Champoeg

Sometimes it's nice to stay close to home. Instead of driving for 3 to 5 hours to find a campspot.. this past weekend (July 5th, 2009) we loaded up Pickle and drove just 45 minutes to Champoeg State Park between Portland and Salem, about 6 miles east of I-5. The park is pronounced Sham pooey. We decided to camp with our neighbors Rhonda and Dave and their two kids, Emily and Jack. They camped in a Yurt and we, of course set up shop in the 1979 VW Campmobile we affectionately call The Party Pickle.



Here was our typical set up on site A-38. We all brought our bikes this trip because there are miles of nice trails. And the girls and I had a good time taking in the sites by bike.

We also had time to cook up some good meals. I prepared my famous Dutch Oven Jambalaya on the first night and then made a nice German Chocolate Cake for dessert the next night.



Michele and the dots handled putting on the frosting for me. Yum. Normally that cake would have taken between 30 and 40 minutes in the oven. But in my Dutch Oven it only took about twenty minutes. Wow.



All in all it was a great trip. Close by and yet so far from the city.



Cereal in a box.





Next stop, Silver Falls State Park, late this month.