Gary & Karen's Travels... and Abby too!

December 2011 - Camping Trip - #1

2011-12-29T09:47:00.000-08:00

2011 is almost at an end, and so is our last camping trip of the year. Our grandson "Jackson" was born this past July, so Karen and I have been making several trips up to McMinnville for our "Jackson" fixes. :-) He's 5 months old now, is beginning to eat solid foods, and can now roll over on his own (only if you're not watching him). :-)

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Jackson eating his peaches

He's rolling over on his own (when you don't watch him) :-)

Karen and I decided to spend our last camping trip at the Olde Stone Village RV Park over the Christmas Holiday, where we're only 10 minutes away from Kevin & McKenzie's house, and Abby loves the long extended walks around the Evergreen Aviation Museum property (which is located next-door to the RV Park). This time, we were able to use a little Christmas tree that we'd purchased a few years ago inside of the trailer, to help brighten up the Christmas spirit.

Site 241

Full-Hookups complete with Cable TV

Our little Christmas Tree

The 747 Jet at the Indoor Water Park, was fitted with a Red Nose for the Holidays

Karen and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and that the coming New Year of 2012 will be filled with great health, fun times, and new adventures around every corner. Happy Trails...

Gary, Karen, and Abby Too!

September 2011 - Camping Trip - #1

2011-09-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

With summer slowly coming to end, Karen and I headed off to Central Oregon, and camped at Tumalo State Park for the first time. We stayed in Site - 66C, which came with plenty of room and Full-Hookups, and also included a nice fire-ring for evening campfires. It was a bit dusty however, which is expected in this drier area of Oregon. Unfortunately, I never got a picture of our campsite (we ended up having to leave early for home), as poor Abby ended up with a ruptured anal sac on this trip, and after visiting the emergency vets in Bend, we decided she would be better off at home. She's is doing much better now, and has been on antibiotic's and pain meds. Her swelling is slowly going down, and she'll be good as new in another week or so.

During our short stay, we did manage to fit in a lot of fun things and visited with friends that were either camping or lived the area. One evening found us eating at a wonderful Bend, OR Brew-Pub called 10 - Barrel. I "highly recommend eating here"... only get there early, or you may find yourself waiting a while.

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Karen and I at "10 Barrel" - Note the size of our Steak & Cheese sandwiches! Yum!!!

Of course... Dave & Sandy helped Karen to find all the Sale items at a local "Quilt Store".

At our camping site, we happen to have a very curious Stellers Jay, that loved looking into the back trailer window while standing on the back ladder.

Our noisy Jay

With plenty of lakes and rivers nearby, Abby and Maggie got the chance to play one of their favorite games. We throw the stick way out into the water, and Abby swims out to get it. When she gets close to the shore, she drops the stick, and lets Maggie bring it in the rest of the way. They're great friends and buddies.

Abby & Maggie playing "fetch" together

Central Oregon has a lot of beautiful areas to see and explore. The Cascade Mountains seem close enough to reach out and touch them. On one of our daily trips, we drove the Cascade Lakes Highway. We stopped at several of these high lakes, and I spent some time enjoying my hobby of photography. Karen even jumped in by taking my picture with my cell-phone, as I was taking a pictures at Sparks Lake. I happen to miss a great shot of a Bald Eagle that flew right over our heads, as I was in the middle of changing lenses on my camera, but I didn't miss some other wildlife that waded out to the Sparks Lake island.

Karen took this picture of me with our cell phone

And here is the picture I took

As we were returning back to the cars, I happen to catch some other wildlife enjoying the day and beautiful scenery. Note where the arrow is pointing.

There is something at the far edge of the island. What could it be?

A close up of Mom and her Baby

Even though we had to cut our camping trip short, the incredible sights we saw during our stay will be remembered for a long time. Great food, Great Friends, and Beautiful scenery! It can't get any better than that. Thanks for coming along with us on this adventure.

A 5-Picture Panoramic (5 pictures were used to make this picture)

Happy Trails...

Gary, Karen, and Abby Too!

August 2011 - Camping Trip - #1

2011-08-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

I cant believe we are already into August! How time flies when you become a grandparent! :-) Karen and I just finished staying up in McMinnville for a few days, so that we could assist both McKenzie and Kevin as they adapt their lives and household around the cutest "Little Man" Jackson. We already knew where we'd stay (the "Olde Stone RV Park" next to the Evergreen Aviation Museum), which is only 10 minutes away from Kevin & McKenzie's house. The bonus this time around, was the swimming pool at the RV park, warm weather, and NO RAIN! :-) Of course... the main reason for this trip, was being able to see our new grandson Jackson again (Born July 24, 2011).

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Site #258

The empty swimming pool (not for long) :-)

Our trailer (see the flag in the center of the picture)

Even though we've stayed here at this RV Park before, we always manage to find new trails to walk Abby on, and new sites to see around the Evergreen Museum area. They have many static jets and other military equipment staged outside, so it's always fun to get up close to touch and view these displays. One new addition that just opened in June, is the Evergreen Indoor Water Park. Karen and I plan on coming back in the Fall (when school is in session again), so we can try out some of the fun slides for ourselves!!! :-)

Note the water slides coming out of the rear of the 747 Jet

The grapes around the Water Park will soon be turned into Wine

During our stay, I very good friend of mine (Ray Farm) from the Corvallis Fire Department was having his retirement party back in Corvallis. We couldn't miss out on an opportunity to do some "roasting", so Karen and I made a brief return home (without the trailer), to attend Ray's party. Catching up with old friends, eating some great Hawaiian food, and talking about Ray (Wood Ducks), made for a great time for Everyone! :-) Congratulations Ray!

FYI... Ray Farm is "finally" retired after 32 years! :-)

OK... I know a lot of you are wondering about Jackson, so all good things come to those that wait. Karen and I are both excited to be entering this new chapter of "grand-parenting" in our life. And of course... Jackson is without a doubt the most beautiful and handsome grandson in the whole world.

Grammy spending some cuddle time with Jackson

Jackson during a more "Peaceful" moment...

I must say that Karen and I are looking forward to spending the future with Jackson as he grows. At some point, we'll have to teach him about camping, fishing with Gramps, and trips to the Fire Station. But Christmas time is definitely going to be magical again in the years to come. I hope he likes playing the drums... trumpet... or harmonica! :-)

Another "Heavenly Body"

Thanks for riding along with us on our latest adventure. "Happy Trails to you... until we meet again".

Gary and Karen (and Abby Too!)

July 2011 - Camping Trip - #1

2011-07-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

SUMMER is finally here!!!

In an unlikely event, this recent camping trip had not one drop of rain involved. This was the first camp out this year that the rain did not make an appearance. We had warm weather, sunny sky's, and nice friends to share our experience with... Jim & Linda (and Cirby too) from Albany, OR. This was our second camping trip together with Jim & Linda (we'd camped previously at Fisherman's Bend with them, along with Dave & Sandy), and we had a great time, even going out to dinner one evening at The Point Restaurant by Foster Lake. Great food, salads, and killer beer battered mushrooms!

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Site - 2A

Karen & Abby playing at the South Santiam River

Karen and I had stayed at the River Bend County Park once before a few years back (during the Winter), and they've just recently opened up a newer addition of this park in June. The newer side has larger sites, wider driveways, and more grassy areas. They still provide Water & Electric (30-50amp), but no sewer connections are available (just like the older side). A dump station is conveniently located on your way out of the campground. There is no doubt that on our next visit here, we'll be staying over in the E-F-G loop areas!

New Campground Sites - F20
(Water & Electric Only)

Three miles farther down the highway near Cascadia Park (heading East on Hwy 20 out of Sweet Home, Oregon), is the "Short Covered Bridge". This bridge spans the South Santiam River, was built in 1945, and was a favorite swimming area when I was in High School. I dare say, that yes... I'm guilty of stupidly jumping off of this bridge (on more than one occasion) into the deep pool below during those younger summer days in my life. :-) These pictures were taken about a half hour before sunset one evening.

The "Short Bridge" built in 1945

On the trail down to the river

Evening time reflections

As usual, our time away on these outings always seems to fly-by all to quickly, and the reality of Karen still working after 30 years at Good Samaritan Hospital, comes into play. One of these days our trips will become larger in distance and time, but for now, quite local getaways with family and friends remind us just how lucky we really are, in being able to enjoy the beauty of a rolling river or the serenity of an evening sunset. Oregon has so much to offer, and we're only more than happy to seek out it's special places. :-)

Wild daisies along the trail

The South Santiam River in camp

Abby enjoying one of her many walks on the trails

Until the next time, happy trails to all of you, and enjoy your own summer fun and adventures! Thanks for coming along Buckaroos.

Gary, Karen, and Abby Too!

June 2011 - Camping Trip - #3

2011-06-29T08:06:00.000-07:00

Karen, Sandy, Dave and I, just returned from our latest camping trip of the year. For Karen and I, it was our 3rd trip out this month. We did have much better weather this time, and didn't need to inflate a raft to get around the campsite. :-) We all ventured down to the southern Oregon coast (about a 4 hour drive), and stayed in Bandon, Oregon at Bullards Beach State Park. There is much to see and do down in this area of the coast, and we were able to take advantage of our good weather and spent each day touring and exploring. I've included more pictures in this edition than I normally do, because (as they say), "a picture is worth a thousand words", and it would be hard to capture all we did without some pictures.

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Site A48

Coquille River Lighthouse

Karen, Abby, and myself

The Southern Oregon Coastline

Some of the beach rock formations

Abby cooling off in a tidal pool

Looking out of a cave

Many of our daily outings, took us into the local features of this area. On one outing, we stopped by Floras Lake, where we watched the wind and kite surfers playing in the water. I also found some Foxgloves (flowers) growing nearby in bloom, and took a few moments to catch them in all their glory.

Foxgloves in bloom

A closer look

Floras Lake

Kite & Wind Surfers having fun

While on another trip, we happen to find these beautiful Tiger Lilies off to the side of the road, and I stopped to grab a few pictures of these as well.

Tiger Lilies

Tiger Lily closeup

For those of you who might drink cranberry juice, or have cranberry sauce with your Thanksgiving turkey, here is a look at where they may have come from. These are cranberry bogs where they grow the cranberry's, and when ready for picking, the bogs are flooded with water allowing the berries to float to the top of the surface, where a skimmer (picking machine) grabs them and sends them off for processing. There are a lot of cranberry farms located in this area of Oregon, and you may see them if you're driving down Hwy 101 along the coastline.

Cranberry Bogs

About 2 miles north of Bullards Beach State Park (along Hwy 101), is a golf area known as the "Bandon Dunes Golf Resort". I don't golf (except at Par 3 courses or Put-Put Golf), but I have to tell you that this is one classy course (actually 4 different courses). According to "Golf Magazine", the Bandon Dunes resort is the best public access golf course in the nation! Even beating out the Pebble Beach Golf course down in California (their words... not mine). While in Bandon, they were just starting the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championships (both Men & Women). We were able to get a "Spectator" pass, and drove around the facilities to take a look. They were still practicing on Sunday, with the playoffs to begin on Monday June 27th for both the Men & Women's Championship.

