June 2010 Camping Trip - #1

Is summer here yet???

Karen and I headed out for this months "get-away" with our friends Dave & Sandy, to Harbor Vista Park in Florence, Oregon. We have stayed here before, and just love this Lane County campground (only $20 a night). If there were only one bad thing to say... it would be that it's not a Full-Hookup park (no sewer connection), but they do have a Dump Station located on the way out.

On our drive over, it rained and rained... just letting up enough on our arrival to let us back into our camping site, but it opened up again when I was connecting the power and water to the trailer. Luckily, Karen and Abby were already inside the trailer before the monsoons returned... but I was not as lucky. :-(

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

Site 18


Our secret path to Dave & Sandy's camp site

By our second day here, the clouds and rain dissipated, and the sunshine appeared. Could this actually mean that summer time was close at hand? Our weather improved again on Saturday, and we got up into the low 70's, with nothing but blue-sky and Sun. We all took full advantage of this situation, and grabbed our reclining Lafuma chairs, and relaxed in the sun and shade of the camp. The unfortunate thing about nice weather at the coast, is that it brings really strong northern winds blowing hard on the beach. In this case... the wind was blowing with gusts up to 40MPH! At this speed, the sand becomes more like a "sand-blaster", and will rub any exposed skin surface raw (ladies... this is much easier than shaving your legs). This is why relaxing chairs, brush sheltered camp sites, and beer were invented. :-)

Karen and Abby relaxing together


Here I am thinking about all I had to do today... in other words, nothing!

We did finally make it down to the jetties along the Siuslaw River that empties out into the ocean one day, but it was a short visit with the cold wind blowing.

Karen and Abby along the North Jetty of the Siuslaw River


Karen, Sandy, Dave, and Maggie & Abby at the jetty


Santa must of been close by... here's a "Sandy Paws" mark from Abby!

Something of interest (which you wouldn't expect at this campground), were the "Black Bear" warnings. This campground had recently been visited by a bear who found a few garbage cans to loot. We were fortunate, in that none were sighted during our stay here. Just a few "holey" garbage cans and lids were noticeable. And no, we didn't leave out a "pick-a-nick" basket for Yogi & Booboo either. :-)

Black Bear Warnings

Karen and I are sooooo happy that Dave & Sandy have their own "Home away from Home" now, and can take showers at any time they wish. And the added bonus of having a flush toilet, is like having a throne for the King & Queen. :-)

Dave & Sandy (and Maggies), new "Ever-Lite" camping Home

Abby wandering between our camp sites.

Wild Rhododendrons all over the place

Sadly, our time camping ended too quickly, and we had to return back home. We did have beautiful summer like weather in the Valley (80's), so it was a nice break from the weeks of rain we've gotten recently, and with the smells of Bar-B-Q's in the air, warm summer nights can't be too far off.

Until our next adventure... Happy Trails to you.

-Gary & Karen-

July 2009 Camping Trip

Our early summer camping plans with Dave & Sandy, had to be canceled due to the loss of Karen's mother Val, but we did have some great timing with this trip to Harbor Vista Park in Florence, Oregon (our first camping trip together this year).

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

Abby & Karen in the Bay

As usual... as soon as we setup our camp, the next item of importance is "watering" the dogs. Dave & Sandy's dog Maggie is a cross between a Boxer and Basset-Hound, and is Abby's best friend. Those two just love playing together, and have worked out a system while playing "stick" in the water. Karen or I will throw the stick way out into the water, and Abby will take off for it. Meanwhile, Maggie waits patiently for Abby to return closer to the shore, and then will swim out to bring the stick in the rest of the way when Abby is closer. They do this time and time again... sharing like two best friends.

Maggie & Abby playing in the water

This was our first time to the Harbor View Park, and we fell in love with this campground. It has both Water and Electric (30/50 Amp in most sites), but does not have Sewer connections. They do however have a Dump Station located on the way out of the campground. All the sites not only have lots of room and space, but they have a great deal of brush between each site, so you also get your privacy.

Site 18


Plenty of room to stretch out with a warm blanket...

or the warmth of the sandy ground. Whatever makes you happy.

I had mentioned earlier that we had planned this trip perfectly, in that the Willamette Valley (50 miles East of us), was having a heat-wave. When this happens it creates an inversion along the Oregon coast, and brings the cooler coastal air inland. While the Valley was roasting at 100+ degrees, we were at a comfortable 65 degrees. In the evenings, we could actually see our breath as we ate dinner at the picnic table. We even managed to stay up long enough to have an actual campfire!

Ahhhhh... Summer along the Oregon Coast

While camping at the Geysers & Geezers Rally in West Yellowstone earlier this June, Forum member Bill Teetz gave me a set of "Koozies" that he had. He said that since I actually owned a HitchHiker II, that they would work better for me. Well Bill... Thank You very much! Even though we didn't get a chance to drink a lot of "COLD" beer, when it did warm up... I tried them out.

The Beer Koozie at work

Luckily on this trip... we managed to escaped any serious "Thurlacki" experiences (even though I do have a few stories to tell), but more importantly, we didn't have to do any evacuations while staying at Harbor Vista!

The "Tsunami" siren warning system by camp

What a great 6 days of fun we had. No rain, the sky was blue (most of the time when there wasn't fog), and the temperatures were nice and cool (compared to the scorching Valley). We arrived back home to record breaking temperatures - 108 degrees! Today was much cooler however, and we only managed to get up to 107 degrees. I almost missed a warm campfire just thinking about the much cooler weather today.

The Sun sets behind the fog bank just off the coastline

Traveling to new and unfamiliar destinations is what I like most about camping. You never know what you'll see along the way, or what you'll find once you get there. But as long as you have good friends to share your adventures with, it's not the destination... but the journey that matters.

Happy Trails...

-Gary & Karen-