June 2012 - Camping Trip - #1

Karen and I just recently returned from our third outing this year, and this time we stayed at a new location for us... Memaloose State Park in Oregon.  This park is one of three close State Parks located within the Columbia River Gorge area.  Memaloose SP is the largest of the Three (Viento & Ainsworth being the other two parks).  While being in a great location for some beautiful sightseeing... the exit into this park is a little interesting.  If you're heading East on I-84, you'll need to take the Rowena Exit at MP 76, do a turnaround, and head West on I-84 for 3 mile, exiting at the Rest Stop located at MP 73.  You have to drive through the Rest Stop to get to the Park Entrance!  Whenever you leave the park wanting to go in an easterly direction (say The Dalles), you'll have to go West on I-84 (One Way Exit), for 3 miles, until you get to the Mosier Exit (MP 70), turn around again there, and head East on I-84 to your destination.

Be advised that this park is located between the Interstate (I-84) and the Trains that follow the tracks along the Columbia River on both the Washington and Oregon sides.  If you're located at a camping site close to I-84, you will hear traffic noise.  If you're located in a campsite close to the Columbia River, you'll hear the train traffic from both sides that pass by frequently both day and night.  While this noise is most noticeable when sitting outside, it was much quieter inside our trailer, and I only heard the nighttime trains during the first night of our stay.  Plan accordingly.  We did have lots of tree shade, good Electric/Water/and Sewer connections, and the park hosts are very friendly and helpful.

 

Site B3

 While our arrival day edged up into the low 90's for temperatures, the next few days were met with high winds and rain showers.  We made the best of this situation by heading for the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Wasco County Historical Museum located in The Dalles, OR.  What a wonderful facility... with lots of things to see, touch, and explore.  They even have a live "Birds of Prey" exhibit, as well as walk through dioramas from the past to the present.

 Hey look... blue sky!

 Stuffed Mountain Lion display

 Great Horned Owl

 Red Tail Hawk

 Stuffed Snake and Coyote

 Karen giving a "Mammoth" hug to this display!  :-)

Wind Surfers

Not only is the Columbia Gorge filled with beautiful sights to visit, it also put on a show for us when the Sun set in the evenings.  

Sunset on the Columbia River

I also highly recommend driving the Old Historic Columbia River Highway (Hwy 30).  Be advised that this Highway is very narrow in spots, and I'd recommend NOT driving this highway with an attached trailer!!!  Both Karen and I had more than a few white-knuckle experiences, and were gasping every time we met up with another car while driving in our Dodge 1-Ton Truck!  Here are some of the sites along this awesome highway:

 Bridal Veil Falls

 Woman's Forum Overlook

 Horse Tail Falls

 Wahkeena Falls

Multnomah Falls

As always, we took a lot of hiking side trips, and I managed to capture a few flowers for you to enjoy as well. 

Hopefully... Summer and the warmer weather are finally here to stay, and we can all begin to have our own fun journeys no matter where they take us.  From Karen and I (and Abby Too), we wish you all Happy Trails!  Thanks for following along with us on our adventures.

Karen, Gary, and Abby Too!