The Leader Boards & Flags from several different countries

Both Men & Women practicing the day before the competition

During the last evening of camping, we always go out to dinner (so no one has to cook) at a local eatery somewhere. Dave had asked around for good eating establishments, and was told about one of those "Hole-In-The-Wall" places that you'll always find great food to eat. It's a good thing we arrived early (4:50PM) for dinner, as there were only two tables that sat 4 people, with seating available for 16 on the inside of "Tony's Crab Shack" (there is more outside seating than inside... but it had started to rain). I highly recommend this Seafood eatery if you're ever in this area!! Both Dave and I enjoyed the Smoked Salmon Alfredo (served with Ciabatta Garlic Bread), while Sandy had their famous Crab Sandwich, and Karen the Hot Crab & Shrimp sandwich. Yummy!!!

As always... I enjoy taking photographs of all the interesting places we visit, and with a last minute decision, we all ran down to the "Face Rock State Park" (a few minutes away), to watch the evening sunset. Below are just a few of the many pictures I took that night. The first photo shows "Face Rock" (for which this State Park was named) at the far left-hand side of the photograph. You can see a face looking skyward out of the water at an angle, and the forehead, eye, nose, lips, and chin are clearly visible. The second photo is a capture of the more interesting rock formations in this area, and their reflection on the wet sand. If you look close enough (just above the Sun), you'll see a wayward seagull passing through this beautiful sight.

Face Rock (far left) looking skyward

Sunset reflections

Thanks for following along with us on our most recent outing. May you all find your own adventures in life, enjoy beautiful sunsets, and share them together with close friends.

Happy Trails...

Gary, Karen, and Abby Too!

June 2011 - Camping Trip - #2

2011-06-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Karen and I ran up to McMinnville, Oregon to attend two family "Baby Showers" and Bar-B-Q's. Since we had stayed at the "Olde Stone Village RV Park" before in McMinnville, we knew what to expect when we returned to this very nice spot, and it was located within 10 minutes of Kevin & McKenzie's house. This made it much easier for us to attend the two different baby showers that were a day apart (Saturday & Sunday), instead of having to driving back and forth from Corvallis each day. Besides... we took long walks with Abby, looked around the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum buildings, and even walked into the NEW Evergreen "Wings & Waves" Water Park (which just opened June 6th), just to take a look. WOW!!! Karen and I will have to return this Fall or Winter when school is going on, so we can have a fighting chance at getting into water park for some adult fun! :-)

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Site #247

The NEW Evergreen Wings & Wave Water Park
(Yes... that's a real 747 Jet with water tubes coming out towards the rear of the jet)

Abby & I standing by an F-15

Is that Howard Hughes I see looking out of the cockpit window of the "Spruce Goose"?

We all had a wonderful time at McMinnville, and we can't wait to be grandparents in July! :-) I do recommend this RV Park if you plan to stay in the area. There is also a 1/4 mile paved walking path from the RV Park to the Evergreen Aviation Museum grounds. We watched remote controlled planes being flown behind the aviation museum (where they have their own paved runway), and there was a car show on Saturday in the back Evergreen parking lot. I got to see and drool over a lot of older cars restored into tip-top shape (especially a 1955 Chevy).

Until next time... Happy Trails.

Gary, Karen, and Abby Too!

June 2011 - Camping Trip - #1

2011-06-06T17:26:00.000-07:00

This ended up being a last minute quick trip, as Karen and I wanted to catch up with our friends "Dutch & Di" who are the owners of the "Plug-It-Right" company. When we met up with them last year at Prosser, Washington (for the Pacific Northwest Rendezvous Rally), we had their RV Stabilizers installed on the front end of our 5th wheel. Wow... what a huge difference they made in removing movement in the bedroom overhang area!!! We started sleeping all night after having these installed, because there wasn't any more side-to-side movement in the bed if someone rolled over, or got up to use the bathroom. They offered "Rear Stabilizers" as well... but we decided to hold off because we used the "Wayne's Stabilizer" system at the back of the trailer, and it seemed to be doing an OK job. Dutch & Di never pushed us to put their system on the back as well... but I do remember Di saying "You'll be back"... and she was right. :-) After having to lean down in mud and water the last 3 camping trips to but the Wayne's Stabilizer in place, I knew there had to be a better way... and now all I have to do is tighten a couple on knobs.

The two of them are avid golfers (when they aren't Full-Time travelers across the country), and they just happen to be staying close to us before heading east to another RV Rally, so we met up with them for some relaxation, some catching up talks, and most importantly... rear stabilizer installation by Dutch. :-)

We stayed at the "Umpqua Golf Resort" in Sutherlin, Oregon, which happens to be a very nice facility (even if you don't golf). They except both Good Sam Club & Passport America discounts, and the amenities include Full Hookups (Water, Electric 30/50, Sewer), Free WiFi, and Cable TV hookups - 78 Channels. Since we were Passport America members, it only cost us $15 to stay there for the night (another bonus!). They do have golfing specials for couples staying there for a month, which include All-Inclusive Golfing (as much as you want), a Golf Cart, and your RV Site... all for $550 for the entire month! If this sounds like something you'd like to do, check them out. The managers are very nice and accommodating as well.

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Our Site #29

Dutch working hard
(Even after I nearly dropped a board on his head)

Our afternoon chat
(Left to Right: Karen, Dutch, and Di, & Abby laying down)

We ended the afternoon by heading into Roseburg, Oregon to the Rodeo Steakhouse for dinner (Good food). When we returned back to the RV Park, we continued our conversation with Dutch & Di in their trailer. In all actuality... it's really their home on wheels. What a wonderful couple, and we look forward to meeting up with them again in the future out on the road. Karen and I counted 4 Bald Eagles when we returned home the next day between Eugene & Corvallis. That just ended our trip by putting the icing on the cake.

Sunset on the Golf course

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

Gary, Karen, and Abby Too!

May 2011 Camping Trip

2011-05-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

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

April 2011 Camping Trip

2011-04-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

After a wet & cold winter, Karen and I were finally able to find the time to head out camping again this year. Little did we know that we'd be experiencing the wrath of Oregon monsoons (the worst that we've ever encountered yet to date), but then again we are talking about "Thurlacki" luck, which seems to find us no matter where we go or where we stay.

We took off for Newport, Oregon, and camped at the Beverly Beach State Park campground, which is located about 7 miles North of Newport on Hwy 101. Our reservations were in order (surprisingly), and we drove to our site (G-03) at the far end of the park loops. The camp slot beside us (G-04), would be taking the following day by Kevin & McKenzie (our son and daughter-in-law). They purchased a very nice trailer last summer, and are trying to get in as much camping time before McKenzie delivers their first baby in July. Yes... Karen and I will soon be "Grandparents"! :-)

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Site G-03

It's a good thing that we didn't plan on building any campfires... as our fire-ring ended up being surrounded by a lake!

This picture was taken after the water receded! The actual water line was up to the wooden green covered step you see in the background at one point

Camp "Soggy"

Needless to say, I didn't get a chance to take a lot of pictures this go-around, as I really didn't want to see how water-proof my digital camera was. At one point, Karen and I were watching a DVD inside our trailer, and we actually had to turn UP the sound because it was raining so hard we couldn't hear the movie.

Poor Kevin & McKenzie got soaked when they arrived on Friday, as they were faced with setting up their trailer in a downpour as well. Luckily (after a few drying towels were used), we were all comfy and dry in our trailers, and both Abby & Harris (Kevin & McKenzie's 7 month old Golden Retriever), went for walks around camp. No snow this time! :-)

"Harris"
(Named in memory of Capt. Phil Harris from the Deadliest Catch TV Show)

The "3-Brothers" Rock Formation
(located at the southern end of Lincoln City)

One afternoon we hit the beaches with the dogs, and there were 40+ mph wind gusts to boot! Not to mention the rain that was traveling sideways. We all came away wet from that excursion, but we all got a good laugh out of doing it (something a true Oregonian would appreciate). On Saturday we shopped for baby clothes at one of the the Factory Outlet stores in Lincoln City, and later that evening, we all ate dinner at the Chowder Bowl in Newport.

Kevin trying to walk towards us against the wind gusts

The one thing that really loved all the wet weather, was the "Skunk Cabbage" that was blooming around the campground. If you could smell it, then you'd know how it got its name (take my word for it).

Skunk Cabbage in bloom

We're all holding out for the warmer weather that will soon arrive, and with it, the long days of summer. Karen and I are looking forward to our new roles as "Grandparents", and in the future, sharing camping experiences with our new grandson or granddaughter. There is much we'll have to teach the "little ones" as they grow into their own person, and juggling full & heavy gallons of milk over the lap of their father will be one of them. Life has a funny way of getting back at you for all the "dumb" stuff we did as kids to our own parents. I guess that's why "grandchildren" are so special... right Kevin? :-) Hope they don't drop the milk. ;-)

Until the next time... (in a slightly high pitched voice), Happy Trails to you (yep... it hurt).

Gary & Karen and Abby Too!

February 2011 Camping Trip

2011-02-21T12:17:00.000-08:00

The new year is here, and our camping adventures have started once again. January didn't start out well for me however, as I'd ended up in the hospital for three days with an intestinal blockage. Luckily, three hours prior to a scheduled exploratory surgery (to try and find out what was causing it), my intestinal tract reopened, and after twelve days without food (since December 28th), I was allowed to have some apple juice. It tasted like liquid Gold to me. :-) I've had three followup tests since then, and nothing has been found for the cause of this. I still have another test tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath that they'll ever find the reason why. For now... I'm feeling back to normal and am ready to explore more fun and exciting areas of Oregon... so onward we go!

We started off this years camping trip with our friends Dave & Sandy to Lincoln City, OR (located along the Oregon Coast), and stayed for the first time at the Devils Lake RV Park. If you ever make plans to stay in or near this area of the coast, I highly recommend this very nice (and clean) park. They are currently offering a "3 nights for the price of 2" special until the end of April. Best of all, there is a traffic light off of Hwy 101 that allows you to make the left-hand turn into this park (located next to Devils Lake). During the busy weekends, you won't have to wait hours to try and cross safely across the on-coming traffic.

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Site #37

Devils Lake in the background taken from our site

Those of you that have read about our past camping experiences, or for those of you who refuse (wisely) not to even camp with us, are used to our tales of whoa. We like to call them "Thurlacki Adventures", but this camping excursion almost surpassed all of our past camping trips combined, and nearly involved cannibalism (shades of the Donnar Party)!

Due to the abnormally cold weather while we were camping (even though we were at sea level), we woke up on Friday morning to snow showers at the RV Park. This slowly changed over to "thick rain" (rain and snow mixed). Not really thinking much about it, we shopped at the local "Outlet Mall", and allowed our dogs to run on the beaches during the short clear breaks. The next day however proved to be one of the most interesting days we've had together (to say the least).

Saturday turned out to be beautiful with blue skies and sunshine. It was still very cold (below freezing), but just being able to be out in the sun made it all worth while. I had recently purchased the book "Photographing Oregon" - By Greg Vaughn, and was interested in taking pictures of the Drift Creek Waterfall (located about thirteen miles away). So we loaded up the trucks and dogs, and off we went. The first stop was the Drift Creek Covered Bridge.

