# Camping!!!! Ten days and counting...



## AllieBaba

So, so, so exciting...primitive camping with:

My son and his family (wife and 3 y.o. and Snoop the pit)
Me and my two youngest (7 & 8 boy and girl) and Klaus the saint
My nephew (we hope, haven't gotten a verification from him but I think he's going, he's always fun. He's a little older than my oldest)

My best friend and her husband are going to join us for at least one night as well...and they have two dogs they will probably bring.

Here is where we're going:

















2 miles across the dunes and you're at the (ocean) beach! Miles of trails! Temperate rain forest, never too hot and seldom too cold in the summer. Lots of sand, lots of water, both freshwater and salt...streams, lakes....we are so psyched!

We're renting a boat, taking in 









Hatfield Marine Science Center of Oregon State University 
(that's the hatfield marine science center in Newport, very, very cool)







hanging at the dunes,






Fishing...






And doing lots of hiking/trails with the dogwogs.

How much fun is that.


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## AllieBaba

Bet you can't tell I'm ready to go now. I've had enough of the desert. I'm ready to go home.


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## Big Black Dog

Camping is fun.  I used to camp a lot when I was a teenager and into my early 20's.  Now, I like to camp out in places like Holiday Inn Express and Red Roof Inn.


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## AllieBaba

Those certainly have their own attraction...we like to do that, too, and that is exactly what we've done for the last few years.

But we're broke, it costs $40 a night for ALL of us to camp, with our dogs, instead of $200 a night for all of us (easily) and doggie nightmares at the motels...

I grew up on those dunes and around those lakes; we would hike out from home and camp overnight in the summers, just me and my best friend; we knew of seasonal dune lakes that we could spend the days at and nobody else would be around....camp in the forest, no fire danger, clean, no people...

Childhood there was truly idyllic in so many ways, and I miss that out here with the rattlers and the rock and the blistering heat and dangerous wildfires. NOT that I don't love it here, and not that there aren't great places to camp around here, too....

But I want my kids to really experience some of what I did as a girl there. I think 8 days will be a good start. I will probably retire there eventually.

The weekend after we return, I will be taking Son #2 and his family (wife, best friend, maybe best friend's daughter) camping much closer to his home and my OTHER hometown...#2 and the lot are attending summer term in Walla Walla, so can't go with us to the coast. So I promised we'd camp a weekend close to (his) home and in my old stomping grounds....where we spent many, many days with the older boys when they were growing up...






That's the Walla Walla river you can just see over there...this is a pretty wild area, 13 miles up county roads from the highway, thousands of acres and the Umatilla Indian Reservation adjacent to the Umatilla National Forest (also adjacent). I've ridden some of it..you can criss cross the mountains and find your way to my Mom's house and the reservation.


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## AllieBaba

I assume they took these pics in the winter or something, that's the only explanation for the fact that the trees are completely nude! It doesn't look exactly like that right now...


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## Sarah G

Don't get eaten up by mosquitos like I did last week.


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## AllieBaba




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## strollingbones

have fun and be safe..remember flash floods...etc....lets go camping and be paranoid.....but i am will dog....camping to me is a b/w tv at the coyote motel....but tent camping is still fun...just really hard to get up off the ground and go pee 8x a night lol


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## rightwinger

AllieBaba said:


> So, so, so exciting...primitive camping with:
> 
> My son and his family (wife and 3 y.o. and Snoop the pit)
> Me and my two youngest (7 & 8 boy and girl) and Klaus the saint
> My nephew (we hope, haven't gotten a verification from him but I think he's going, he's always fun. He's a little older than my oldest)
> 
> My best friend and her husband are going to join us for at least one night as well...and they have two dogs they will probably bring.
> 
> Here is where we're going:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 2 miles across the dunes and you're at the (ocean) beach! Miles of trails! Temperate rain forest, never too hot and seldom too cold in the summer. Lots of sand, lots of water, both freshwater and salt...streams, lakes....we are so psyched!
> 
> We're renting a boat, taking in
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hatfield Marine Science Center of Oregon State University
> (that's the hatfield marine science center in Newport, very, very cool)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hanging at the dunes,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fishing...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And doing lots of hiking/trails with the dogwogs.
> 
> How much fun is that.



damn...that looks beautiful


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## Dabs

I hope you have a good time!!!
The scenery looks pleasant enough, but I am definitely not a camper.
When and if I camp, I need to have a commode that will go ===flush=== and a nice comfortable bed with soft pillows and a television would be nice too ~LoL~
Seriously, I can't do the tent and sleeping bag thingie...no thanks *sigh*
I'll take a nice cabin tho!


