave junction weird

The staff were really friendly (and a bit quirky) and the views of the forest were lovely.  And because it was so early in the season, we were among a handful of guests the whole weekend.  Our room was right over a small pool with a manufactured waterfall.  Man-made or not, it was peaceful and the noise from the falls helped us sleep like rocks.  In the morning we ate bagels and peanut butter by the pool, then set off on a day hike around the grounds, stopping mid-day for a snack at the lodge cafe.

seeing for miles and miles from the cliff nature trail

it's no map of joseph, but it's pretty close

 aforementioned big tree - the largest known Douglas Fir

Early that evening we took a candlelight tour of the caves.  More kitschy than a typical ranger-led tour, this quick breeze through the caves gave us the background of Elijah Davidson's discovery and subsequent explorers who tried to make money off tourism.  It was interesting and entertaining, but brief, and we looked forward to the next morning's longer lit tour that would take us deeper into the caverns.

After a day of exploring it was time for a quiet happy hour overlooking the forest, followed by the celebratory birthday dinner.  The restaurant at the lodge is the only dinner option when you stay there.  While the food was alright for the rather hefty price, they let us bring our own wine and the service was really friendly. 

happy birthday hour

 

let him eat cake!

In the morning we ate breakfast at the lodge cafe, famous for its milkshakes.  We did not try a milkshake.  I may live to regret that one day.  But I did try the cave bacon.

tastes suspiciously like regular bacon

The 90-minute tour was much more informative, and we went deep into the caves to see some pretty amazing formations.  I've visited caves in California and New Zealand but I've not seen anything quite like this before.

 rare to see stalactites and stalagmites joined like this

above the ghost room

Before heading back to I-5, we wandered around No Name trail for a bit.  Overgrown, rustic and people-free - my kind of wandering.  There were a few spots with several benches and lots of places where benches had been built into the valley walls with rocks.  Unlike the day before, this trail didn't offer much of a view but the "dead end" trails were anything but...

dead end falls along no name trail

All in all, a great weekend getaway celebration.  This "plan your own birthday present" idea seems to be working out really well.  I'm already thinking about where I want to go in January... 

Precursor #1 to September.

Back in May we had a free weekend and spontaneously decided to head to the coast for a quick night of camping.  We planned to check out some of the county parks we were considering for a longer trip later in the summer, but it was early enough in the season that popular Cape Lookout State Park had plenty of space so we found a fairly quiet site and set up camp.

there is an air mattress in there... yes, I've become one of THOSE people

this bowling pin followed us everywhere... eerie!

 
After a quick happy hour, we walked a few hundred feet to the beach.  At first I was too busy taking artsy beach photos to notice everyone else staring out at the pod of whales making their way north.

artsy beach photo

 whale!

I've probably tried a dozen times to see whales on the coast, all unsuccessfully.  Whales are typically seen November through March so we really lucked out.  Chalk one up to spontaneity...  Definitely not my strong suit, but positive reinforcement like this is a great reminder to let go of the planning now and then.

The next morning we woke up to steady rainfall and a leaky tent.  The rain stopped shortly after we got on the road and found Brewin' In the Wind cafe in Oceanside for breakfast.  Which took For. Ev. Er.  (And was only alright.)  Afterward we made a quick stop at Munson Creek Falls before heading back to Portland. 

Other than some wet gear and a mediocre Sunday morning meal, I'd say our first camping adventure was a success.  Next up: my first backpacking trip in 10 years!