Drift Creek Covered Bridge

The Drift Creek covered bridge was actually at one time located on "Drift Creek", but was about to demolished, so it was purchased by a private family and moved to their farm, and rebuilt over Bear Creek which runs by their property. The bridge is still graciously open for the public, so pictures can be taken of Oregon's covered bridges that still exist today. After a few photo's, we continued our journey towards the waterfall about 9 miles away.

Soon the bare roadway started to show signs of snow, and as we slowly climbed higher and higher, it became apparent that yesterdays snowfall at the lower elevations, really dumped a LOT of fresh snow up here in the Coastal Mountains (hmmm, funny how that happens).

What a beautiful sunny day

The snow seems to be getting deeper Dave

The idle chit-chat between Karen and I (and I'm sure it was the same for Dave & Sandy), soon gave way to silence, only to be broken by an occasional scream (or cuss word). Try as hard as she could, Karen's leaning in towards me (and gasps of sucking in air), didn't move the truck farther away from the steep loooooong drop-offs to "her" side of the truck. And the deeper the snow got (with hidden ice underneath), only added to the depletion of the oxygen still remaining inside the cab of our truck, as the ledges along the roadway got higher and steeper as we climbed. Over the "walkie-talkies" that we shared with Dave & Sandy, we heard Dave say that they no longer thought they could make it, and that they were going to turn around. Karen told them that we'd just meet back up with them at the RV Park... and onward we continued.

Finally, the roadway began to level off and we started to drop in elevation, and we soon discovered what we'd been looking for all this time... the trail parking lot for the Drift Creek Waterfall! As Karen and I prepared for the 1 1/2 mile hike down to the falls, we looked up to find Dave & Sandy pulling in and parking beside us. We asked what had happened, and they told us that the roadway was so slick with ice under the snow, that they couldn't turn around without getting stuck, so they reluctantly continued forward up the road (their only choice).

As we took off down the trail towards the waterfall, Dave mentioned to us that "they" (Dave & Sandy), were not going to return the same way they came up, but were instead going to continue down the road we were on, and follow it toward its eventual ending at Hwy 101 (thus being closer to the lower side of the mountain (meaning less snow) and a shorter nerve racking trip to paved clear roads and back home). It sure sounded good in theory.

When you arrive at the end of the Drift Creek Waterfall trail, you get cross the largest suspension bridge in Oregon. It's 240ft. across a small canyon that contains Drift Creek and the Waterfall. In fact, you can actually look down (if you want) at the waterfall as you cross above it. The bridge itself is hanging some 100+ ft. above the ground. I wasn't too sure if Karen was up for this (she's not a heights kinda gal), but as you can see, even with snow and ice on the 3 ft. wide walk, she and Abby did just fine... even when the bridge swayed... a little. :-)

Karen and Abby crossing the suspension bridge
(Note: The dent in the handrail was caused by a falling tree)

After crossing myself, I continued another 1/4 mile to the bottom of the creek, while Dave & Karen waited behind with the dogs. I took a few photographs of the falls, and joined back up with them for the hike back up to the trucks.

Drift Creek Waterfall
(Note: in the upper right-hand area behind the angled tree, you can see the suspension bridge we crossed over)

Another shot of the Falls, with a longer exposure to make the water look "milky"

You would think that this would be a great time to end this BLOG (on such a beautiful note), but alas... we are talking about the "Thurlacki" factor.

After returning back to the trail-head parking lot, the decision was made NOT to return home the same way we'd come. We decided to continue on down the road towards (what we thought), would be the shorter and quicker way home. In short... we turned out to be wrong! The road at first led downward with less snow, but it soon turned upward again gaining elevation and depth of snow. Six miles later, we came to a 3-Way intersection with the road signs only pointing in two directions. Back towards where we'd come from, and going forward towards a Forestry Camp of some type. The road to the right was not marked. Thinking that the Forestry Camp must be close by to Hwy 101, we continued forward (now in 4-Wheel Drive), towards our escape of the slipping and sliding hell. Another six miles later... the road came to an abrupt end! We had come to the "Forestry Camp" (which was now a Mennonite Camp), and after asking a man at the camp for directions, discovered that we should have taken the third (unmarked) road back from where we'd just come from. Karen and Sandy were not too happy (to say the least), but we had no other options. Our only thoughts were of making it back to civilization, and in doing so, hopefully nothing would happen (like getting stranded), and we'd have to eat each other to survive (much like the Donner Pass story). As Karen put it over the "walkie-talkie" to Dave and Sandy: "Who ever dies first will be eaten!" :-) Yes... sometimes even at the worst of moments in time, even a sickening thought can bring a smile to the face.

As you've all probably figured out, we safely made it back to the RV Park, thus ending another chapter in our looooooong history of adventures. Later that night (while eating dinner at Pier 101 in Lincoln City), we all lamented over our day of hell, laughing and sharing thoughts as close friends do. It's only just a guess, but I have a feeling that our "snow" adventures are over in any future escapades. :-)

Lincoln City beaches

And brighter skies ahead

If you are interested in learning more about Drift Creek Falls (and how to get there), click on this link: Drift Creek Falls Information.

Thanks for taking the time to share our adventures with us... and until the next time, Happy Trails to you during your travels through life.

Gary & Karen, and Abby Too!

The Camping Year of 2010 comes to an end

2010-12-19T16:45:00.000-08:00

Today I removed the 2 batteries from our 5th Wheel, and put it into "Winters Sleep" here in the Pacific Northwest. Although Karen and I were trying to camp at least once each month in our HitchHiker trailer this year, the holiday rush just caught up to us, and we will not be able to finish one last trip before the new year of 2011 arrives.

Here are a few statistics from our 2010 Camping Trips:
We camped 12 different times this year, from Southeastern Oregon, to Eastern Washington, and places in between.

We stayed in 4 State Parks, 4 RV Resorts, 2 County Parks, and 2 Bureau of Land Management Campgrounds (BLM Campgrounds)

We spent 42 nights in the trailer this year.

We spent $996.24 on camping fees, which is an average of $23.72 a night

We traveled 2894 round-trip miles from home, to the campgrounds, and back home. This did not include the side-trip mileage we drove while at the campgrounds sightseeing.

Thank you one-and-all for following along with us this year on our outings. The new year is just around the corner, and our adventures will continue, so get ready to follow along.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

-Gary, Karen, and Abby Too!-

November 2010 Camping Trip

2010-11-16T16:56:00.001-08:00

Just because the weather gets colder, and the sunlight during the day is shorter, doesn't mean that you can't head out to the Oregon coast for a little R & R. Yeah... we only saw the sun one day out of the 5 days we were there, but we still enjoyed each others company and spent time walking Abby, watching movies, reading books, and checking out our favorite shops in the Newport area.

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Our waterlogged site - C6

The backside of our site

Abby really likes this campground very well, and knows all the short-cuts to the beach. She loves running ahead of Karen and I on the sandy trails to the ocean, and pops up to see where we are, or runs back to hurry us along. We got lucky for a November day at the beach, in that we had the whole beach pretty much to ourselves... with Sun! Abby ran and played to her hearts content.

Common guys... were almost there!

Our rewards... Sun, Sand, and Solitude

Karen and Abby enjoy the Sun & Surf

Karen and I also explored some new trails this time, and actually got to see 4 Mule Deer and some Bear scat. Karen wasn't too excited about the latter, but we did meet up with some "Fun Guys" (fungi) on our trek. Here's one of them in the next picture.

There's no place like Knomb... but we didn't see any. :-)

Along with the wetter weather is the fog that hugs the coastal regions. That's the perfect time for some great photo opportunities! So off we went looking for some interesting pictures, and we found some we thought you'd enjoy.

Docked fishing boats in the approaching fog

The Yaquina Bay Bridge - A bridge to nowhere

Thanks for following along with us. We're looking forward to heading out again next month for another adventure. In fact, we'll get a chance to try out our small Christmas Tree for inside the trailer.

Safe travels... and Happy Trails to you.

-Gary, Karen, and Abby Too!-

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

2010-10-03T16:12:00.000-07:00

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-

September 2010 Camping Trip

2010-09-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

Karen and I just returned from hosting a 6 day NuWa (sounds like "New-Way") HitchHiker Rally in Prosser, Washington. "HitchHiker" is the brand name given to our 5th Wheel Trailers made by NuWa. All of the people attending this rally were members of the "NuWa Owners Forum" that I help to administrate on the Internet. This ended up actually being an "International Rally", as one of our attending couples were from Canada, and others came from as far away as Texas, Minnesota, and other reaches of the United States. The name of our rally was called "The Pacific Northwest Rendezvous", and took place in the wine country of Eastern Washington State. In total, we ended up with 25 Trailers and 49 people! We also had 4 other members drop in while in the area, so that they could meet up with members for the first time and just say hello.

What ended up being very convenient, was that 8 wineries were within a 10 minutes walk from the RV Park we were staying at, which made it very nice for wine tasting. No need to worry about Drinking & driving! :-)

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Our Site #40

Wine Country RV Park - Prosser, WA

Another picture of the Park

The first day's arrival for most of the members, was just a "Meet & Greet" that evening, but the following 4 days were filled with breakfasts and potluck dinners. We even had "Themes" for most of our potluck dinners (Hawaiian, Mexican, and a Cowboy night). For one of the morning breakfasts, Karen and I cooked a 3 - Dutch-Oven "Mountain Man Breakfast" for the whole group, and 2 other members made Buttermilk Pancakes and sausage, biscuits and gravy! I don't have to tell you that we all ate VERY well!

Debbie (center) gives me a hug during Hawaiian Night. She is currently just finishing up a 48 State Journey by herself across the country (she started in Spring), and was nice enough to make it to our Rally for 5 days before continuing on to finishing up her last 4 states.

Abby (left) got to meet Debbie's traveling companion "Hunter". All they wanted to do was play.

Dave showing off his Coconut Bra for Hawaiian night

Mexican Night Potluck

Karen and I at a potluck meal. Note the FREE book exchange behind us, so that all our "Full-Time" traveling friends could get some different reading material.

The winning "Dressed Couples" for Mexican Night (Terry & Linda from Canada)

There was one afternoon that we had our own Wine & Beer tasting event, complete with Cheese & Crackers and an assortment of Hor'dourves

Making the Dutch-Oven "Mountain Man Breakfast"... and a real Mountain Man (Vern) showed up wearing his real "Buckskin" shirt

While I worked with the Dutch-Ovens, Annie made her "homemade" Buttermilk Pancakes for everyone.

We got very lucky with the weather, and were able to eat all of our meals outside (both breakfast and dinners). This also made for some beautiful sunsets and sunrises every day. Here are a few evening pictures below.

One colorful Sunset!

The Moon over HitchHikers

And of course... what would be a trip without our "sidekick" Abby.