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## Shogun

NICE!

I love camping.

bring a telescope!


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## AllieBaba

The playground is a huge glade, at least a couple of acres. Most of the times I've been at this park, we were the only ones there. In the summer, there will be people camping there at times but the campsites are incredibly well situated...very private. You can't really see them from the paths, and almost all of them are on the water. People have been lost here; in fact I once did a story where they had cadaver dogs up there hunting for someone. They never did find the guy. There are elk, deer, bears and cats, possibly wolves, definitely coyotes, fox, badger, coon and skunk (of course) you name it. Native fish, steelhead and cuthroat, I believe. Salmon too (but I'm not one for freshwater salmon that far from the ocean). The salmon spawn here, and up the umatilla...in the winter it's pretty much inaccessible unless you're REALLY motivated (and this particular park is closed. I have been at elk camp in the general vicinity, however, but on private land). 

The river and campground abutt a steep mountainside that is pretty much un-navigable by humans, or very close. i've never seen anyone on it, and I wouldn't take a horse on it. 

Looking forward to that one, too. You don't camp overnight here without a weapon.


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## Sarah G

rightwinger said:


> AllieBaba said:
> 
> 
> 
> So, so, so exciting...primitive camping with:
> 
> My son and his family (wife and 3 y.o. and Snoop the pit)
> Me and my two youngest (7 & 8 boy and girl) and Klaus the saint
> My nephew (we hope, haven't gotten a verification from him but I think he's going, he's always fun. He's a little older than my oldest)
> 
> My best friend and her husband are going to join us for at least one night as well...and they have two dogs they will probably bring.
> 
> Here is where we're going:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 2 miles across the dunes and you're at the (ocean) beach! Miles of trails! Temperate rain forest, never too hot and seldom too cold in the summer. Lots of sand, lots of water, both freshwater and salt...streams, lakes....we are so psyched!
> 
> We're renting a boat, taking in
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hatfield Marine Science Center of Oregon State University
> (that's the hatfield marine science center in Newport, very, very cool)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hanging at the dunes,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fishing...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And doing lots of hiking/trails with the dogwogs.
> 
> How much fun is that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> damn...that looks beautiful
Click to expand...


Looks like there might be bears there.

And mosquitos..


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## Dabs

AllieBaba said:


> Looking forward to that one, too. You don't camp overnight here without a weapon.



Say what??
And that's where you're going?? You are way braver than I!


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## AllieBaba

rightwinger said:


> AllieBaba said:
> 
> 
> 
> So, so, so exciting...primitive camping with:
> 
> My son and his family (wife and 3 y.o. and Snoop the pit)
> Me and my two youngest (7 & 8 boy and girl) and Klaus the saint
> My nephew (we hope, haven't gotten a verification from him but I think he's going, he's always fun. He's a little older than my oldest)
> 
> My best friend and her husband are going to join us for at least one night as well...and they have two dogs they will probably bring.
> 
> Here is where we're going:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 2 miles across the dunes and you're at the (ocean) beach! Miles of trails! Temperate rain forest, never too hot and seldom too cold in the summer. Lots of sand, lots of water, both freshwater and salt...streams, lakes....we are so psyched!
> 
> We're renting a boat, taking in
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hatfield Marine Science Center of Oregon State University
> (that's the hatfield marine science center in Newport, very, very cool)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hanging at the dunes,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fishing...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And doing lots of hiking/trails with the dogwogs.
> 
> How much fun is that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> damn...that looks beautiful
Click to expand...

 
Cool, huh...that last pic is Mercer lake..that's one of the deep, cold coastal lakes, not much bank access as you can see the trees and underbrush grow right down to the water. And that is thick, thick underbrush. This is probably where the kids will boat. They're desert kids, lol, used to reservoir boating...this is going to be very, very different for them..


