Pink House campground and Nez Perce battlefields

Leaving the  Missoula area and moving west into Idaho we made a  one-night stopover in the Wilderness Gateway campground, located on the Lochsa River (pronounced "Lock-saw").

The campground was practically empty, so we had a nice, quiet afternoon enjoying the dense forest around us. My goodness but this is good bear country! There were ripe salmon berries, service berries,

and other delectable items all through the campground.

This area is rich in history. The Nez Perce roamed this area for generations, and the Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled the Lolo Trail, which flows through the Lochsa Gorge.

There are historic signboards at pull-outs all along the highway, and when we stopped at the Lolo Pass Visitor's Center we were given a set of CD's with historic information to listen to along the road. Per instructions, we turned them in to another visitor center when we reached the next area. I took a little time to admire a quilt they center had hanging in a little room off to the side. It was a cooperative effort, constructed by several quilt guilds in the state.

One of the first historic stops along the highway featured this replica emplacement, used (unsuccessfully) by Army soldiers to protect themselves from Nez Perce bullets. It might have been a useful idea in different terrain. Here, the Indians simply climbed the hills on the opposite side of the canyon and fired down on the soldiers. The Nez Perce leader, Looking  Glass, thought the whole idea was rather amusing and dubbed them "soldier corrals". The whole endeavor was so ineffective that residents began calling the area "Fort Fizzle". It's still known by that name on maps today.


The Pink House campground, Orfino, Idaho, was our next stop, and home for five days. It was an accidental discovery, as we were actually headed to a place a few miles further on down the road. Steve spied the sign "Pink House Recreation Area" and pulled in to check it out, and we decided to stay!What a funny name for a  boating, fishing and camping area!

Though there's no pink house in site now, there once was. Charles and June McCollister lived here and she, being an artist decided the area needed some color, so they painted the house PINK. 

View of the Clearwater river from our site

Fishermen floating the river saw the pink house (and the shed painted to match) and began calling the nearby fishing hole "the Pink House Hole." It was so well known in the area that when the BLM established the recreation site, and the campground, the name Pink House was used.

The house was burned by vandals many years ago so there's no sign of it now, but the campground is wonderful. Jim, the host, keeps everything in tip-top shape shape, and knows the area well so he can offer tips on any services needed. We were lucky enough to arrive early so most spaces were empty and we grabbed #12, right on the river. We enjoyed the view, and the peace and quiet, so much that we stayed five days. That hasn't happened in awhile!

The dogs-on-leash rule is enforced, but there's a vacant lot adjacent to the campground, and river access out of the park boundaries, and Jim (the host) taught Shiner how to battle the rain-birds, so she had plenty of fun too!

It's a good location for exploring more of the Nez Pierce history. We took a day to drive the historic loop, east on hwy. 12 to the first stop on the loop, Canoe Camp, then dipping south to Grangeville, then back north on hwy 95 and then east, back to camp. This route includes not only Lewis and Clark related historic sites, but many of the locations so important in the Nez Perce War.

Another stop along the highway provides a dramatic overlook of the valley where the  Battle of White Bird took place.

White Bird battlefield

A little further on the loop drive, located on the banks of the Clearwater River south of Kamiah, you can see the Heart of the Monster. This formation is the legendary birthplace of the Nez Perce Tribe, where Coyote defeated a monster and, in turn, created the Nez Perce people.

Nearing the end of the loop is the  Nez Perce Historical Park Visitor's Center . The center has an amazing collection of artifacts - beaded clothing, weapons, jewelry, and other items. Displays and a short movie enhance a visitor's understanding of the tribe's history and struggles. We have actually been following the Nez Perce Historic Trail in reverse, as we started from the east, near the middle of the trail. The tribe lived here, in Idaho and Oregon, and when the conflict began, it was here the battles began, so the visitor's center marks the actual beginning of the events that led to the tribe's eventual banishment from their homelands. The remaining part of the Nez Perce Trail runs up through Yellowstone and Montana, s we'll visit those areas on another trip.