Abby with her "Buddy Glo-Ball"

During the last evening of the Rally, two September Birthday's were honored (Dutch's and mine). Dutch got a really nice Birthday cake from his wife Diana, and the members of the Rally presented me with a gift as well (see below). A couple of years ago, some members of our Forum bought two "Rubber Chicken" traveling companions, which were named "CD" (Chicken Debbie) and SD (Surfer Dude). These chickens have traveled all over the United States (including Alaska & Canada), and at each Rally that they show up at, their numbers seem to grow (complete with baby chicks still in diapers). My "surprise" Birthday gift form the members were ALL of the Chickens together!. Now I've got to come up with a plan to "Pass Them Along" to some other unsuspecting suckers! :-) Beware... Christmas is coming. Ho-Ho-Ho & Cluck cluck!

(Left to Right): SD (Surfer Dude), Earlvis, Papa Murray, CD (Chicken Debbie) & Chicks in diapers.

WOW!!! What can we say... what an absolute blast! Unfortunately all good Rally's must come to an end sometime, but we got to meet up with old friends (members we already knew) and made new friendships with the newer members we just met for the first time. Now there are HitchHikers heading off to points across the whole country. Some are just returning from 4 months up in the Arctic Circle and Alaska, while others will continue heading South to the warmer climates of California and Arizona for the approaching Fall & Winter seasons. For Karen and I, this was just another exciting camping adventure that we got to share with lot's of great people! We also got introduced to "Duck Farts" by Murray, Shelle, Joan, and Rich. I must say that we both slept like babies our last night at the Rally! :-)

Happy Trails... and safe journeys.

-Gary, Karen, and Abby Too-

August 2010 Camping Trip - #1

2010-08-25T12:12:00.001-07:00

One of our enjoyable summertime camping areas is along the Oregon coast. Beautiful scenery, lot's of fun shops to browse, and fantastic sea food (if you know where to go) for a quick lunch or sit down dinner. The added bonus of camping along the coast in the summer, is that the temperatures can be 30 - 40 degrees cooler than in the Willamette Valley just 50 miles inland. We actually got lucky on this camping trip, and had temperatures in the high 60's to low 70's with blue sky and sunshine. The afternoon wind made an appearance every day, but it was ideal conditions for spending time with loved ones at the beach.

* Click on pictures to make them larger for viewing *

Our Campsite - D14

Our son and daughter-in-law (Kevin & McKenzie) just recently purchased a used trailer (new for them), and were actually camped already at South Beach, but encouraged us to come join in with them on their "maiden voyage", so we did. Kevin and I got to cover all the "Guy" stuff with trailers, and Karen and McKenzie covered all the "Women" stuff (what ever was left over). :-)

Kevin & McKenzie's New Trailer

A 2007 Fleetwood Mallard Sport 18
(Complete with Oregon State Beaver Stickers!)

When we weren't covering the finer points of RVing or relaxing, we took in the sites in the Old Town sections of Newport, OR. We watched the California Sea-lions on the boat docks, gazed at salt-water taffy being made, had some ice cream and cruised the waterfront shops.

Kevin & McKenzie checking out the sea-lions

Nap time in the Sun

McKenzie & Karen were just like two kid's in a candy shop

And here's what they were watching... the salt-water taffy being rolled and wrapped into small bite size pieces

A beautiful day at the bay in Newport, OR

Of course we also made sure we "watered" Abby, and enjoyed some fine dinners together back at camp. Kevin & McKenzie impressed us with some fine Dutch-Oven Chicken Enchiladas, and Karen and I reciprocated with some Bar-B-Qued steak. Food tastes so much better outside!

Watering Abby

Dutch-Oven Chicken Enchiladas

Steaks on the Barbie

On another day, we toured the Rogue Brewery located on the Newport Bay, and came away with "interesting" refreshments for happy hour. Below are the pint samples we tried: Honey Orange Wheat Ale, Northwestern Ale, OREgasmic Ale, and a Chocolate Stout.

Two of the four pints we bought

The last two pints

One of the last teaching's for Kevin & McKenzie's new trailer, was the proper use of the Dump Station. As all first times go... it was an "eye opener", but luckily no problems occurred (no drips no run's and no errors)! It was a successful emptying of both the Black & Grey Water tanks.

Connecting the hose for the first time

Unfortunately... with every camping trip, an end to all the fun must come. Kevin & McKenzie had to return back home with work calling the next day, and Karen and I returned to the last of our summer projects for the house and yard. It was fun helping both Kevin & McKenzie get started on their trailer camping experiences, and both of us enjoyed the excitement McKenzie & Kevin shared with dreams of their future trips. :-)

Life's a Beach... take time to walk bare-foot in the sand!

Happy Trails and smooth sailing on your next adventures...

Gary & Karen, and Abby Too

July 2010 Camping Trip - #2

2010-07-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

Summer weather has finally arrived here in the Willamette Valley, and with the hotter temperatures, we like to head for the high lakes or rivers where it's much cooler. Karen and I took advantage of some time off together, and spent 6 days camping at Fisherman's Bend (a BLM Campground), located by Mill City, OR. The North Santiam River run's right by this campground, so it allows Abby to "cool-off" as well. :-) Even here at this location however, we still experienced some very warm temperatures (Mid-90's), and we were forced to retreat into the trailer during a couple of afternoons, where our air-conditioning was used for the first time this year.

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Hitting it hard in camp

Site #9

Luckily, the evenings cooled down very nicely, and we took advantage with outside campfires and making Smore's! :-) I must say there is nothing finer than a nice camp fire smore!

The ingredients (yep... Reese's Peanut Butter Cups)

Toasting the marshmallow's

And finally... the finished product... YUM!

We did have to keep Abby closer to us while hiking the nature trails around the campgrounds this time. Nope... no "Bigfoot" sightings this time (as in our past experiences here :-) ), but there were sign's posted for BIG kitty-cats!

Cougar sighting warnings

During one of the evenings here at camp, we drove into the town of Silverton, OR (about 45 minutes North/West of our location), to meet up with NuWa Owners Forum friends. We had a wonderful visit and enjoyed dinner at a local Brew-Pub eatery.

Left to Right: Bonnie, Gene (from Washington), (back) Dave, Theresa (from Arizona), Karen, and myself

And during our last full day in camp, another very nice couple from the NuWa Owners Forum membership, ended up staying at Fisherman's Bend for their first time ever. They both live here in Oregon as well.

Rich & Barbara (Abby too)

Karen and I were able to read books, take long walks, water Abby at her favorite swimming holes, plus we got to meet-up with some old friends and make new ones as well. We had a very enjoyable camping trip, and actually relaxed in the evenings by the campfire and our solar powered "Tiki" torches (yep... they actually flicker like the real ones). Basically... we got a whole lot of "nothing" done! :-)

Our campfire by our lit-up trailer

One of our "2" Solar Powered "Tiki" torches

You can just see the soft glow of the flickering LED light

Before summer disappears... make sure to get out there and enjoy a camping trip of your own. It'll bring back fond memories from camping as a kid, and there is always something magical about staring into a popping campfire at night under the stars.

Happy Trails to you on your next adventures.

-Gary & Karen (and Abby too)-

July 2010 Camping Trip - #1

2010-07-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

Karen and I just finished camping along the Oregon coast again, and this time we camped with family and friends at the Nehalem Bay State Park. As it turned out, we got to experience "Natures Air-Conditioning" first hand. Just a few miles inland, the temperatures were in the low 90's and in the Willamette Valley the heat pushed near 100 degrees. You'll note by the following pictures, that we all wore jackets and sweatshirts most of the time because we remained in the low 60's. We got to have lots of campfires during the day and into the evenings, as Kevin (our Son), kept the wood pile shrinking by keeping us all warm around the perfect fires, where the beer, wine, mint mojitos, and conversations flowed.

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Camp Site A46

Kevin & McKenzie preparing a warming fire

Oregon's "cooling" fog bank in the background

During the daytime we would walk on the beach, tour local area attractions, go crabbing, or just sit and relax in camp. I got the opportunity to teach both Kevin & McKenzie some Dutch-Oven cooking, which turned out some great tasting deserts and a fantastic "Mountain Man" breakfast. Our camping neighbors loved our cooking as well... as they got to have our left-overs, and gave us all some salt-water taffy and wine the night before we left.

Abby & Scout playing with a stick on the beach
Talk about a couple of "Salty Dogs"!

Abby and her stick in the Bay

A day visit to the Tillamook Cheese factory

Karen trying some of the free cheese samples

(Left to Right) Helen, Dan, McKenzie, and Kevin do some wine tasting at the Blue Heron Cheese factory

McKenzie introduced one of her favorite beach traditions with everyone, by preparing fresh oysters over an open fire. Now not everyone has a taste for oysters, but that didn't stop those of us who love em' from having some... or for one poor soul, an "attempt" was made in trying them for the first time.

Fresh Oysters cooking on the fire grate

McKenzie enjoying the fruits of her labor

Karen just could find a way to swallow her first Oyster
Dan & Sandy (in the background) enjoy the moment! :-)

As a mentioned earlier, I had the chance to teach Kevin & McKenzie a few tips and tricks with Dutch-Oven cooking. Both of them helped to make one of the dinner deserts, by making a "Chocolate Cherry Surprise" cake, while I made a "Pineapple Upside Down" cake.

The Chocolate Cherry Surprise Cake (The white areas are the surprise cream-cheese filling)

The Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Kevin adding the dozen eggs to the "Mountain Man" breakfast. It had hash-browns, sausage, bacon, scallions, eggs, and was topped off with "Tillamook" cheddar cheese. Yummmmmmm!!!

The finished product. Our neighbors got to share our leftovers as well

Camp evening times are always magical. Under the darkening skies, we'd gather around the campfire telling story's, laughing, and sharing in the moment of family and close friends. Karen frequently tells me how glad she is that I brought outdoor camping to our family, and how our own children are continuing on with those tent camping traditions. Even though our experiences have now become a bit more comfortable in our fifth-wheel trailer these days, we still love the beauty of the outdoors, and the closeness and warmth a simple fire can bring... even in the Summertime.

Happy Trails and warm fires wherever you may roam...

-Gary & Karen-

June 2010 Camping Trip - #1

2010-06-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

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. :-(

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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-

May 2010 Camping Trip Cont.

2010-05-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

Frenchglen, Oregon - Day 4 (our last day here)

Last night before dinner, we all took off to look for some wild free-roaming mustangs. We did spot some, but they were very far away. We also managed to find a lot of cattle with baby's, so I took a few pictures for the "ahhhhhh" factor. :-)

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Wild "Free-Roaming" Mustangs

Dinner time

Black & White calf's

Blue Grouse (Female)

This morning we woke up bright and early (OK... maybe not so "bright"), at 5:30AM. We decided to try and view the birds early in the morning, but someone forgot to tell all the birds we were coming to see them. :-) Here are some pictures from today.

Long-Billed Curlew

Northern Shoveler

Another Ring-Necked Pheasant

Mallard

Another Egret

Luckily, I had placed my telephoto lens on this morning, and we were able to catch baby geese being born without getting too close.

Baby Goslings that just hatched

Who was standing here hundreds or thousands of years ago?

Early morning on the High Desert

Well... our Frenchglen trip is slowly coming to an end. Tonight we will be eating dinner at the Frenchglen Hotel which serves "Family Style" home cooked meals. Get your reservations in early (we made ours two months ago), as they fill up fast and the food is to die for!

