Camping

After being dry for months, the weather couldn't wait any longer despite our plans to go camping at Milo McIver State Park over the weekend. It rained all day Friday and wouldn't even let up as we packed to leave Friday evening. Luckily McIver State Park is nearby. It's our first time camping so close to home. Milo McIver State Park is located along the Clackamas River about 45 minutes from Portland, Oregon. The campground features 44 electrical sites with water, which is great for RVs.

We towed our travel trailer on Saturday morning to Rock Creek Reservoir near Wamic, Oregon for an overnight camping and fishing trip. It just so happened to be the same campground we took our first trip in our trailer exactly one year ago. Rock Creek Reservoir is about 100 acres when full (in the spring) and is stocked several times in the Spring with rainbow trout. It shrinks down to two ponds by the end of summer. Rock Creek Reservoir is located in Tygh Valley within the Mount Hood National Forest. It's about 6 miles WSW of the town of Wamic.

With Jason's school and work schedule this summer, we knew we would be unable to join our family on their week-long trip to Yellowstone. Thus, we reserved a space for six days in the LaPine State Park campground. The State Park's proximity to SunRiver and the Cascade Lakes Sceneic Byway make it an ideal location to serve as a base camp for outdoor adventures.

It seems like we had a very short winter this year, with Spring now in full swing. I am not quite ready to say goodbye to the snow. Luckily we still have snow in the upper elevations, so my friend John and I decided to go snow camping one last time this season. We hitched up my snowmobiles, loaded up my gear sleds, and headed toward Mt Hood. Our original plan was to head to forest service road 44 and see how far we could drive before unloading the snowmobiles and continue on FSR 4410 toward Lookout Mountain (before entering Badger Creek Wilderness Area).

My friend Matt and I picked a snowy weekend to try out hot tent camping (tent heated with a wood stove). We left early Saturday morning for Flattop SnoPark, Washington (SE of Mt Adams). Our plan was to snowmobile 10-20 miles or until we found a good area to snow camp. Flattop SnoPark is situated in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest near Indian Heaven Wilderness and Yakima Indian Reservation. It's NW of Trout Lake, Washington on NF-88 road.

I have been eager to go snow camping this season and the opportunity presented itself this weekend. Since Katie is not fond of snow camping (she has a hard time staying warm), I went with my friend John. We packed up and left my house around 6 AM Saturday, destined for Skyline SnoPark (Mt. Hood National Forest). This SnoPark is off Hwy 26 SSE of Government Camp, Oregon. It's popular with snowmobiles, offering access to the areas around Clear Lake and Timothy Lake.

My friend John had spotted a large downed douglas fir tree the last time we were at Shellrock Creek Campground, so we decided to go back with a firewood permit this weekend. A big snowstorm came through Friday night, bringing about a foot of snow. John and I headed up in his truck about 6:30 am on Saturday. Shellrock Creek Campground is located near the mouth of Shellrock Creek, which flows into the Oak Grove fork of the Clackamas River. It's about 33 miles SE of Estacada off FR 58 (near Timothy Lake). It is a primitive campground with only 8 sites and no running water.

It seems like forever since Katie and I have been camping together, but it was just last month. We decided to hitch up our travel trailer and head to Shellrock Creek Campground on Friday after work. Our friend John had the day off and was already there when we arrived. Shellrock Creek Campground is located near the mouth of Shellrock Creek, which flows into the Oak Grove fork of the Clackamas River. It's about 33 miles SE of Estacada off FR 58 (near Timothy Lake). It's a primitive campground with only 8 sites and no running water.

I drove back up to our deer hunting spot on Friday night to do some more scouting and check the game camera we set up last weekend. I came up alone and was able to get the spot where we had our base camp last year. My two friends and I have buck tags for the White River unit again and like to hunt an area in the vicinity of Badger Lake (roughly 12 miles West of the town of Wamic, Oregon). It's mostly forested with noble fir, douglas fir, and pine trees with interspersed clearcuts slowly filling in.

After cleaning up our new-to-us 2007 Fleetwood Pioneer 18CK travel trailer over Labor Day weekend, we decided to take it for a test run to Rock Creek Reservoir near Wamic, Oregon. Rock Creek Reservoir is approximately 100 acres when full (only in the spring) and is stocked annually with rainbow trout. The reservoir also supports a healthy population of bass up to 5 lbs. each. Rock Creek Reservoir is located in Tygh Valley within the Mount Hood National Forest. It's about 6 miles WSW of the small town of Wamic.

Katie and I headed to Central Oregon on Thursday for a long weekend of adventures. We packed up our gear and pulled our tent trailer to Cultus Lake about 46 miles outside of Bend off the Cascade Lakes Highway. We arrived shortly before dark to what appeared to be a full campground. Luckily we were stopped by a gentleman who had an extra site he wasn't going to use. It ended up being a nice site with plenty of room for both our truck and trailer. We sure lucked out.

This was our first beautiful weekend of the year with temperatures forecasted in the low 80s F in Portland. My friend John and Katie and I spent the weekend car camping along Barlow Creek off the Barlow Road (FS road 3530). It's a beautiful area with silty soil and a mixed conifer forest (pine, fir, cedar, hemlock, etc.). There are several primitive camping spots along the creek between Barlow Crossing and Barlow Creek Forest Service campgrounds.

Last weekend was our annual spring camping trip to Fort Stevens State Park for the Astoria Crab, Seafood, and Wine Festival. It has become a kickoff to our summer camping season. This year we were able to take Friday off, along with some of our friends. Another plus is the weather forecast was mostly sunny (compared to rain as we have had the past two years). We got an early start and left Portland with two of our friends at just after 6 AM. I pulled our tent trailer while my friend John was gracious enough to tow my boat so we could go crabbing that morning.

On Friday night, my friend John and I headed off with fully loaded pulk sleds to snow camp at Devils Half Acre Meadow. We left my house at about 2:30 PM and set out from the Barlow Pass SnoPark at around 4 PM. Another friend, Matt, planned to meet us there just after dark. It's an easy 1.2 mile hike downhill to the campground, which was our destination. The campground sits right at the base of Barlow Butte. The weather was a comfortable 29°F with moderate to heavy snow fall.

Cascade Huts LLC has three huts for rent in the White River Valley and along Barlow Ridge. We had the opportunity to snowshoe two miles to the Barlow Butte Hut and spend the night Friday. We started at the Barlow Pass SnoPark around 5:15 PM just as the sun was setting. The temperature was about 26° F and there was no wind. One to two feet of fresh snow had blanketed the area during the week.