May 2012 - Camping Trip - #1

Karen and I just finished camping (OK... RVing) at one of our favorite campgrounds... "Fisherman's Bend".  This is a "Full Hookup" Bureau of Land Management Campground, and is located 2 miles West of Mill City, OR along the North Santiam River.  We love the size of the campsites, the beauty of the many forest trails, and the sound of the nearby river.

At this time of the year, the wildflowers are blooming, and the forest becomes a pattern of every shade of green that you can imagine.  As you'll see once again in my images below, a picture really is worth a thousand words.  :-)

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Our Home - Site 13A

 Site 13A

 Light playing on the green maple leaves

On this camp-out, we were joined with our friends Jim & Linda, Tim & Glinda, and Dave & Sandy.  We were all camped close to each other, so this made it easy for visiting, playing a quick game of Ladder Golf, or sharing a few laughs with desert around an evening campfire.  Here are some pictures of the Dutch-Oven Chocolate Cherry Surprise Cake I baked for desert with our friends.

 

 All the ingredients ready to go

The Cake Mix, Cherries, and dabs of Cream Cheese

 

 Checking the cooking process

The Finished Product!

OK... here are a "few" wildflower pictures as well.  There are just too many plants to choose my favorite images!  :-)

One of Abby's favorite activities when we go camping, is to find the closest water for swimming.  When we first got Abby as a puppy, we were camping here at Fisherman's Bend, and she got to know this campground at a very young age.  She still knows this area like the back of her paw, and she makes sure to turn at all the trails that lead to the river when we're out for walks.  It's the simple pleasures in life that makes her a happy Yellow Lab.  A stick & water are all that is needed... no mater how cold the river.  :-)

Thanks for coming along with us on our latest outing... and with Summer around the corner, there are more adventures ahead.  Happy Trails...

Gary, Karen, and Abby Too!

May 2011 Camping Trip

Spring time has arrived in the Northwest, and with it the wildflowers are growing. During this time of the year, Karen and I always enjoy our forest trail walks, because we get to see the smallest of wildflowers coming to life under the forest canopy. This year was no exception, and we were blessed with many different types of flowers in full bloom for us to enjoy. I'll be posting some of our favorites below.

Fisherman's Bend campground is a wonderful place to stay. This time we shared our camping trip with Jim & Linda (and Abby's friend Cirby), as well as Dave & Sandy. Jim and I met a few years ago when I was walking Abby, and he was walking Cirby. Both dogs love playing together in the grass fields, and Jim and I shared common interests (like camping). After Karen and I met up with Jim's wife Linda, we tried unsuccessfully to camp together, but something always came up, and we were never able to connect at the same time. So this was finally a first! :-)

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Site 13A


Abby always on guard... for running the other way from danger!

Fisherman's Bend is a BLM Park, but many of its sites include full-hookups, which make longer stays more enjoyable. This campground is also within a little over an hours drive away, so it has become one of our favorite places to visit (especially with the increasing fuel prices). With the North Santiam River just a few yards away, and miles of beautiful nature trails and hiking paths (that are well maintained) to explore, there's always something to see or do. I also recommend eating lunch or dinner at "Giovanni Mountain Pizza" located just 2 miles east of the campground (in Mill City, OR), if you want to sample the local fair, and Karen and I found the Mountain Edge Cafe a great place for breakfast as well. Jim & Linda ate at the "Swiss Village" restaurant (a few miles west of Fisherman's Bend) off of Hwy 22, and loved the hamburgers and rubin sandwich.

Karen and Abby on one of the beautiful trails


The forest canopy

Detroit Lake State Park is located about 22 miles farther east on Hwy 22, so we took a ride one day taking in the sites... and of course watering the dog. :-)

Abby enjoying a cold dip in the lake with some geese

Below are just a few of the many beautiful wildflowers and interesting sites to see along the vast trail network.

The White Trillium


The Purple Trillium

Bleeding Hearts


Hooker's Fairybell


Tree Fungus

Some of you may remember my BLOG post from last September when we stayed here at Fisherman's Bend. We ended up seeing a large "Ape Type Beast" being video taped for a Forest Service video, on "how to" teach children to pick up litter on the trails, and how not to run through others campsites (this movie is shown in the campground amphitheater). Since our sighting last year, the campground has now put up a NEW crossing sign. It's best not be be sitting too long around the campfire after dark, as you never know who's warm breath may be breathing down the back of your neck. :-)

Bigfoot Crossing

Hope you enjoyed tagging along with us on this trip. Happy Trails... and don't forget to take the time to look for beauty in the smallest of places. You won't be disappointed in what you find.

