I would have thought that finding an available camping spot for the fourth of July holiday would be difficult, but Meg scored us a yurt at Lost Creek--in the Mt. Hood wilderness area--maybe a week or two before the holiday. The drive took about an hour, and the air was immediately cooler than the city. After unloading our things into the yurt (which didn't have a lock or heat or electricity, features usually available at other yurts we've stayed at), we all hiked along the nature trail that traversed the campground. The trail was relatively short, so we were soon making our own trails along the Sandy River. Luckily Gollum had joined us again, so we had a veteran guide to lead us to fun and adventure. Meg and Ian eventually got bored with our antics and headed back to camp, while the remainder kept making our way along the river. At some point I decided we better head back, because I had no idea where I was or how far from camp we were. We could have followed the river back, but it was more fun to try and find the actual trail back to camp. While never worried, I was surprised at how far from camp we had wandered.
We had brought our own firewood (stuff I've saved over time from pruning trees on our property) and used it as fuel to cook our dinner, which consisted of sausages and more sausages. We also roasted marshmallows in the surviving coals. Meg had brought chocolate and graham crackers, but I don't think anybody actually made a single s'mores treat to eat. Edward demanded that we go on a night hike, so Ian and I joined him, while Aaron volunteered to stay at camp and tend to the fire (he kept it going the whole time we were gone), and Meg got to read her book.
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| Hang on, Ed! |
I had intended to check out the hike we were planning for the next day--Ramona Falls--but we ended up hiking up a nearby gravel road that lead us uphill to the Burnt Creek trailhead. We hiked along the trail just a bit before turning around and returning to camp. The trail would have led us to a beautiful lake with superior views of Mt. Hood, but we would have had to have hiked 7.5 miles to get there. I had to carry Ian on my shoulders for part of the way, and Edward pleaded for the same treatment (I ignored him). Our hike clocked in at about four miles round trip. We reached camp just as night was settling in, and we all soon retreated to our yurt for a night of semi-restful sleeping.
We ate a breakfast of frosted flakes and fresh fruit before loading up the van and driving to the Ramona Falls trailhead. We didn't have a forest pass, so Meg dropped Aaron, Edward, and I off so we could hike, with the understanding that we would meet her back in the parking lot in three hours. I expected her to go back to the campground and read her book, but she drove into town, bought a pass, drove back to the trailhead, and met us along the trail. We had no idea she was going to meet us on the trail, so we had turned around before actually reaching Ramona Falls (we were probably about 20 minutes away). None of us were too disappointed, though--the boys were ready to go home, and I didn't want to make Meg wait for us. Once we returned to the car, a couple approached us and asked if they could buy our forest pass from us, so we totally made our money back.
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| Majestic Mt. Hood |
On the way back to Portland, we stopped at the Subway in ZigZag. Aaron wasn't too excited, but when he learned that he could get a BLT without the lettuce or tomato, he was in heaven (he has since been tempted to ride his bike to our neighborhood Subway and spend his own money on a bacon and cheese footlong sandwich).
Oaks Park hosts a fairly large fireworks show every year, so before returning to our house we stopped by the bluff overlooking the amusement park and threw out a sleeping bag to claim our spot for the evening show. It's been a few years since I've gone to a fireworks show on the fourth, as Ian has been too young or too sleepy or too scared, but I had to go this year. It amazes me how thousands of people from the neighborhood show up and informally stage one of the largest street parties I've ever seen. After the show, Meg and Ian (Ian had to pee, so they went a different way) walked past a
duplex that had caught on fire from an illegal firework that had landed in nearby brush. The boys and I, on our walk home, also ran into some guy who claimed he was from Seattle and how Sellwood reminded him of what Seattle was 20 years ago. He was just a little too friendly, and I'm glad that we were able to orient his somewhat-drunk self in the opposite direction where he was meeting up with his friends.
We ate a breakfast of frosted flakes and fresh fruit before loading up the van and driving to the Ramona Falls trailhead. We didn't have a forest pass, so Meg dropped Aaron, Edward, and I off so we could hike, with the understanding that we would meet her back in the parking lot in three hours. I expected her to go back to the campground and read her book, but she drove into town, bought a pass, drove back to the trailhead, and met us along the trail. We had no idea she was going to meet us on the trail, so we had turned around before actually reaching Ramona Falls (we were probably about 20 minutes away). None of us were too disappointed, though--the boys were ready to go home, and I didn't want to make Meg wait for us. Once we returned to the car, a couple approached us and asked if they could buy our forest pass from us, so we totally made our money back.
Oaks Park hosts a fairly large fireworks show every year, so before returning to our house we stopped by the bluff overlooking the amusement park and threw out a sleeping bag to claim our spot for the evening show. It's been a few years since I've gone to a fireworks show on the fourth, as Ian has been too young or too sleepy or too scared, but I had to go this year. It amazes me how thousands of people from the neighborhood show up and informally stage one of the largest street parties I've ever seen. After the show, Meg and Ian (Ian had to pee, so they went a different way) walked past a duplex that had caught on fire from an illegal firework that had landed in nearby brush. The boys and I, on our walk home, also ran into some guy who claimed he was from Seattle and how Sellwood reminded him of what Seattle was 20 years ago. He was just a little too friendly, and I'm glad that we were able to orient his somewhat-drunk self in the opposite direction where he was meeting up with his friends.
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