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## AllieBaba

Sarah G said:


> rightwinger said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> AllieBaba said:
> 
> 
> 
> So, so, so exciting...primitive camping with:
> 
> My son and his family (wife and 3 y.o. and Snoop the pit)
> Me and my two youngest (7 & 8 boy and girl) and Klaus the saint
> My nephew (we hope, haven't gotten a verification from him but I think he's going, he's always fun. He's a little older than my oldest)
> 
> My best friend and her husband are going to join us for at least one night as well...and they have two dogs they will probably bring.
> 
> Here is where we're going:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 2 miles across the dunes and you're at the (ocean) beach! Miles of trails! Temperate rain forest, never too hot and seldom too cold in the summer. Lots of sand, lots of water, both freshwater and salt...streams, lakes....we are so psyched!
> 
> We're renting a boat, taking in
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hatfield Marine Science Center of Oregon State University
> (that's the hatfield marine science center in Newport, very, very cool)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hanging at the dunes,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fishing...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And doing lots of hiking/trails with the dogwogs.
> 
> How much fun is that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> damn...that looks beautiful
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Looks like there might be bears there.
> 
> And mosquitos..
Click to expand...

 
This is the oregon coast...not too many mosquitoes, it's too cold and windy. Bears of the small black variety, and usually pretty shy.


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## AllieBaba

And this is the other camping trip @ harris park...


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## AllieBaba

The park is situated in a relatively narrow canyon bottom, with hillsides to the north and south of the river. The County road ends about 1/8 mile beyond the Gene Palmer Campground. The U.S. Department of Interior (BLM) manages the three-mile stretch of the south fork of the Walla Walla River that runs from Harris Park boundary to the Umatilla National Forest, west boundary. This land is designated an area of critical environmental concern (ACEC). The main management goal is protecting and enhancing the riparian ecosystem, fisheries habitat and the scenic resource while allowing regulated recreational use. Harris Park is an entrance to the ACEC for hikers, horseback riders, motorcyclists and hunters who use public lands (Forest Service or BLM lands) but has no enforcement authority."

Umatilla County Harris Park page


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## logical4u

Take your Cutter's.  Have a blast, and don't feed the bears!


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## AllieBaba

In the Harris Park slideshow they have pics of a bear up in a tree.

Don't worry, I don't feed bears and I keep the fire going all night.


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## AllieBaba

And I am usually tending it.....love camping.


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## AllieBaba

Sweet Creek by Mapleton. 2.5 miles, 11 waterfalls.


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## AllieBaba

Some guy wandering around the place we'll be camping. Ultimately, getting lost, lol. He managed to miss the water, which is really hard to do. Not sure how he did that.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfpFZjZz1do]YouTube - &#x202a;Me Getting Lost in the Dunes&#x202c;&rlm;[/ame]


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## AllieBaba

Darlingtonia (bug eating pitcher plants)

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvaFnOMNKNg]YouTube - &#x202a;Meat Eating Carnivorous Plants Darlingtonia Wayside Florence Oregon&#x202c;&rlm;[/ame]


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## AllieBaba

I know all of these views well. But who the hell writes that sort of music? They need to come talk to me. They're almost as suspect as the peole who listen to it...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_Moa_7mLqQ&NR=1]YouTube - &#x202a;Oregon Coast, "Florence Oregon", Beaches, Wilderness Tour, Lakes, Rivers, Scenes&#x202c;&rlm;[/ame]


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## AllieBaba

Why for the love of my second cousin, would anyone ever, ever go into a big, foggy, windy, current-y, lily-pad choked body of water in a tiny, tiny, tippy canoe???

The first part of this vid horrifies me!

The little deer at the end is cute, but by then I've already died a thousand times in my head.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeOx5TUZHcI&feature=related]YouTube - &#x202a;Canoeing around Siltcoos Lake&#x202c;&rlm;[/ame]


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## AllieBaba

Now I have to figure out where we'll camp for the family reunion on the coast in August. Might do Sutton....but haven't ruled out Harbor Vista yet. Harbor Vista is cool cuz you just walk down the road to the north jetty (instead of trekking across the dunes or driving a coupla miles). It's pretty tame in the campground, but there are some tremendous views, and it's awfully handy to town....