* Edit: Our dinner consisted of Roasted Chicken, Green Salad, Homemade Rolls, Spinach/Artichoke/Ricotta Cheese souffle, and Rice Pilaf. For desert... a Marionberry Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream.

Frenchglen Hotel

This afternoon, the wind really started gusting (50+ MPH Gusts)... so much so that I took down our flag. It also kicked up the dust in the area, enough that road visibility was knocked down to "0". We talked with a couple during dinner, that had to pull over off the road as they headed back to Frenchglen this afternoon!

Huge dust storm covering Frenchglen, and heading our way

We hitch up the wagons in the morning, and start our looooong drive back home. It looks as if the snow levels are falling, and we may find snow again in the High Cascade range. We'll miss our experiences we had here in the High Desert of Oregon... and our daily feeding of "Star", but we'll always have the pictures and memories.

Until our next adventure, Happy Trails...

Gary, Karen, and Abby Too!

May 2010 Camping Trip Cont.

2010-05-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

Frenchglen, Oregon - Day 3

I have to admit that there is nothing like helping to bring in the herd! Little did we know that our "Thurlacki Adventure" today, would involve helping to herd cattle! I guess a little bit of the "City Slicker" rubbed off of us today. Why... we might even have to call ourselves Cow Pokes! :-) But before I get into that, here are a few more pictures to start out with.

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Close Encounters of the "Mustang" kind

California Quail

Avocet

Great Egret

Juvenile Red-Tail Hawk

Closest picture of a Prong-Horn Antelope we've ever gotten!

OK... now about the round-up. While out wondering the OutBack (actually... we were on a wrong road for going to where we wanted to be), we came around a corner and happened upon a real cattle drive... right in the middle of the road! I asked one of the "Cowgirls" if it was OK to proceed down the road, and she said "it sure was... just go slowly". So slowly ahead we moved. This was actually fun! We didn't need to ride horses to rustle up the cattle, we could just sit comfortably in the Dodge 1-Ton Ram, and mosey them off the side of the road while our trusty Yellow Lab Abby, kept them in check. And all from the front seat of the cab. :-) Of the three roads in all of Haney County, we just happen to get lucky to be on the wrong one. All this with Dave & Sandy's truck with only 1/4 tank of gas. Luckily, all ended well, as Dave's truck fuel light came on within 4 miles of Burns, Oregon. Such is the simple life of the "Thurlacki" way... it's almost like being a Cowboy living on the edge, and bring home the herd.

After we rounded the last curve, the cattle moved slowly off to the open range. A man who was parked and hunting for rocks, saw us moving the cattle, and stood there with his mouth opened. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. I rolled down the window, smiled, and told him... "Hope we didn't bother you much, this was our first cattle drive". (that's the truth)

Get along little doggies

Real Cowboys keeping the herd in check

Modern day herding... all from the comfort of the truck cab

Home, home on the range, where the deer & the antelope play...

As today's adventures come to an end, happy trails to you, until we meet again.

Gary, Karen, and our trusty side-kick Abby

May 2010 Camping Trip - #1

2010-05-01T15:15:00.000-07:00

Frenchglen, Oregon Trip - Day 2

This morning we woke up to light snow falling. It dropped down to 27 degrees again last night, but we always stay nice and warm in our HitchHiker. Last night while eating dinner in Dave & Sandy's trailer, we decided that we would drive North for today, following the "Center Patrol Road" which runs through the heart of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. It follows the Blitzen River, which helps to flood the marshes, ponds, and lakes. Below are today's pictures.

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Snow showers falling on Frenchglen

Buzzards roosting in a tree at the end of the Center Patrol Road

3 - Mule Deer & 2 - Greater Sandhill Cranes grazing together

Cinnamon Teal

The very illusive Ring-Neck Pheasant

A flock of Ibis

"One Tired" Old House - Look closely... did you get it?

Prairie Dog - a.k.a. Ground Squirrel

American White Pelicans

Badger Butt... just to dang quick!

Peter French's "Round Barn"

Inside the round barn

After visiting the round barn, we decided to head off to the town of Diamond, Oregon (population 5)! We ate our lunch here... but found the parking meters to be just too damn expensive, so we moved on quickly! :-)

When someone dies in town, just spray paint over the number and add a new one

See parking meters in front of the car on the right. They just like to see how much money they can make off of the "City Slickers" that don't know it's a joke

These animals are hard to get a picture of... they're the Prong-Horned Antelope

The snow covered "Steens Mountains"

That's all for today. Tomorrow we're off on another adventure... so check in to see the pictures!

Happy Trails...

Gary & Karen... and Abby Too!

April 2010 Camping Trip - #2

2010-04-30T16:06:00.001-07:00

Frenchglen, Oregon - Day 1

Karen and I, along with our "side-kicks" Dave & Sandy, arrived at Frenchglen, Oregon this afternoon. We headed down to Eugene on Hwy 99 (South), then cut over on Hwy 126 (East), then over the Santiam Pass along Hwy 20 (East) to Burns, Oregon, then finally South on Hwy 205 to Frenchglen. We took this route to allow for the melting of the snow that fell overnight onto the mountain passes. Luckily... the pass roads were clear, but we still had falling snow as we drove through.

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Following Dave & Sandy over the mountain passes

Camp site... early morning

Peter Cotton-Tail

Frenchglen is way back in the background

One of our favorite areas to see while here, is the National Malheur Wildlife Refuge. It's only a short drive to the lower end of the "Center Patrol Road" from the Steens Mountain Resort (about 1 1/2 miles), which you can drive though grasslands, ponds, and lakes where beautiful birds and wildlife reside. The following pictures are an example of this area.

The "P-Ranch" along the Center Patrol Road

The P-Ranch

Mule Deer

Wetlands in the Malheur Refuge

More wetlands

Note the snow covered Steens Mountains in the background

Ibis

Young Raccoons

Canadian Geese

American Coot

Huge Cowboy silhouettes Branding Cattle (you can see the real size of the cattle around them)

"Star" - The wild free-roaming "Kiger Mustang" here at the RV Park

Karen feeding "Star" some oats

Abby (a.k.a. - The "Chicken"), gets close to Star

The Malheur Overlook

Overlook - looking South towards Frenchglen

White Puffy Clouds...

We are staying at the "Steens Mountain Resort" (Site 38), which has Full-Hookups (30amp/Water/Sewer), and also contains a small store, propane, and laundry facilities. There is also a BLM Campground nearby for dry camping that is beautiful as well. It's called "Page Springs", and has been recently upgraded. Below are a few pictures of this campground.

Page Springs BLM Campground

New group cooking area

New Pit Toilets

Please make sure to check back over the next 4 days, as I'll make updates and post more pictures from our travels and adventures in this area.

Gary & Karen

April 2010 Camping Trip - #1

2010-04-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

Spring has finally arrived, and with it the Willamette Valley is blooming in beautiful pinks & white blossoms. Karen and I took advantage of some warmer weather, and drove up to McMinnville, OR for a visit with our son and daughter-in-law (Kevin & McKenzie). They just recently moved into a newer home in February, and have been working their fingers to the bone painting and fixing up the yards. Ahhhh... first time home owners. :-) A few weeks ago, both Karen and I helped out with building a fence to enclose their backyard, as a Golden Retriever is in their sights for someday. They have a beautiful open field behind them, and a gate was placed along the back fence so that their future dog can run to its heart content. Abby got to try it our herself just to make sure everything was up to par. :-)

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Abby and Karen playing in the field behind Kevin & McKenzie's house

Karen and I stayed at the Olde Stone Village RV Park in McMinnville, OR (located right next to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, and across from the airport on Hwy 18). This park is very clean, and our site came with Full-Hookups (30/50amp, Water, Sewer, Cable TV, and Wifi), all for around $25 a night. Being that it's close to the McMinnville Airport, your daytime noise consists of airplanes, helicopters, and an occasional jet taking off, but at night it is very quiet here.

Site 256 from the front

A backside view, with the bathrooms and showers in the background

One of the other nice perks for this RV Park, is its location right next to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum (and an IMAX Theater as well). There is a very nice paved walkway (about 1/4 mile) to the Evergreen Museums, or you can call a shuttle to come pick you up if you don't feel like walking.

The nice paved walkway, with the Space Museum in the background

Karen and I have been to both the Flight and Space Museums, but this time we went to the on-sight IMAX Theater, and watched our first "3-D" movie about the Hubble telescope. I highly recommend seeing this movie! All the 3D images were taken from the new cameras mounted into the Hubble Telescope (from it's last visit from a space shuttle crew), in April of 2009. You get to experience "flying" through Nebula's, Millions of Stars, and the lift-off from one of the few remaining shuttle missions. You'll experience objects that are trillions of light years away from Earth (right at your finger tips), all from the comfort of your padded chair. It's Awesome!!!

The Evergreen Museum is home to the "Spruce Goose", and the Space Museum located next door contains rockets (a fully upright Titan II Defensive Missile), Apollo, Gemini, and Mercury equipment. This museum was constructed to hopefully be able to display one of the retired space shuttles some day into the future!

In front of the Evergreen Aviation Museum. The "Spruce Goose" fills the building behind the pictured F-15 Eagle, from wing tip to wing tip (over 300ft. in width)

You can just make out the nose of the Spruce Goose through the glass windows

They have also started construction of an inside "Water-Slide Park". A Boeing 747 will be lifted onto the top of the steel structure, and the water tube rides will start from inside of the jet, emptying you out into the pool below.

The new Water Park under construction, with the 747 Jet being readied to be lifted onto the top of the steel framed structure. Note the Grape Vineyards on both sides of the construction road.

Where else can you get "Spruce Goose" Wine?

Thanks for traveling along with us once again. Hopefully we've given you some ideas on what to see and where to go in your traveling future. Happy Trails...

-Gary & Karen... and Abby too!-

March 2010 Camping Trip - #2

2010-03-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

This early spring camping trip brought us two NEW events... camping at a new county campground, and the "maiden-voyage" for Dave & Sandy's new Evergreen "Ever-Lite 27RB" trailer. Even though we had rain the first day, the second day brought out the Sun, Lafuma chairs, afternoon coffee, and snacks of dark chocolate Biscotti's and orange flavored Milano's! You know, enjoying the "fruits of our labor". :-)

We stayed for the first time at this newer Lane county campground (opened up in 2009), called Armitage County Par k. Some friends told us about this place, and it's in a beautiful location along the McKenzie River within an hours drive from home. Perfect for a quick "get-a-way", but still within minutes of Eugene, Oregon or the fun Antique shops of Coburg, Oregon.

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Site #16

Full-Hookups (Water, Electric 30/50amp, Sewer) with Cable TV, and Free Wifi... all for $25 a night!

Nice level (and spacious) paved sites

The excitement of our arrival to this newer campground, gave way to seeing Dave & Sandy's new trailer all setup for the first time. It's a beauty... which I'm sure will bring years & years of fun on our future "Thurlacki" adventures together. It took some doing, but Dave finally succumbed to the "Dark-Side" (after some "gentle" prodding from Sandy), and for a guy that owns too may tents, he ended up selling one of them (their Coleman Utah tent trailer of 7 years), for a hard sided RV... complete with all the amenities like a flushing toilet, shower, microwave/convection oven, furnace, air-conditioning, and a flat-screen television! You know, back to the basics of "roughing it" on camping trips! :-)

The "Maiden Voyage"

What a nice looking trailer!