Gary & Karen, and Abby Too

September - (Trip #2) / October 2010 Camping Trip

Fall camping in Oregon can be a real treat if the weather is good, and Karen and I hit a lucky streak this past week. Not one drop of rain the entire outing, and the daytime temperatures got up into the mid to low 70's. Perfect for still being able to wear shorts, and even better at night when the temperatures got cooler, as we could enjoy the warmth of a campfire. We'd planned this trip in November of 2009 with our friends Dave & Sandy, as we both love this place for camping. Large camping sites, full-hookups, great hiking trails, and the North Santiam River to explore and water Abby (let her swim). At this time of the year, the Santiam river is running with salmon on their way to the spawning beds, as well as the trout that frequent these waters. Thus the name "Fisherman's Bend".

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The North Santiam River Overlook by camp

Fall colors are just starting to show

It happened that we were about 10 minutes late arriving at Fishermen's Bend, as most of their "double" camping sites are first come first served. The man right before us took the last "double" site. This left us no choice but for each of us to get a single site. Dave & Sandy ended up with site #5, and Karen and I were able to occupy the larger "Camp Host" site, as they had just left for the year.

Our Campsite - #1 (The "Camp Host Site)


Off Duty... but some people couldn't read

As you can guess... we actually ended up playing "Camp Host", as several people knocked on our trailer doors asking questions, or wanting to buy the stacks of wood available for campfires. Karen and I joked that instead of the normal $5.00 per cart wood cost, that we should charge $20.00 instead... thus paying for our camping trip and perhaps a Pizza Dinner at a local eatery. :-) We ended up having to place a towel over the "Camp Host" sign, and this at last gave us some privacy as the other campers finally left us alone.

Fire wood carts $5.00 (we wanted to charge $20.00)


Our very own Amphitheater. The trailer is on the other side of the screen.

As usual, we explored the trails and local wildlife in the area. We'd camped here earlier this summer, and a Cougar had been spotted in the thick brush and forested area. The warning signs were along the trails, but what we saw later in the week... (a Large Hairy Upright/Walking Beast) stunned us all! :-O More about this later.

Cougar Sighting

Abby & I on one of the beautiful hiking trails... here kitty kitty kitty


Spider web in the trees


Domed spider web on the forest floor

Ferns growing on an oak tree


The sunlight breaking into the forest darkness


Fungi growing on a log


Winters coming... better hide that peanut

Our son Kevin and his wife McKenzie had decided to head out for a camping trip in their newly purchased trailer, for their second trip. They'd made reservations at Fisherman's Bend, and none of us knew that each of us were going to be there at the same time. We arrived on Wednesday, and they arrived on Friday. What a hoot!

Kevin & McKenzie's campsite. Kevin works on the campfire

One afternoon, Karen and I heard a woman screaming... followed by another blood-curdling scream... and another. Something had definitely scarred this woman... but what was it? Perhaps the footprints at the local "Nature Exhibit" could share some light on this subject. I do see a small human sized foot print (upper left)... but what could have made that larger footprint to the right of it? Could it have been "BIGFOOT"! :-O

What a curiously LARGE foot print...


Yep... that's "Bigfoot" giving me the "thumbs-up" sign! (Yes Kevin... we all know you'd have punched him if he's come anywhere near you or your campsite)


Getting ready for the next filming

Ok... ok... so it was really a park ranger in a really bad gorilla suit, but if you saw this coming through the woods at you, you'd be screaming like a little baby too (right Kevin)! :-) Actually... some of you may have read my posts about "Bigfoot" last year at this same campground. The BLM is filming a movie (staring "Bigfoot"), that's going to be used to teach kid's about the care of the forests and not cutting down live trees for firewood, picking up trash, and respecting other campers. I just happen to catch this "Bigfoot" between movie shots. :-)

Well... that wraps up this trip. Abby seems to know this campground as well, especially all the short-cuts to the river and her favorite swimming holes. Even though she has dysplasia of her hips and a fused spine, we still let her swim just a few times. We can't let her go on like she used to when she was younger, but she loves the water... and after all, she's on a "vacation" with the rest of us as well.

A simple stick, a river, and a Labrador Retriever. Life is good!

Thanks for checking in on our adventures and camping trips. Life is just too short not to enjoy every day of it! Happy Trails...

-Gary, Karen, and Abby Too-