Next stop is State finals and then Silver state in Nevada or Nationals in Wyoming. Runnin down the dream...
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Link to the Gallery - http://outcastimagery.com/p288966737
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Jeep - Just Empty Every Pocket
Link to Gallery... http://outcastimagery.com/p142548016
Over the 4th of July, Melissa and I packed up and set out to do some exploring on the central/east side of the state. We left after work on Wednesday with no real plan. Our first night we got as far as Jack Creek near the Metolious. The FS campground wasn't crowded and there was a nice creek nearby that would sing us to sleep. There is just something about hearing the rush and gurgle of a stream.
Of course we can't start out the day without a good breakfast. Fried sweet potatoes, eggs, and venison sausage!
After breakfast we hiked up to the headwaters of Jack Creek. The creek comes right out of the ground.
After our morning hike we headed further east. We decided to head to the Ochoco's, one of my favorite places. There are a few FS campgrounds around and a lot of dispersed sites as well in the area. We found a great place all alone complete with a picnic table! The area is popular during hunting season and "deer camps" make a nice place get away from the crowds.
Even had a nice little creek here as well.
This was a nice quiet place. Not a lot to do here as we were right on the border of some private land. Plenty of firewood and peace. Well....except for one thing... Mosquitoes! We had planned to stay here for another day but by noon, we met our match. With no bug spray we packed up and headed out toward John Day and the Malheur National Forest.
With a quick stop in John Day for some bug spray and to top off our propane tank we headed to toward Unity. While getting supplies we met a nice couple from the midwest with a FWC Hawk on an F-150. We had a nice conversation and it's always nice to meet another FWC owner.
Melissa remembered staying along the Burnt River in some FS campgrounds that she recalled to be lightly used. As one gets older you start to realize not everything is a good as you remembered. We found the campgrounds which now serve an OHV area. There wasn't a spot to be had anywhere. Busy was an understatement! We filed this area away in our minds for a future trip with our quads. We continued up the gravel road, beyond the campgrounds and with the aid of a an iPad and the "you need a map" app we toured the back country of the Malheur National Forest looking for a place to stay. It was a long day and finding a dispersed site proved to be rather difficult. Not many deer camps that we could find and region proved to be rather steep. We finally found a nice spot about 5 miles before hitting Highway 26 just be dark.
From here we headed back to John Day and turned south on US395 to check out some other FS campground we found using the "Ultimate Campground Project" app. To our surprise the campgrounds were relatively empty. There was nice creek with a place to wade which was welcomed with the near 100deg temperatures. Kokanee enjoyed the cool water.
From here we decided it was time to head west and get closer to home. This day would be Sunday and we still had one more day before we had to get back to reality and since the holiday weekend was over we thought we hit the Metolius near Camp Sherman for one last night. I used to camp there with my Dad when I was a kid and we'd fly fish our brains out. Some of the campgrounds were busy but we found Riverside mostly empty. We settled in for the afternoon and relaxed while most of the world was heading home.
Sure love how clear the water is.
It was a great trip with no where in particular to be and no itinerary. With the aid of some maps and an iPad, we easily found places to camp and traverse FS roads for some cross country adventure. We did a lot of driving and I didn't take as many photo's as I would of liked. The rest of the photo's for this trip can be found here... http://outcastimagery.com/p520717174
Thanks for reading,
Rich and Melissa
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We left the valley at the crack of 0800 and picked up a few rigs along the way. We got to China Hat in the early afternoon and set up camp.
We got an afternoon ride in to get a lay of the land. Nice trails and area for sure. In the morning we all saddled up and head over to east butte. Nice view...
Forest Service fire tower lookout...
Our rides...
We explored the area and put on around 100 miles for the 3 days we were there. There was still snow up at 5000 feet.
I'll have to admit I was more interested in riding that taking a lot of photo's. Most of these are cell phone pics which is pretty lame if you ask me. Our group kept a pretty fast pace so not a lot of time for gawking. Great trip with good friends as usual.
A few more photo's can be seen here... http://outcastimagery.com/p822995319
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Our first stop was a little beach at Heceta Head. The weather was fantastic...
Along the way we checked out many of the Dunes National Recreation area sites. We did some recon for future trips with our ATV's.
