March Camping

The wife and kids were able to get away to California for part of Easter Break. I had to work half the week and couldn't join them until later, so as it turned out, I had a rare weekend alone. So I made the best of it and decided to visit a campsite along the Oregon Coast... in Lincoln City.



As it turned out, I really lucked out with the weather. There was one day out of about 12 that was going to be sunny with no rain. And that was exactly the day I chose to camp at Devil's Lake State Park in Lincoln City.



What's interesting about this campground, is that it is the only Oregon State Campground that is set right in the middle of a city. So while the park is nice and peaceful, the bustling tourist town of Lincoln City is only steps away.

Devil's Lake is, of course, a lake that runs kind of north and south parallel to the beach. It's quite a good sized lake out of which runs the world's shortest river which leads right to the beach and the Pacific. It's called the D River. Here's a snapshot of the lake from the campground. You can rent boats and everything.



The day was a pretty laid back day. I had lunch as I was coming into town at McMenamins. I ordered the 2-piece Fish and Chips and a cold IPA and it was the perfect choice. Really tasty. I then ordered a Pint of Porter just to try it out and it wasn't half bad.

Then I pulled into the campground and settled into spot B-30. It turned out to be a decent spot though a little too close to the entrance.. but it turned out to not be a big deal because traffic was so light.



It'd been a long time since I'd been out in the Pickle and it was good to be camping again. I also got a new lens for my camera, so Pickle provided a nice subject for some wide angle shots I was able to grab.



One difference you might notice. I bought these personalized badges to stick on the rear of the bus. They are made in the style as the orginal German ones that said, "Automatic." Unfortunately my bus didn't come with any of the emblems from the factory but what the heck... I chose "Campmobile" for the left side and "Party Pickle" for the right side.



I think they look pretty good. My camp spot was nice and level and high up, so there were no puddles.



The spot also had electricity and I brought a little portable heater, but as it turned out, my sleeping back was plenty warm enough at night.



The best part of the night was my dinner. I made some cornbread in my dutch oven and some simple chili out of a can.. and of course a few cold ones as well. Next stop... (hopefully) Wild Camping in April and then Silver Falls in May!