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## AllieBaba

Camp shower:

This looks doable...and I'll bet it's fun for the kids. 







Before you go camping, purchase an umbrella with a blunt tip and two shower curtains that you can't see through.  Then go to a hardware store and buy a chemical type sprayer.  It has to be unused, of course.  This is the type of can that you pump, which forces spray through a hose.  Get yourself a long rope for the outside shower as well.
When you are camping, find a nice shower area that is on low ground and away from your camping supplies and tent.  Throw one end of the rope over a sturdy branch and secure it.  Tie one end to your umbrella handle so the umbrella is hanging upside down.  Open the umbrella and begin hooking the shower curtains on the tips of the umbrella.  Once you are done, you will have an upside down umbrella with one or two shower curtains attached all the way around it.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Raise your new shower high enough for you to fit under it.  Now hose yourself down with the sprayer, soap up and rinse.  You won't believe how amazing it will feel to get the camping dirt off of you![/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]For a different twist on the same shower, omit the sprayer to lighten your gear.  Poke holes in the umbrella with an ice pick.  When the umbrella shower is raised, pour water inside the umbrella. [/FONT]​How to Make a Camp Shower


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## Ringel05

Allie, I've found the perfect spot for you, solitude, spectacular views.


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## AllieBaba

That's insane! What the hell! 

What is that even called?? I had no idea that people attached tents to the sides of cliffs and hung out..I always thought the purpose of rock climbing is to get to the top, not hang out in the most dangerous spot!

What the hell do they do if they have to poop?????? Or, for women, pee??? We can't just aim it out the tent....


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## Ringel05

AllieBaba said:


> That's insane! What the hell!
> 
> What is that even called?? I had no idea that people attached tents to the sides of cliffs and hung out..I always thought the purpose of rock climbing is to get to the top, not hang out in the most dangerous spot!
> 
> What the hell do they do if they have to poop?????? Or, for women, pee??? We can't just aim it out the tent....


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## AllieBaba

This time next week I'll be kicking back next to a fire, in the dunes, near the beach, on a lake......


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## midcan5

Allie,  You almost sound human in this thread and here I thought all wingnuts only got their jollies out of castigating liberals, democrats and progressives?  

We haven't camped since the boys married, I loved it, especially the NE and the Canadian provinces, I keep telling my wife we will sleep in the back of the crossover this summer - she says not.


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## Ringel05

midcan5 said:


> Allie,  You almost sound human in this thread and here I thought all wingnuts only got their jollies out of castigating liberals, democrats and progressives?
> 
> We haven't camped since the boys married, I loved it, especially the NE and the Canadian provinces, I keep telling my wife we will sleep in the back of the crossover this summer - she says not.



So her idea of camping is a hotel room without room service........


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## Valerie

Have fun Allie!  



Haven't been camping in a looooooong time, but use to love camping...



If you ever make it to NH, come to Blackberry Crossing on the Kancamagus River!  

Kancamagus Highway Campgrounds: Find a Campground on The Kancamagus Highway in NH


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## AllieBaba

We're leaving the day after the day after tomorrow! Almost there!

And this morning I realized..why on earth didn't I get luggage and bike racks put on the Exploder? Why didn't I even think of it before 7 a.m. this morning? 

My 27 y.o. nephew is also coming with us, i'm so glad! He is studying for his GRT right now and was ambiguous about the trip but I really nagged him and finally he caved. It will be nice for both my sons to have another grown guy around, so they can all be manly and stuff, and not be outnumbered by the females and children.


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## Ringel05

That reminds me, I need to set up my tent, make sure it's still in good shape.


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## AllieBaba

Sheesh it looks like it even has picture windows.

I priced canvas, walled tents...I'd really like to get one eventually. I have a friend who has one, he sets it up during elk camp and it's like a house. They have a stove in it, the whole shebang.

I thought, hell ya, I'd like one of those..then I priced them. ahem. Maybe not.


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## Raven77

I almost replied to this post...then noticed its 2 years old.

 go me.


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