Maupin on my Mind

So we loaded up the bus and we went to Maupin. Maupin, Oregon that is. Sunshine, and Micro brews. (Ok so that's not the best imitation of the Beverly Hillbillies ever done, but it gets the point across.

Every June, my good friend Mark hosts a big VW Bus gathering at his resort in Maupin along the Deschutes River. If you go into the PP archives, you'll see that we've gone to this gathering many times in the past.

It's a great time. I mean GREAT time.



It's a pretty easy drive passing over the Cascades near Mt. Hood. And the weather this year was fabulous.

We could even see Mount Hood in all it's glory as we passed.



We always try to park in a different spot every year so we don't get in a rut. This time we were by the corner.. way up there to the right. You can see the back end of Pickle and all the other buses that make this annual trek as well.



Lani can't quite figure out why we think it's so cool...



But mostly I think it's fun because it's so relaxing. We play games and read and just take it easy.







There's always great food.. and did I mention every year we do a beer tasting event???



The only hiccup to the whole plan was that I forget my plastic chest of drawers. That means I had to beg, borrow and steal to get us utensils, plates, cups, and COFFEE. But thanks to all my friends and Mark especially, it all worked out.

Thanks for another great time, and thanks to my trusty wife for driving some of the way back home.. until those gorge winds turned her knuckles white.

Clear Lake on Mount Hood

It's been far too long since I've had a chance to post an update to our blog. And I hope to give you two entries within the next few days. We'll begin with our last trip we took in early July. We and 3 other families took up residence in a campground just the other side of the pass on Mt. Hood called Clear Lake.





The lake I'm told serves as a reservoir for irrigation in the Maupin area. So the good news is that the water is very clear and clean. The other good news is that they let you swim in it. The bad news is that the water is very chilly. Maybe a bit warmer than the ocean in Oregon this time of year.



The campground is pretty small. Only about 30 or so sites. Some are very close to the lake some are on the other side of the little road, still very close, and some are tucked a way a little farther away in the loop.

We grabbed one right by the lakeshore and found it to be spacious and had just the right amount of shade and sun, depending on what you wanted at the time.

From this view:



You can see all that separated us from the lake. Here's a view looking from our campsite to the peek a boo view of Clear Lake.



With Oregon camping the weather is always a factor to be mentioned and we lucked out this year. We arrived on Thursday night fairly late, and it was cloudy and pretty darned cold. But I quickly built a fire and we unpacked before it got totally dark and I had a couple beers and called it a night.

But the rest of the trip would be beautiful. Later that evening, the skies cleared and the stars came out and from then on it was clear skies.

I could go on and on about what we did, what we ate, but it's all kind of the same as every other trip. So I'll just let you enjoy some pictures and keep the dialogue to a minimum.






Mai Tais


Lani


Kili







The best part is finally relaxing.. realizing that you don't really have to do anything. For some reason when that moment hits you, usually on the 3rd day, more air than usual escapes your lungs.. and your shoulders roll down just a bit, and you realize what's really important in life.



For me the best feeling of the whole trip was going into the lake for a few minutes, then walking back to camp and lying on my chair in the sun. The warmth felt so good. And I realized how really little it takes to be content and feel good. Really feel good. Inside and out.

If this blog finds you in a spot where you can't camp, or even drink a mai tai, I hope maybe you can find that relaxed feeling too, if only for a brief moment, so that you can realize what's important, as we go about living our daily lives.

On on up to Orcas!!!

This was the big one. The beeg summer trip.



We hit the open road and headed North. All the way to Anacortes, which any Northwesterner knows is the jumping off spot for the San Juan Islands.



The girls are getting so big now, no car seats are needed anymore. We set sail up Interstate 5 and pretty much drove the entire 5 and a half hours to Anacortes.. stopping only for gas and potty breaks.



Michele had the hard job, holding Chippy most of the way.

I had it much easier, just concentrating on the road and trying to look cool.



Once we got settled in our motel.. (before the early morning ferry ride) we stopped in a micro brewery in town that was packed. But it had a great IPA on tap.





Then it was back to the motel to meet up with Tom and Judiann and eat some candy and drink a little vino.



The next morning we boarded the ferry to Orcas Island and wow.. we got to sit right up front!



If you've never been to the San Juans, really, honestly, the ferry rides to and from are probably the best part. They are relatively inexpensive and are not just a ride to an island, but an experience. On our way there it was overcast and cool, but also the air was fresh and it was nice on deck.











When we got to our campsite (#60) at Moran State Park, wouldn't you know, it was drizzling. No one was stirring and it was frankly a bit depressing. Pretty, but who wants to camp in mud and set up a tent in rain. So after Michele and I sent the kids to explore little East Sound (the main town on Orcas) with their grandparents, we decided to forge ahead. I set up our VW circus tent as some call it and halfway through setting it up, the rain stopped, it got warmer and by sunset we saw the sun. Beautiful. The rest of the week on Orcas brought us warm, sunny weather as we ate, swam and had a blast in the park.





This is the view of Cascade Lake from our campsite.



I even broke out the bus plates and silverware.





Of course no campout is complete without the roasting of the Marshmallows.





Much of our time was spent swimming just down the road at Cascade Lake.. it wasn't exactly freezing but not really warm either.







We had lots of great food. Mostly simple food. Spaghetti the first night, some Tri tip the second.. Sandwiches one night and the best might have been the canned Chili with freshly baked cornbread.

But the best meal of the trip to me was the breakfast I made of pancakes, bacon and eggs and good coffee.



The Party Pickle made for a nice home and this was one of the longer trips we've taken.



All in all it was a great trip with no mechanical problems and darn good gas mileage, though I was running a tad warm on the CHT temps.. up near 380 and into the 400s occasionally.




The return trip on the ferry was nice and sunny and warm. Wow.



Chippy was safe and secure in her Sherpa Bag and even she had a good time I think.



What a nice time we had, just relaxing and getting to know each other again. AND.. Lani beat me for the first time in chess. But I beat Michele twice! Sorry hun!



And of course we couldn't leave you without the shot of Wilson... ((Thanks Mike))




Until next time!