Umpqua Lighthouse
For this trip, the plan was to stay in state parks. While I'm not a big fan of them because of the close quarters, you can normally get some separation in the off or "discovery" season. With the short amount of daylight, having shore power to run a small heater and a laptop to watch a movie was welcomed. Watching movies isn't usually something I do while camping but when it gets dark at 1645hrs...it's something to do for a couple hours. While a FWC is a fairly small space, it's quite cozy and with a Grandby, we didn't feel claustrophobic. Our first night we'd stay Sunset Bay SP at Cape Arago. The park was busier than I expected but we were able to find a decent site. While the site was nice, noisy neighbors reinforced why I don't care to stay in them and wouldn't during the summer. One of the attractions at Cape Arago is Shore Acres SP. It's a botanical garden donated to the State years ago. For the holidays they do an outstanding light display. I had never seen it in person so I figured it would be a nice little surprise for Melissa. Of course there was prerequisite sunset shots.
We even got a chance to see the "green flash" as the sun set beyond the horizon. Pretty cool.
And to get into the holiday season...if you're into that sort of thing.
Being an early riser has it's benefits. Kokanee and I had Sunset Beach all to ourselves...well almost... Those are seals in the bay checking us out.
We bombed out of Sunset Bay soon after and headed to the actual Cape Arago and thought this would be a spectacular place for breakfast.
From here we headed south and spent some time in Bandon. The plan was to spend the night at Bullards Beach SP that night. When we did our drive though early in the afternoon we thought....uh.... no! Let's head to Cape Blanco. It's off the highway and it shouldn't be crowded at all.
We rolled in a little before sunset and my hunch was right... We picked a nice spot where with good buffers. It was a little different crowd here...one which we could relate to. We watched the sun go down, turned on the Civil War game, and made dinner by campfire light.
The next day we spent some time at Port Orford heads SP which was just down the road. As the sign reads, it's got some historical Coast Guard significance.
There is a system of short trails and there are some nice views.
Below is the former site where the lifeboats use to be kept and launched. It's quite a walk down there.
The Barracks.
We decided that Cape Blanco SP was the place to be so we stayed a second night. The weather was going to change and it did. We awoke sunday morning with wind blowing through the trees and the rain hitting the roof. It was good trip and we had great weather. Got to spend some time in areas that we hadn't previously spent any time in and enjoyed the time spent in our second home.
Our campsite at Cape Blanco.
This will probably wrap up our camping for a couple months. The to do list at home is piling up, daylight is scarce and besides, our normal weather will eventually get here...which it did.
Thanks for listening.
Rich and Melissa
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We headed north on I-5 and crossed the Columbia and headed east on SR14. I have never driven that highway and it seemed like a good way to start off instead of taking I84. So we made our way east with some stops along the way.
Looking east and at the mouth of the Deschutes.
We stopped at Stonehenge, a war memorial which was fitting given it was Veterans Day Weekend. Thank you to all those who are/have served our country.
From here we crossed back into Oregon at Biggs and headed south on 97. Oregon State Parks recently built a brand new park along the John Day river at Cottonwood Canyon. New parks don't happen to often so we headed that way to check it out for maybe a future stay. Since it's new there isn't much there so we didn't stay in the campground although there were a few folks camping.
Cottonwood Canyon State Park
We made our through Condon and Fossil. I was anticipating staying the night at the Shelton State Wayside CG which was near Rowe Ck Road which would be the back into the Painted Hills Unit. When we got to the CG, it was closed. Luckily in some of the loose planning I did, I knew if we headed toward the Painted Hills, there was a small camp along the John Day River where a lot of floaters launch so we kept on going. There were 3 other campers at the CG when we arrived and we elected to stay the night on the gravel bar right on the rivers edge.
It turned out to be a great place to stay and all of us that there were far enough apart that we felt all alone.
In the morning after breakfast we made our way to the Painted Hills. Some of the locals...
We walked and hiked every trail in the unit. It took most of the morning and into the early part of the afternoon. The texture of the soil I found interesting.
The View from Carroll Rim...
From here we had no plan. We headed through Dayville where I picked up a small can of coffee since I forgot to grind some beans before we left. I'm an admitted coffee snob but the Folgers hit the spot! It's now my official "camp" coffee. From Dayville we head out on the South Fork Road figuring since it paralleled the South Fork of the John Day finding a place to camp should be pretty easy. Well there is a lot of private property along the south fork is turns out. We kept driving and at just about dark we finally found a spot along the river. We even had some left over firewood from the hunting camp that was there before us.
This day had been pretty nice and the sky was clearing as the day wore on. How cold it would get over night left me wondering... We were cozy in the camper bed but it felt pretty chilly when we awoke at daylight. When we started to stir, Melissa's pillow had frozen to the canvas. Even the outside spigot had frozen in this hard frost.