Dave demonstrating the proper way to take a "camp" shower

This campground is located along the McKenzie River, and future camping spaces will be placed closer to this river. They will be upgrading the larger "Group" camping sites this summer in this park, with new showers and a laundry facilities to be built.

Abby and I walking beside the river

Wild "Bleeding Heart" flowers

Oregon Grape in bloom

There were bunches of wild Trillium flowers

Without a doubt, camping offers a way to relive the stress of "everyday" life and get away from the day to day monotony. The only thing better, is being able to share this time with close friends and family.

More Milano's please

Ahhhh... camping can be so relaxing
(Note the distance between camp sites)

Until our next trip... Happy Trails.

Gary, Karen, and Abby Too!

Our Annual Trip to the Beach - March 2010

2010-03-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

This doesn't really count as a "Camping Trip" per-se, but all the same, it was time away from home enjoying the company of our best friends Dave & Sandy. We make yearly trips over to Yachats, OR together, and stay at the Fireside Motel. One of the best features of this Motel (other than the room decks overlooking the ocean a mere 50 ft. away), is that they allow dogs to stay with you in your room. And Abby just loves stretching out on a King sized bed.

The "804 Trail" which runs right behind the Fireside Motel, has miles of beautiful scenery to enjoy, and tide pools to explore. If you head North on the trail from the motel, in about 3/4 of a mile you'll hit sandy beaches that stretch out for miles. This is Abby's favorite running area.

After eating lunch at the "Chowder Bowl", we headed down to the beach to exercise the dogs before heading south to Yachats, and the Fireside Motel.

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Perched Seagulls at Nye Beach

Sandy, Dave & Maggie, Karen & Abby enjoy a windless beach

Foggy Sun & Seagulls

After stuffing ourselves on a couple of pounds of freshly cracked crab for dinner, we were blessed with a different sunset every night. Here is our first nights sunset, taken from Dave & Sandy's deck.

First Night Sunset

One of our favorite things to do while we stay here, is to drive the "Yachats River Road" from the South end of Yachats, all the way up to Cape Perpetua Overlook. If the whales are traveling along the coastline, you'll be able to see them from up here.

Abby and Karen exploring on the Beach

Abby & I taking in the sights along the 804 Trail

More 804 Trail scenery

During our last night, we went out to dinner at the "Drift Inn". We always get a great meal here whether its breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Afterward, we crawled back to our rooms, put on our comfortable "stretchy" pants, and wondered if we'd ever be hungry again.

Last nights sunset

Thanks for following along with us on our trips, and always remember... "Life's a Beach", so grab some for yourself!

Happy Trails until our next adventure.

Gary & Karen

February 2010 Camping Trip

2010-02-22T17:28:00.000-08:00

Winter camping can be very rewarding... especially if you're prepared for the colder weather. Some of your favorite campgrounds can be less crowded, and during the winter season, familiar summertime haunts can be just as beautiful with new things to see and explore. Karen and I took advantage of some nice weather (no rain), and headed out to the Belknap Hot Springs Resort near McKenzie Bridge, OR off of Hwy 126.

On our way to the resort, we had a "Good Oman" appear right before us along Interstate 5. A Bald Eagle flew across the front of our truck when we headed south towards Eugene, OR, and the Hwy 126 exit. After this experience... Karen and I knew everything was going to be better than normal on this camping trip. :-)

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The Upper Camping Area - Site 16

The McKenzie River was right behind us

The Upper Pool, Heated with the "Hot Springs" water (about 104º)

Miles of walking paths and beautiful gardens to explore

The Japanese Garden

Entrance to the "Secret Garden"

With all this water... Abby took the time to quench her thirst

A fungus stair-stepped tree

We also took the time to drive around the surrounding area, and explored some of Oregon's beautiful side attractions. See some of our finds below.

Clear & Cold... the McKenzie River has a beauty of it's own

Fish Lake reflections

Double Rainbow at Koosah Falls

Mt. Washington with a forest fires destruction

Sahalie Falls

Water drips can become "Stalagmites" by morning

Our "Pirit Heated Hose", worked great in the freezing temps, and kept us supplied with fresh water for the trailer

During the daytime, the outside temperatures got up into the high 40's or low 50's, and at night dipped down into the lower 20's. Inside the trailer however, we stayed nice and warm, and listened at night to the McKenzie River as it rushed by... putting us to easily to sleep in our toasty bed (with the help of a mattress warmer). Of course we made a lot of visits to the upper hot springs pool (about 50 yards from our trailer), and enjoyed just soaking and relaxing until our fingers were pruned. Yep... the winter blues can be easily chased away if you just know where to hide. :-)

Happy Trails...

Gary & Karen (and Abby too!)

January 2010 Camping Trip

2010-01-26T16:56:00.000-08:00

The new year is upon us, and Karen and I finally broke the bonds of our "Cabin Fever", and headed out for our first camping trip of 2010. Now... where to go? Karen suggested someplace by the beach, and I suggested someplace we haven't camped at yet, with Full-Hookups (Water, Electric, and Sewer connections) to make our return home all that much easier. We ended up staying at Beverly Beach State Park just North of Newport, OR. Two outta' three for our wish list requirements weren't too bad for this "Thurlacki" adventure (more about this later).

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Site C-11

The back of our trailer was backed right up next to Spencer Creek, so at night we could hear the gurgling of the water as it rushed to the ocean, which also made for some sound sleeping. We experienced rain storms the second night, but we stayed warm & dry inside the trailer. A few sites in this campground also offer Cable TV hookup (which we had), so we were able to get over 62 channels and didn't miss any of our favorite shows during the evenings.

Spencer Creek and the Ocean. That's the Hwy 101 Bridge right above Abby and I

Of course we had to walk on the beach... and you'll notice that we had beautiful weather as well. During the Winter time, the Oregon beaches can be a lot rockier than the Summer time, as the larger waves and winter storms take the sand off the beaches exposing the rocks.

My two favorite girls!

Looking North up the coastline with Spencer Creek at last finding the sea

One of our favorite sea food restaurants resides in Newport. It's called "The Chowder Bowl". Karen and I both enjoyed a large bowl of their clam chowder, complete with garlic bread. For desert we both had their Bread Pudding with Brandy/Butter sauce (it's to die for)!!!

The "Chowder Bowl" at Newport's Nye Beach

My almost finished Bread Pudding

One of my requirements for this camping trip, was being able to have "Full-Hookups", so that we could empty our trailer waist tanks before heading back home. I had constructed a new "rain gutter" & "raised support" system for hooking up to the Sewer connection, so I was looking forward to seeing how well it worked.

My new Sewer connection system

This morning (as we prepared to head for home), I pulled the waist drain handle... and shades of the Beverly Hillbillies song came to mind: "and up from the ground came a bubbling crude"... but it wasn't "Black Gold" or "Texas-T" that I saw! Thankfully, I was standing by... and was able to shut-down the trailer waist valve before any more of the "sludge" slowly oozed up from the Sewer connection. It was plugged Big Time! So... off to the Dump Station on the way out of the park, with a friendly reminder to the Camp Host that site C-11 has a blocked sewer dump pipe. I don't know how we do it, but we sure manage to find our share of surprises when it comes to dumping our waist tanks! I for one have had enough of that "crap"! :-)

The beautiful Oregon Coast at Winter time

I couldn't dare end this BLOG on a bad note, so above is proof that we do see some sunshine in the state of Oregon during the Winter months. The fresh sea air also smells a lot nicer than what I experienced this morning as well. :-)

Happy Trails...

-Gary & Karen-

September 2009 Camping Trip - 2

2009-09-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

Karen and I just returned from our second camping trip of September, one in which I got to celebrate my 54th Birthday! We traveled with our best friends Sandy & Dave, and took in more of what Oregon has to offer while camping at LaPine State Park just South of Bend, OR. We jokingly called this trip our "Naturally High" experience, since most of these beautiful sites were up around the 8000 ft. elevation level.

Since we traveled to different areas while staying at LaPine SP, I'll break the pictures into specific group areas we visited.

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LaPine State Park

One of the many local area visitors to our camp site

Our Full-Hookups site #18

Just fitting in between the trees

Sandy & Dave with Maggie... going for that morning walk

Of course... the best camping trips for Abby, are when we have any body of "water" available for her to play in. She lucked out on this trip, because she got to swim in the Deschutes River near our camp site several times during the day, or in one of the many lakes we visited (except for Crater Lake).

Here Abby is "patiently" waiting for us to walk faster to the river

The Deschutes River

Bringing back the stick...

Shaking the water off of her back

"Big Red"

The LaPine State Park is also host to one of Oregon's "Heritage Trees". "Big Red" as it's called, happens to be one of the largest Ponderosa Pine Tree's in the world. It was the tallest Pine tree until a recent wind storm broke off some of the top. It still holds the diameter ranking however, at 28 ft., 11 inches. It is estimated at over 500 years old as well.

Abby and I by "Big Red"

Another view of "Big Red"

Paulina & East Lake

A Panoramic picture of Paulina Lake (Left) and East Lake (Right), both separated by a lava flow over 1300 years ago. The Three Sister mountains can be seen at the skyline on the left.

Paulina Lake

A Paulina Lake Campsite

East Lake

From Left to Right: Gary, Abby, Karen, Sandy, Maggie, and Dave at East Lake. Note the volcanic cone in the background that divided Paulina Lake from East Lake.

Did someone say water?

Abby and Maggie play the "share" game. Abby brings the stick in closer so Maggie can bring it in the rest of the way. These two are best buddies.

Lava and Obsidian flows near the Lakes

Large boulders of Obsidian

Sucking air at almost 8000 ft.!

Sandy, Dave, Maggie, Karen, Gary, and Abby catching our breath

A view of the Three Sisters in the background

*** A Side Note: Take my word for it, and DO NOT open a can of pop before climbing the gravel road to the top of Paulina Mountain!!!

Crater Lake National Park

A Panoramic picture of Crater Lake

If you live in Oregon, and have not seen the Crater Lake National Park... then you are missing out on one of the most beautiful sites that can be witnessed. The water inside of the crater is so "Blue", that it has to be viewed in person to believe it. Other than stitching together three pictures to make the "panoramic" posting above, none of the following pictures were enhanced in any way to make the lake water appear the blue color as it's shown. Even these pictures do not do the blueness any justice. We drove the 33 mile road around the Lake, enjoying the many views and vistas along the way.

Wizard Island

The Phantom Ship

A closer view. The spires are over 16 stories tall

Abby and I enjoying one of the many lookouts

All of us together

A tour boat leaves Wizard Island

Clearwater Falls

On the way back to our campsites, we stopped at this beautiful waterfall that Dave & Sandy had discovered earlier this year. What a treat. Even though the lighting wasn't the best for taking pictures, I think you'll still find its beauty worth looking at.

