Showing posts with label Fisherman's Bend Campground. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fisherman's Bend Campground. Show all posts

Saturday, September 12, 2009

September 2009 Camping Trip - 1

This particular camping trip will always be remembered because of its "uniqueness". Perhaps it was the morning sky that first foretold of this impending adventure... but one doesn't really know for sure.

*** Click on the pictures to make them larger for viewing ***


Red Sky at morning... Campers take Warning!

Let's just say that a chance encounter, will help to carry on a long time Pacific Northwest mystery in its own right, which is known by the name of Yeti, Sasquatch, or Bigfoot. For those of you who are skeptical or less adventurous, you may stop reading now. For those of you who love "Excitement", the trill of the "Unknown", and story's of "Legends" and "Tall Tales"... then continue reading at your own peril, you have been Warned!

Bigfoot Sighting!!!

Our trip started off as most normally do, except for the fact that we were joining our daughter and her husband (Kelly & Jeremy), on their 8th Wedding Anniversary outing. Karen was actually suppose to be working during this time, but she was able to find a couple of people to cover for her on her shift, so we were able to join Kelly & Jeremy on their camping trip to our favorite campground... Fisherman's Bend.


Jeremy & Kelly at their campsite 7A

Our Campsite 7B


The backside of site 7B

As I stated earlier, this is our favorite local area campground to stay at. Not only are the campsites huge (complete with Full-Hookups), there are several miles of nature trails for hiking on, which are full of wild flowers in the Spring. Of course for Abby, the North Santiam River is available for swimming in as well.


One of the many trails...


Kelly & Jeremy stop for a photo along the way


And there are raised boardwalks and bridges for the wetter areas

The North Santaim river flows right beside the campground, and is a favorite fishing area for trout, salmon, and steelhead. Abby could care less about all of that though... just as long as she can swim for a stick.


Heaven at last...


Come on... throw it some more!


Here it comes...

Karen and I took along a bottle of Champagne to celebrate with Kelly & Jeremy, and we toasted to their marriage, good life & happiness, and many long years to come.

A toast...

In the evenings we made a fire and talked, and for one after-dinner-dessert, we actually made SMORES! Yummmmmmmmm!!! It had been a long time since Karen and I enjoyed smores, but I don't think we'll be waiting as long for the next ones.

Both our campsites were located together in a Pull-Through site. However, the brush is so thick, that you can't even see the site of the person next to you. And when the morning and afternoon light comes down through the trees, it makes the Vine Maples trees light up.

Bright green leaves on the Vine Maple trees

We also discovered an interesting looking fungus. It almost looks as if they're "Toasted Marshmallows". Although... I don't think they'd taste like one.

Fungus growing on a piece of wood

But the most interesting thing we saw (and the reason for this story), was a notice placed all around the Fisherman's Bend campground. It appears that "Bigfoot" is in this area, and that it had been sighted many times during the Summer. They wanted to make sure that all the campers were aware of the situation, and posted the following bulletin everywhere within the campground:

*** Posted Notice all around the Campground ***

Although we never actually met this mythical creature in person... one always had the feeling that something was there watching you though the thickness of the forest. Then at night, those strange grunting and howling noises penetrated the silence (especially at the darkest hours). And while making smores by the campfire at night... one could almost make-out the glowing eyes of some large bipedal creature in the blackness. This was all enough to give you chills and make the hair stand up on the back of your neck and arms. Had our son Kevin been along on this camping trip... every night would have been filled with terror and sleeplessness.

With all of the story's from hundreds of years of Native American legends, and the more recent and countless sightings (including grainy movies and pictures, and a little Photoshop trickery), one has to stop and really ask this question... "Where does Bigfoot sleep?"

In all honesty, I can tell you he doesn't sleep in a NuWa HitchHiker trailer (although some may argue about that)! :-)

Happy trails...

-Gary & Karen-

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

September Camping Trip - 2

Karen and I just returned from our second excursion this month, and the weather was fantastic. We stayed at our favorite campground... Fisherman's Bend BLM Park (located 32 miles East of Salem, OR on Hwy 22), and camped with our friends Sandy & Dave.

The Fall colors are just starting to show in the Vine Maple trees, as evidenced in the picture below.

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Fall colors are just starting to show

We love this campground for several reasons... it's close to us (1 hour drive), it has Full-Hookups, Abby can swim in the North Santiam River that boarders the campground, lot's of hiking trails, seclusion from the other campers, and all this for only $18 a night! See below the pictures of our camping site. We were in a "double" pull-through site, so Dave & Sandy were camped beside us... but you could barely see them through the trees and brush.


Our very large camping site (just half of the double pull-through)

During one of our days in camp, we drove to the "Old McKenzie River Highway - Hwy 242", for a senic drive through the Cascade mountains. Please be aware that you can't tow a trailer through this area, and that it's for sight-seeing while driving your truck or car only!


Two of the Three Sisters (North & Middle) and the Lava Flows


Mt. Washington and the Lava Flows


Karen, Abby, and myself with Mt. Washington in the background


Elk cooling off in a field being watered

We also took in many sites along the way off of Hwy 126, such as Sahalie Falls, and the Holiday Farms Resort ( a future Thurlacki Adventure).


Sahalie Falls


Holiday Farms Resort

As usual, we had plenty of great food. Karen and Sandy do a great job of making sure that "everyone" in the campground has enough to eat. Dave tried out something new for us one night with his Dutch-Oven cooking... Pizza!


Dave checking on the melting cheese


Two Pizzas ready for consumption... Yum YUM!!

It really is amazing how quickly time goes whenever you leave on another camping trip. It takes forever for the camping time to come, then in an instant... your camping trip is over, and you're heading back home. I can understand why some people travel the whole year round, enjoying new and different things every day, and experiencing the "call of the road" beckoning to new adventures around every curve.

Thanks for taking the time to look over "our" short adventures.

-Gary-