During breakfast we decided we didn't want a full day of driving like the last 2 days. Let's get to camp around 1:00 and just relax was the suggestion and a good one at that. Looking at the map, getting to the Muary Mountains in the Ochoco's should meet our timeline.
On our way we passed the South Fork Falls.
Some more locals...
We arrived at Elkhorn CG around 1:30. First Season Elk was done and we had the little CG all to ourselves and a good supply of split-able firewood. Time to kick back, pour a rum and coke, and enjoy the nice weather and surroundings.
This night didn't get cool, in fact it was fairly warm overnight so no frozen pillows. Of course I can't give a camping report without at least one foodie...Last camping breakfast... and a possible Cablea's ad. Haha! We didn't go all out on the food for this trip and most of the dinners were made in the dark so not many photos that were worthy of posting.
It was a great trip and exactly why I've got the camper I do. We covered some ground and spent some time out in the back country on gravel roads with no real direction. For a 1.5 days of the trip we saw 6 vehicles. We saw over 50 deer, a herd of antelope, a pair of eagles, and some gorgeous landscape. Cell service was spotty most of the trip although we had 4G at Elkhorn CG...Go figure.
Oh and Kokanee seems to enjoy the wanderings as well...
Thanks for reading another chapter of what I now call my "dirt road diary". - Rich
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After a crummy Fall Chinook season and wanting to spend some time in the mountains, we got a break in the tides and headed east to a place that holds a special spot in my life. When I was kid, the Olallie Lake area was almost an annual pilgrimage. I helped build or rehab all of the campgrounds in the area growing up as a Forest Service volunteer with the now defunct Washington County Chapter of the Isaac Walton League of America. My old man and some close family friends were members and the group would spend a weekend to build (multiple weekends) or rehab campgrounds in the Mt. Hood National Forest. In exchange for our labor, we got to spend 4 days camping in a closed campground while 25 to 30 people worked on various maintenance projects in the campground our group was occupying. This is probably where my love for the outdoors and camping was nurtured. We spent the majority of the 20 some years we did this work in the Olallie Scenic Area.
I hadn't camped up here in about 12 years or so. It's about 3.5 hours from home and since it was late September, the crowds should of lightened up a bit (it's busy in the summer). I skipped out of work a little early so we could get there before dark. We made it and took advantage of the last bits of light.
Several years ago a wildfire came through the area and changed the landscape. It's one reason why I haven't been back in a while but it's still a beautiful place. With the fresh crisp air we were up early to see what the sunrise would look like....
(Mt. Jefferson in the background)
Even Kokanee was taking it all in...
Olallie Butte, the namesake of the area...
Peninsula Campground is where we stayed. There are a couple ADA accessible camp spots and a dock that's accessible. In all of the years I've never seen a wheelchair up there but have watch some spectacular thunder storms there. The wildfire came through part of this campground so some spots have more shade than others if you're so inclined to check it out.
Then it was time for dinner... buffalo steaks, bread, and beans on the fire.
The next morning (Sunday) the wind had come up so there was to be no "mirror" images of the lake. A breakfast melody was on tap and a chance to try out our new set of REI cookware. The cookware worked great!
After breakfast it was time to head home but we were going to take the scenic route via Breitenbush Lake, my favorite place up here.
A view point along the way...
While the road doesn't look too bad, there are parts that's slow going. The road from Horseshoe Lake to Breitenbsuh is less traveled and a high clearance rig is recommended. I believe it's only 8 miles but takes over an hour to make the trip. I just drop into 4lo and creep along and enjoy the scenery.
Breitenbush is located on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation so it's a bit unique that we can actually camp here. Normally camping would be prohibited but there has been an obscure agreement that leaves it open. However, over the years the situation has changed (there was always talk that the Tribe was going to close the campground) and not many people camp there any more due in part to the "rules". I understand it's Tribal land and respect that, it's just too bad a few of those rules pretty much rules out any sort of real camping trip.
There is a bit of history at this lake. It's at the entrance to the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness Area. Most people access the PCT at the parking area a quarter mile down the road (People used to stay at the campground in years past). This campground also benefited from projects built by the Civil Conservation Corps (CCC). Our group rebuilt the shelters and the bridges many years ago in an effort to save the structures but time is taking it's toll.
I can remember when we set these logs to make the bridge using a FS backhoe. The FS brough in an alaskan mill and that's how we made the decking. I remember it like it was yesterday. The pipe to the right is a spring and is some of the best natural cold water anywhere.