Clearwater Falls

Dave, Maggie, Sandy, Karen, and Abby enjoying the Falls

Looking downstream from the Falls

And... one last stop at Lemolo Lake to "water" the dogs.

As all great trips come to an end, we find ourselves blessed for the beautiful sites we've seen, and the wonderful friends we have to share them with. Karen and I have tried our best to show you the wonderment out there waiting for you to explore. You need only put one foot in front of the other to experience your own personal adventures and journeys.

Until next time, Happy Trails...

-Gary & Karen-

September 2009 Camping Trip - 1

2009-09-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

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.

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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-

August 2009 Camping Trip

2009-08-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

Karen and I just returned from four days of Rest & Relaxation, at the Seven Feathers RV Resort in Southern Oregon by Canyonville (Exit 99 off of I-5). We have stayed here before, and enjoy being a bit "spoiled" by all that this RV Resort has to offer.

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Site 131 - Back

Site 131 - Front

This RV Resort is owned and operated by the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Indian Tribe. The resort is located within 2 miles of the Seven Feathers Indian Casino, and a free shuttle will take you from your RV site right to the front door of the casino. The casino has several great places to eat inside (as well as a fantastic food buffet), and of course, they offer night shows and gambling if you're interested. Karen and I prefer to keep our money in our pockets, but did spend about 3 hours putting nickles into the Draw Poker Machines. I did much better than Karen (who lost $4.00), and I bought the casino with my $7.00 winnings!

Seven Feathers Seal

30ft. Tall Eagle sculpture at the entrance of the Seven Feathers Casino

The following are a few pictures of the RV Resort grounds themselves. We always seem to meet the nicest people here... and I always manage to drop off a few NuWa Owners Forum cards to other HitchHiker owners I happen to see.

The "All-In-One" Site pedestals. Power 30/50 amp, Phone, Cable, and Water. There are also 2 waist connections at each site, so you can choose which works best for your rig.

The "Drive-Through" check-in area

The indoor swimming, Jacuzzi, and exercise facilities to the left. There are also meeting rooms for group gatherings or parties for traveling RV Clubs.

The heated pool

The Jacuzzi

Abby had a guest with her on this trip, as we watched "Maggie" (Dave & Sandy's dog), while they helped to move their son Stephen into his new apartment. Abby was the perfect host... and of course, Maggie was a perfect guest.

The "Girls" out for their walk

Karen and I also took in the local antique stores in Canyonville one day, and on another, drove to the site of the Milo, Oregon Covered Bridge.

The Milo Covered Bridge

Another view... and yes, the Dodge Truck fit

Just by luck, we found a "local" farmers market just east of the "Burger King" in town, that was called "Mary's Produce Stand". She had fresh picked corn, peaches, tomatoes, peppers, and a whole lot of other produce. We snagged a few tomatoes and peaches, which were delicious! So if you're in the area, be sure not to miss this excellent find.

Until our next adventure... Happy Trails!

-Gary, Karen, and Abby-

July 2009 Camping Trip

2009-07-29T16:58:00.000-07:00

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).

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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-

April 2009 Camping Trip

2009-04-22T08:19:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since our last camping trip in January, but after having knee surgery in February and some cold arctic snow storms in between, it felt good to finally get back out on the road again. Karen and I are also getting ready to ramp up our busy camping schedule for this year, so it was nice to "dust off" some cobwebs and have a few relaxing days at Oregon's South Beach State Park. And best of all... we had nice weather!

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Camping sites at South Beach State Park

We were lucky enough to meet up with some NuWa Owners Forum members as well. We'd made arrangements to camp with Stacy & Sharon (Exploring Wises), as they traveled up the Oregon Coast this year. They "Full-Time" in their trailer, so it was nice to see them again after meeting them last summer as they traveled through Corvallis.

Stacy & Sharon

While camped at South Beach, Forum member "poppaj" drove over to meet with us on his way up to Alaska. John also brought along his trusty "sidekick" BC, so Abby got to meet a new friend as well.

John & BC

Sitting outside in the sun, we got the chance to chat and chew about our travel plans, meeting up with other Forum members, and just enjoying each others company. Why even "Earlvis" got into the Oregon sunshine (and some of you will get to meet him at the G & G Rally in June)!

Taking it easy

"Earlvis" soaking up the sun-rays, and looking for the "chicks"

Karen and Abby relaxing

Later on in the evening hours, Karen and I would slip over to Stacy & Sharon's trailer, where Stacy would fix us some of his famous "Margaritas". They were awesome (Lemon, Lime, and Orange flavors)... and we'll make sure that we use his recipe the next time we make these at home.

The margarita King!

As usual... Abby got to enjoy her favorite part of camping, finding water! With the ocean just a 1/4 mile away, we'd make several trips each day and find her that special stick, and throw and throw it... until she got tired, and wanted to cool off.

Abby cooling off

During one of our days together, we took in some of the local Newport, Oregon attractions. We visited the "haunted" Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, looked at the exhibits at the Hatfield Marine Science Center, and stopped by "Pyromania" where they hand-blow glass floats which are hidden on the Oregon Beaches during the summer months for beach combers to find. I'd be remiss, if I didn't say we also spent another afternoon with the Wises, eating at our favorite local sea food restuarant The Chowder Bowl at Nye Beach in Newport. Not only is their Clam Chowder good, but their Bread Pudding with "Rum-Butter" sause is to die for!

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse

A "hands-on" tide pool exhibit at the Marine Science Center

Stacy and I checking out some of this Pirate's "booty"

Sadly, all good times must come to an end, but our 5 days of camping at the beach was a blast. And after all... isn't that what it's all about? We said our good-bye's to Stacy & Sharon, but we'll be meeting up with them again in less than 2 months at West Yellowstone, as they continue to travel the country.

Until then... Happy Trails to you.

-Gary-

January 2009 Camping Trip

2009-01-10T14:50:00.000-08:00

The new year is upon us (2009), and Karen and I decided it was time for some rest & relaxation. We'd had plans to camp in December (right before Christmas), but unfortunately, an Arctic Cold front moved down from Canada bringing snow to our region. Even though we would have been fine inside the trailer, driving back home would have been an adventure... so we decided to stay home and be safe.

Due to our "last minute" decision to go camping, we stayed close to home, and only ventured 35 minutes away to Waterloo County Park just East of Lebanon, OR.

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Waterloo Park - Site 8A

While the campground remained pretty much empty Thursday night (2 camp hosts, and another camper), more people arrived on Friday to fill up the remaining Winter sites still available. Since the sun appeared on Friday as well, I was finally able to try out my Flag Pole Buddy and the Solar Powered "Glow Globe" topper (with it's changing multi-colored lights). During the nighttime, the globe-topper changes from Blue... fading to Purple... fading to Red... then Yellow... and Green... then back to Blue. It's Awesome!

Our Flag Pole Buddy with Glow-Globe Topper

During the night, the temperatures dipped below freezing, but the furnace made sure our water-lines didn't freeze and that our holding tanks remained free from ice. The mattress pad warmer made our bed sheets and blankets nice and warm as well, when it was time to head off to the "Land of Nod".

As usual... Abby got to run and play with a stick in the Park. The South Santiam River was at flood stage, so we didn't allow her swim this time around.

Abby playing with her stick

The flooded South Santiam River boat ramp

No "Lifeguard" on Duty!

Flood water rapids

High water - Full river

Friday evening, Karen and I got to see a beautiful pink sunset. Although the picture doesn't do it justice, we both stared up at the sky watching the colors become bright pink... and then slowly fade away into the evening darkness. Karen and I ordered a Pizza for dinner from one of our favorite Italian Restaurants nearby in Lebanon called "Mama Linda's". Great food, a beautiful sunset, and spending a relaxing time camping with your favorite girls. It doesn't get any better than this!

What a great way to ring in the "New Year"

Karen and I have plenty of adventures planned for 2009, including a cross-country trip for our 30th Wedding Anniversary, and a Rally at Yellowstone in June, to meet up with well-over 100 of our NuWa Owners Forum members and friends. Let the fun and camping trips begin!

-Gary-

November Camping Trip

2008-11-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

After what seemed like "forever", Karen and I finally got the HitchHiker out camping once again before this year ends. As the Summer slowly came to an end and Fall approached, we found ourselves busy finishing up with the last of the house projects before Winter sets in. Luckily... we have completed all that we can this year, and are now starting to finalize our plans for the "Big Trip" scheduled for June of 2009 (more on this in a future posting).

For this trip... we headed to the Belknap Hot Springs Resort. The Belknap Resort is located about 55 miles East of Springfield, OR, on Hwy 126. It's just East of the Hwy 242 intersection with Hwy 126.

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Camping Site #37 at Belknap Hot Springs Resort

The Belknap Hot Springs resort is located along the McKenzie River, and the true "Hot Springs" are located across the river from the main Lodge. The extremely hot water from the springs, are pumped over a walking bridge to both lower & upper swimming pools, where it is then mixed with colder water to make about a 104 degree pool temperature all year round. The lower pool is used mainly by the Lodge guests and families, while the upper pool is for cabin and RV guests.

The Belknap Hot Springs Resort Lodge

The Lower Pool area behind the Lodge

One of our favorite things to do while we're staying there, is to walk the miles and miles of walking paths that are located among huge gardens, water fountans, and flowers. In the Summer time, the "Gardens" are used by many wedding parties. They are truly beautiful (see below for yourself).

Our most favorite part of the resort, is finding the hidden access to the "Secret Garden". You may stumble on this secret by accident, but you'll never forget what you've found when you do see it for the first time. See below for a look for yourselves.

Karen and Abby in the "Secret Garden"

While we were staying here, Karen and I also toured the smaller communities of "McKenzie Bridge", "Rainbow", and "Sisters" Oregon. One day, we also drove the "Old McKenzie River Hwy" (Hwy 242). This highway is very narrow and curvey, so you can't tow your 5th wheel trailers through this section of road. But when this road is open during the Summer and Fall (it's closed during the Winter) it's a beautiful drive going through lush green forests, and topping out at a volcanic lava flow area. When we made it to the top of this pass (5300ft elevation), it was snowing. The stark contrast between the black lava, and white snow is something to be seen... "Fire & Ice" together. Here are some more pictures of our side-trip adventures below.

The "Belknap" Covered Bridge. Originally built in 1890

Snow begins to fall in the lava fields

It looks as if the hands of Winter are starting to spread it's blankets of white in the higher reaches of Oregon, and soon, the hibernation of the season will be upon us everywhere. Thanksgiving and Christmas are soon approaching, but that doesn't mean Karen and I are through camping for the year. We still have a "Christmas" tree to light and decorate by our rear trailer window... so stay tunned for our next trip before years end.

-Gary-

September Camping Trip - 2

2008-09-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

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-

September Camping Trip - 1

2008-09-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

Karen and I were finally able to hook up with our neighbors (Wally & Burla), for a promised camping trip this summer, and we let them decide where we should go. They suggested heading down to the Canyonville, OR area (22 miles South of Roseburg, OR), and staying at the Seven Feathers RV Resort. WOW! Was this ever a nice RV Park. In fact... I can honestly say it was the nicest RV Park we've ever camped in.

