After a night of much needed rest after an action packed day in Oregon, we set out on the road with plans to put in some miles. When we left home, we didn't plan on heading all the way to the coast, but I'm so glad we decided to go ahead and head as far west as we could!!!
Days 17 and 18 consisted of a lot of driving, but we found some amazing campgrounds along the way.
On Day 17, we stopped in the late afternoon at the Ochoco Divide campground. We found a secluded spot and set up camp under some impressive old growth towering pine trees!!!
Kevin says he thinks the drive through Oregon is some of his favorite driving on any road trip so far. The forests and views are incredible, and the winding roads bring you up close and personal with nature.
We spent most of our time at the campsite just unwinding and enjoying the weather. I read in the hammock while Kevin made dinner (again), and we sat by the fire for awhile until we decided to call it a night.
It's a good thing we got a good night's sleep, because our next day on the road-- Day 18--would last longer than we would have liked.
We have learned that when it comes to road trips, we prefer staying in National Forests. They are less crowded, dogs are less restricted, and you can find some pretty incredible spots to stay.
On Saturday, we set out to put in some more miles. We didn't let that stop us from some sightseeing, however. We decided to stop at the John Day Fossil Area National Monument as we drove through the area. It was neat seeing a woman working on preserving a specimen that was recently pulled from the very land we were driving through!
In our four years of road trips we have never ever ever had trouble finding someplace to camp in a National Forest. Until today. We used our atlas to locate a stretch of National Forest campgrounds and set out in the morning planning to drive for a few hours and set up camp. We knew it was a weekend, but some of the spots on the map were pretty isolated so we thought we would be in the clear.
But then...campsite after campsite was completely full. Not a single spot. So we kept driving. The sun started to get closer to the horizon. We were getting antsy and tired of being in the car. The thing about National Forests is that you can camp pretty much anywhere...even on the side of the road. We were considering that option when we finally stumbled upon a campsite that didn't even have a name. Or a bathroom. But it had a great spot overlooking a rushing creek, and we were away from the traffic on the road, and we were under the stars...so it all worked out. Even this campsite was full--we took the last spot--but it meant we had a place to stay for the night!!!
It's amazing to see so many people spending time outdoors! We discovered that many National Forest campgrounds in Idaho are reservable (this typically isn't the case), so that is likely what contributed to the high usage of so many spots.
All I know is that we were happy to be out of the car, and after we all stretched our legs and spent a little time wading in the creek we made dinner and headed to bed with the peaceful sound of rushing water and a steady breeze coming in through the windows of the Scamp! It turned out to be a great night! After all, what's a road trip without a little adventure and uncertainty and peeing in the woods?!
Here is a pic of a tired Scout at the top of a hillside on a hike:
No comments:
Post a Comment