Breitenbush Lake...
A pano...
There is a shorter route to Breitenbush off of FS46 if you're coming from Detroit. It's 10 mile to the lake from the pavement and takes about an hour to get there (FS4220). It's a slow and narrow road. Here is one of the best spots...
We had a great trip and spent some time in a favorite place. Most of the "old timers" of the Isaac Walton League have passed away but their memory and efforts live on in a couple of plaques that commemorates the volunteer group. When the federal government decided concessionaires could do a better job, that was the nail in the coffin for the group and in my mind, an end of an era.
I guess this is how I know I'm getting old, when I'm able to tell stories about better times, great people and mentors who have passed on, and I return to a place that's still special, but not quite the same.
Thanks for reading and letting me ramble a bit.
Rich
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It was also a bumper crop for Chanterelles...
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This trip was the next weekend after our Trask Mt. trip and since we were in between fishing seasons and we wanted to used the new camper we headed out. Mill Creek is just outside of Prineville. It's not usually busy and we found that to be the case. We arrived mid day on Friday to a pretty empty campground. There was only 3 others set up.
I love the Ochoco's and the pondarosa pine forest. One of the landmarks of this area are the Pillars. Here is Steins Pillar...
The Campground is also a trailhead into the actual Mill Creek Wilderness.
Saturday morning after a good breakfast, we headed up the trail. We didn't have any real destination other than to get to a good view point.
I've been here before but since the last visit, a forest fire came through the area a few years ago. The fire changed the forest and is probably why it's not very popular.
Mill Creek
On the way back in one of the deeper holes I spotted this little guy. I'd guess he was a good 9" or so. Not bad for such a little "crick". If you look close there's another one just below him almost under the log.
We ended up hiking about 7 miles round trip. We got back to camp mid afternoon and the temperature was well into the 90's. It was time to relax, grab a solar shower, and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. One great thing about having a camper is having a fridge and the ability to make ice on the road. Nothing like a little rum and coke...
And of course dinner...
Another great trip and a couple more nights in the FWC. We're still getting used to it and slowly getting it tuned. So far the MPG's on the truck show a less than 1 MPG drop which isn't bad considering some of the trips have a lot of miles off the pavement. Can't complain about that.
We ended up taking the long was home via Prineville Res. and the Crooked River. We checked out the campgrounds at the lake and it didn't appeal to us. The south side looks better and we'll need to go back and take a look so maybe we'll bring the boat with us for an extended stay.
Lovin' the FWC and it's simplicity.
Happy trails,
The Outcast Campers
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We headed out at 0600 and headed west. There are some official campsites along the upper reaches of the Trask River so I thought we'd check those out just to see how busy the are was... they were all full as I figured so off into the boondocks we went. This area is all logging type roads that are single lane and twisting and winding as they follow the contours of the land. There are quite a few clear cuts as this area is actively logged so I figure we'd head up to gain some elevation and try to get a room with a view.
This landing was at 2600ft and had just been cleaned up although the area was clear cut a couple years ago. The good thing about being up here is firewood is everywhere. This part of Oregon so far, is not under any campfire restrictions, just a precaution level which means you need to carry a shovel, ax, and water (which I always do anyway). The area behind me in the above photo had a great backstop for shooting so we were set. 10 minutes and camp is set up. (I love my FWC!)
Our view from right to left...
The day was capped with a nice dinner which included fireside grilled salmon and a few adult beverages. If possible I'd rather cook over an open fire than light up the little Weber gas bbq.
Thoughout the day I spent some time walking around and glassing for deer and elk. As dusk approached I started glassing again and spotted a couple of does feeding below us. I ranged them at 212yds. A little while later we could hear some limbs snapping and spotted a nice herd of elk. No bulls that I saw but several of the cows had nursing calf's. Ranged them to be 498yds from us. Sorry no photo's of these. Turned out to be a pretty great spot to camp.
Our sunset...
It's hard to see but we had an onshore flow last night as our heat wave has since passed so as the sun set, we could see the fog slipping its way inland and filling the valleys below. Did we have enough elevation to wake up above the clouds or would we be socked in the pea soup?
Pea soup it is... The fog was thick and didn't burn off until about 1100 or so. It was nothing a fire and a good breakfast couldn't take care of. All of this just 45 miles from home. While the Oregon coast range is not grandiose like other spectacular parts of the country, it's really what Oregon is all about and why I love it here. We were all alone, had a great trip, and that's what counted.