Wally & Burla have a beautiful Gold Class A - Tiffin "Allegro Bay" Motor Home, which complimented our White/Gold HitchHiker II 5th wheel. I might add, that both Wally & Burla and Karen and I, monitarily contributed to the Seven Feathers Casino as well.

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Our HitchHiker and their Motor Home

Being as this was a "Resort", we had the pleasure of using many of the provided amenities. Karen and I would work-out at the fitness center every morning, and then enjoy a nice swim in the pool and hot tub afterward. We also spent every evening in the hot tub relaxing, and talking with the other campers.

The indoor swimming pool and Hot Tub

In the afternoons... around 4:00PM, we would sit out side in the shade, and have a "Happy Hour" before dinner time. Sometimes... these lasted longer than an "hour".

Sipping some Scottish Whiskey... and solving the worlds problems.

Each resort "Pull-Through" site, had Full-Hookups... which included Electrical (Both 50/30amp), 2 Water Connections, 2 Sewer Connections, Phone, and Cable.

Our Camping Site #126

When we walk Abby, we always keep our eye's out for other NuWa HitchHiker trailers. During our stay here at Seven Feathers, we ended up making contact with 3 other owners. I delivered some of my "Business Cards", and made sure they knew about the Forum. Before we left, one of the couples had signed up as new members! They had just spent the first night in their newly purchased HitchHiker trailer.

A Discover America pulling in at the main entrance.

Of course we also spent some time eating and gambling at the Seven Feathers Casino. The RV Resort provides a free shuttle from the RV Resort to the Casino (about 2 miles away). They come right up to your camping site.

The beautiful sculpture in front of the Casino

We also made sure that Abby's needs were met as well... and took her into the fenced off dog areas, where she could do her favorite play games, and chase after her Frisbee.

Abby's favorite game... besides laying in her pool at home.

We all had a wonderful time. I also got the chance to finally bake Wally a Dutch-Oven Chocolate Cherry Surprise Cake. He loved it... and luckily we had enough for two nights of our after dinner desert.

The Chocolate Cherry Surprise Cake before cooking... and being cooked.

This post has become a little long... but I hope you've enjoyed the pictures as much as we enjoyed this special time with our neighbors and friends Wally & Burla.

-Gary-

July Camping Trip

2008-07-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

Karen and I just returned from our latest camping trip, which took us to the Nehalem Bay State Park along the North Oregon coast. In true fashion... it turned out to be one of those "Thurlacki" trips as well. Even though we did not see any bears (they have a bear problem along the central Oregon coast), or feel any of the 2 large earthquakes Friday out off the Oregon coastline, poor Dave ended up catching his hand (more notably his right-hand little finger) in a park shower door, which ended up needing 6 stitches.

Our camp site at the park.

What's really nice during the Oregon summers, is that while the interior valley areas are subject to hot temperatures, along the coast the temperatures can range between 20 - 30 degrees cooler (natures air-conditioner). We just happen to hit one of those times. We would dip down into the low 50's during the nights (great for sleeping with your bedroom windows open), and would warm up into the high 60's during the daytime.

Looking out at the beach.

During the daytime, we would drive into the smaller surrounding towns, and checkout the local ice cream shops, the antique stores, and of course... run Abby on the beach.

Abby cooling off from playing with her stick.

The off-shore wind keeping the fog at bay.

A wind-surfer having fun.

Abby and Maggie (Dave & Sandy's dog - part basset hound and boxer), both are best buddies. The problem comes when playing with a stick out in the water. Abby stands much taller and will swim out to retrieve the stick, then bring it in for Maggie to carry up onto the beach in much shallower water. It was fun to watch how the two of them have learned to play and work together as a team. Not only was this great exercise for the two of them, they both slept very well during the night. :-)

Abby bringing in the stick for Maggie...

Abby getting ready to drop the stick...

Maggie (bringing in the stick) just dropped it.

All of us had a wonderful time (except for the finger episode), with lots of rest and relaxation, cold beer, red wine... and sharing time with best of friends.

-Gary-

June Camping Trip - 2

2008-07-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

For both Karen and I, the Metolius River really takes us into the relaxation mode. We love the smell of the Ponderosa Pine trees, the beauty of the local mountains, and the meandering Metolius River (a Fly Fishing Mecca) right out your front door. It's really hard to believe that this river actually starts right out of the ground from a spring.

Since a picture is worth a "Thousand Words"... I'll let them do the typing.

Smiling River Campsite #24

The towering Pine Trees

Abby and I along the river trail

Greg & his Buddy "Fergus"

Wizard Falls

Large fish at the Wizard Falls Hatchery

A Bald Eagle looking for Lunch

The "Headwaters of the Metolius". This is where the river comes right out of the ground, and Mt. Jefferson is in the background.

The Camp Sherman Store

Hope you've enjoyed these pictures, as much as we had fun taking them.

-Gary-

June Camping Trip - 1

2008-07-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

Karen and I have never stayed at such an incredible RV Park. Winchester Bay RV Resort is without a doubt the best RV camping site that we have ever stayed in. The Bay Front camp site we had was unbelievable (I highly recommend Bay Front sites) . We could sit and look out our rear window, and see Bald Eagles, Osprey, and Pelicans flying by or fishing 30 ft. away.

Winchester Bay RV Resort - Site 119

We also learned from fellow Forum members Rich & Joan (Flcruiser2), that there was a great "Fish & Chips" place within walking distance of the RV Park. Ungers Bay Fish & Chips was very good, and right there on the inside docks of the boat harbor.

Karen and I took in the sites, and walked with Abby on the beach. There is a lot to see and do while staying here, and we enjoyed ourselves so much, we plan on returning back again soon!

Karen & Abby

Umpqua Lighthouse

Sunset on the Bay

Pelicans flying by (looking out our window)

One of the main reasons for staying here (other than rest & relaxation), was the opportunity to meet up with Wayne & Debbie (racebum) once again. It had been a while since our last visit in the Summer of 2007, so when they were up in the Northern California region, we made the arrangements to meet up for dinner at Port Orford, OR. Our final dinner location wasn't the best in the world, but we all weren't really there for the food anyway.

(Left to Right) Karen, Wayne, Debbie, and their sons Jeremy, and Brandon.

One last "Goodbye" before heading back. (Left to Right) Jeremy, Brandon, Myself, Debbie, Wayne, and Abby down below.

Until we meet again Wayne & Debbie... Aloha! And how about eating at a "Biker Bar" next time? :-)

-Gary-

May Camping Trip - 2

2008-07-15T15:53:00.000-07:00

This was our first camping trip of the year with Dave & Sandy, and Fisherman's Bend is our favorite close campground. Jeff & Susan from the Forum, were also camped at Fisherman's Bend when we arrived, and since Jeff & Susan had been traveling on the road, Jeff had several packages delivered at our house prior to our camping trip, so that I could deliver them to him when we got to the campsite. What can "Thurm" do for you today? :-)

Myself & Jeff

We love camping at Fisherman's Bend, mainly because of the size of each camping site. They even have huge double pull-through sites so you can camp with family or friends (we were camped with Dave & Sandy in a double site). Below are a couple of pictures of just "half" of our double pull-through site.

Site 15A

Karen and Abby taking it easy.

There are miles of nature and hiking trails around the campground (which are well maintained), and plenty of opportunities to take in the fresh air, the sounds of the North Santiam River, or the beautiful wildflowers on a trail walk.

The North Santiam River

Bleeding Heart Wildflowers

But the best part about camping with friends... is the great food you get to eat as well. We always seem to have enough to feed the whole campground. I tried out a new Dutch-Oven Desert this camp out, and made a Chocolate Cherry Surprise cake. It turned out very well.

A sad end to this trip, was the passing away of a family member of Dave & Sandy while we were camping. Life has a funny way of reminding you how precious living every day to it's fullest is. You never know if "today" may just very well be your last... so live each day to it's fullest.

-Gary-

May Camping Trip - 1

2008-07-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

This was our first "beach" camping trip of the year. It also ended up be a special trip, as we had several surprises while camping at South Beach State Park in Newport, OR. We ended up being very close to NuWa Owners Forum Members Jo Ann & Wayne (w/j miller), who were staying at the Whalers Rest RV Park 4 miles away. So Karen and I set off to meet them. It was like we've known them for years.

Jo Ann & Wayne

After our visit with Jo Ann & Wayne, when we returned back to our camping site, there was another NuWa HitchHiker parked beside us. It ended up being Forum Members Bill & Elysa (Wally2), who were on their way heading up to Alaska.

Elysa & Bill

Later on that afternoon, another NuWa HitchHiker Trailer arrived (Carl & Eleanor from Kansas - Non Members), and ended up parking next to Bill & Elysa. Wow! With all these HitchHikers camping next to each other, you'd think we were having a Rally... so that's what we decided to do! We all piched in, and contributed food for an outside potluck "get-together" that evening. The food, wine, and deserts were outstanding... but the company was awesome!

South Beach Rally

Fishing Boats in the Bay

A fun time was had by all... and it was sad to see everyone leave over the following days as we returned home, or continued onward with our adventures down the road.

-Gary-

February Camping Trip - 2

2008-07-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

This was our first time staying at the "River Bend Park". We had stopped several times before checking out this newer campground, but we'd never camped here. We ended up getting a very nice camp site (8-D), that was close to the South Santiam River that surrounded the campground.

Camp Site # 8-D

At night, the temperatures dropped below freezing, so we did get the chance to use our trailers furnace. During the daytime, we mostly just used a ceramic electrical heater to keep us comfortable. We also enjoyed the huge nature trail around the whole park, as we once again had the whole park to ourselves (other than the one camp ranger who lived at this park).

Karen and Abby by the river.

This is a very nice campground... one we'll be staying at again in the future.

-Gary-

February Camping Trip - 1

2008-07-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

Karen finally dropped down from working full time to "Part-Time" work this month. We decided to start taking advantage of our time off together, so we stayed close... and went to Waterloo Park just outside of Lebanon, OR for our first trip of the year.

Winter camping close to home.

We got lucky, in that there ended up being a "Total Lunar" Eclipse that night. Below is a sample of several pictures I took of this event, and placed them all together in order.

A Total "Lunar Eclipse"

Karen and I ended up being the only campers in this park, but we did get to talk to the two camp hosts that remained there throughout the year. I think we're going to like having empty parks to ourselves.

-Gary-

Here we are...

2008-07-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Karen and I are starting this new BLOG, so that all of you (our friends and family), can follow us on the road as we explore and have fun camping in our 2005 NuWa HitchHiker II 29.5 LKTG 5th wheel trailer.

Looking for adventures... and what ever comes our way.

As most of you already know, we always seem to have our share of adventures (especially while camping with our dear friends Dave & Sandy), which we except as life's lessons... or what we like to call * "Thurlacki Adventures".

So kick back... grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy reading about our fun times out on the road.

Thanks for stopping by.

-Gary & Karen-

* If you ever camp with us, we can not be held responsible for whatever Doom, Natural Disaster, Act of God, Tsunami, Hurricane, Tornado, Fire, Heavy Rain, Killer Bees, Locust, or any other Super Natural Activities that you may encounter. If you still decide to stay with us... you do so willingly at your own peril!