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The photo's are a mishmash of some of the wandering's we did and from just hanging out in our condo. We took a day and wondered around the northern end of the island doing the full circle. That day was where we saw the Dragon's Teeth, the blowhole, pick up the best banana bread in the world at Julia's, and checked out the gallery at Kaukini. We spent a day in Kiehi and quite a bit of time in Lahina since we were just up the road in Ka'alapali. One thing that is striking is that while the island is pretty small, it has every imaginable climate...desert to jungle. We sun bathed, swam, and snorkeled. Even had turtles right off our beach.
A really great trip and a place I'd like to spend some more time. I had heard how expensive it was to live there but after a few days I didn't really think is was that bad. It's a different lifestyle but one I think I could get used to at some point. Hope to be back soon. Mahalo!
Incredible sunsets and spectacular scenery.
Some of the Scenery....
Please check out the gallery...
http://outcastimagery.com/p520370194
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More photo's are in the gallery....
http://outcastimagery.com/p67526760
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But, the rain didn't keep us from having fun and enjoying the scenery...
Below is a video compliation of the trip... Good times and good friends...
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One day at a local shopping mall I saw what looked like a new FWC in the parking lot and I pulled up along side and was looking it over. The owner came out of the store and we got to talking and he gave me the tour of his new Hawk. I mentioned I was looking at getting one next year when he said he had a "Grandby", the 8' model for sale down at the factory in Woodland, CA. Too bad it was 550 miles away when it used to live about a mile from me. We cut a deal and at 9 pm on Weds the 24th, we headed south to pick it up. We arrived at the FWC factory at 6 am on the 25th. By noon we were on our way home. Of course with this type of camper, adventure is what it's made for so our return trip home would be to head west from Woodland to Bodega Bay and then north along Hwy 1 to home. After being up for over 40 hours, we settled in at Doran Beach CG. 
Remember we just picked this thing up and wasn't even sure everything worked. It was bought sight unseen...we only had the word of the owner and a sales guy who had sent me a few photo's to show it's condition. We loaded the back seat with things we thought we needed. What we didn't have or forgot, we bought along the way. We forgot a lot of the little stuff. Bodega bay is a beautiful bay.
Just walking down the beach and here is a razor clam "showing". Anyone that digs razors can only dream of seeing them like this...
Talk about a flat bar... I can only dream about fishing an ocean this flat...
From here we headed north along Hwy 1 to Mendocino and Fort Bragg.
Usal Beach was our next stop. There were a few people there who were tent camping in the CG. A few locals were around fishing for smelt which haven't been in the area for 40 years according to them. There was a lone picnic table at the edge of the beach and that looked as good as any place to call home for the night.
Not much better than falling asleep to the should have waves on the beach. One thing about getting off the beaten path... there is not much in the way of "facilities". It seems the budget crunch is all over...
Some of the locals...
By this time it was Friday night and I had hopes of getting to Shelter Cove and beyond via Usal Road but time wasn't on our side. The Lost Coast will have to wait for another trip. We headed back to Hwy 1 to make up some time so we could be near Brookings buy Saturday night. We stopped at Trinidad, Gold Bluffs, the Redwoods and Crescent City as we headed north.
Fern Canyon.
Gold Bluff beach.
The Redwoods...The Big tree
Must be more budget cuts....now we just get a photo of the sign that use to be there.... 
Crescent City where the weather turned sunny and warm instead of the gray we had been in for most of the trip along the coast.
Finally we made it to Brookings and Harris Beach State CG. We found a nice quiet tent spot in the back. Who needs hook ups... It was good to be "home" where camping seemed a little cheaper and the showers were free.
We managed to catch a nice sunset which was a good way to mark our last night of the trip....
Harris beach in the early morning...
A great trip in a "new to us" camper which exceeded our expectations. We're looking forward to many more adventures to out of the way places for many years to come.
A big thank you to Stan and all of the folks at FWC for building a great product and providing some of the best customer service there is.
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There are several photo's of the New 2013 Ocean Alexander 120. It's a new boat built at Christiansen Marine in Vancouver. It's a"Mega Yacht" and sells for $19.9M. The boat was out there almost everyday we were on the river doing demo rides. She takes boating to a whole different level.
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Link to the Gallery.... http://outcastimagery.com/p446755166
]]>Here is the link to the gallery... http://outcastimagery.com/p677479979
Anyway here is a small preview ....
The Needles...
The arches...
Balancing rock...