There are many layers of history here. Additional historic signboards along the way have information on more recent events in the area, including railroad development. The hillside are peppered with huge trestles and tunnels, all necessary to lay tracks in this hilly country.

Logging was also a major industry in the area. Many of the older pieces of equipment can still be seen, parked in empty fields, and some still in use. One afternoon we heard what we thought was an old steam driven locomotive in the afternoons, and it turned out it was a steam powered tractor! Charles McCollister's daughter helped him publish memories and photographs of the area's logging history before his death in 2011. A brief article about their project ran in a local paper.

Pink House Campground is a good location for regrouping before moving on either east or west. There are services close at hand in Orofino, including groceries, hardware and anything else one might need. We spent the last day doing just that - shopping for groceries, bits of hardware, hitting a couple of quilt shops (of course!) and catching up on household chores.

There are a few more photos in the album. 

We'll be continuing to creep west. No telling where we'll light next!

The Nez Perce Trail

July 20-21 May Creek Campground, near Wisdom, Montana.

This is the closest campground to the Big Hole National Battlefield, a part of the Nez Perce National Historical Park.  We stayed two nights, so we could devote a full day to visiting the park's Visitor's Center, and the area in general.

Following our visit to Utah our travels have been organized according to the history of the Nez Perce trail. Steve had recently finished reading The Last Indian War: The Nez Perce Story (Elliott West) and was so impressed by struggles of the tribe, the overall importance to history of the Northwest and the country as a whole, that we decided to base part of our trip on the trail they followed as the government pushed them first one way and then another in an attempt to confiscate their land.

The teepee poles are in the exact center of the photo, on the light green area

The visitor's center has new displays, installed only a year ago, that are beautifully fabricated to convey the critical concepts of the events that took place here in a minimal amount of space. Having just read the history of this horrific battle, which left 90 Nez Perce and 31 soldiers and volunteers dead, it was hard to view battlefield. Teepee poles are in place where the village once was, making it easy to picture the situation at the time of the battle. But those of us who have not been in a war cannot imagine what it was like for the Nez Perce, but also for the soldiers. This is history we should not forget.

We're doing the "trail" from the middle out, as a result of scheduling commitments, but the history and the impact are felt none-the-less. The history of the subjugation of the Nez Perce is too involved to do justice in this blog, so I'll include a few links for those who chose to delve further into the subject. I will say, West's book, mentioned above is excellent: very readable, and West does not tell the story from only one side... he reports facts as they were documented. It's difficult to ready history without putting today's value judgements on it, but West does his best not to reflect today's political and social values in his writing, leaving it to the reader to draw their own conclusions. It was a hard time, for all involved. Could there have been better solutions? Probably. Unfortunately, as with all political and military actions, humans are involved and therefore decisions made and actions taken were imperfect.

Having lived in the northwest for 30 years, and being fairly well informed students of American history, we often find ourselves saying "I didn't know that", and are repeatedly reminded of how much of our history has been buried. Never taught in school, never mentioned. Unless you go looking for it and inform yourself, and your children, you'd never know any of this happened. That is why history repeats itself. We can't learn from it if we aren't exposed to it.

We, unlike those whose history we are here to learn, could retreat to the comfort of our campsite - a wooded haven, with a creek running nearby. Shiner and I indulged in a lengthy walk along the creek for each of the two days we stayed at May Creek.

A sad note on the forests in the area of Wisdom: the bug kill here is terrible. Another camper said they didn't see any damage last year, but we estimate about 30% or more now. Don't be surprised to hear of huge wildfires in this part of Montana in the future. On one of our walks one day the sky darkened with a weird peachy gray tone that means fire in the distance. It turned out to be over the Idaho border, so no immediate danger to us, but it was very creepy to be surrounded by so many dead trees and see smoke that color.

I do think this was one of Shiner's favorite campsites so far! She really had a good time visiting with fellow campers too, especially Bill and Jack, who seem to be fairly accomplished fishermen. They seemed to know exactly where to scritch her her ears to make her happy....or maybe it was fish perfume?

Jack with a German Brown

Following the Nez Perce trail further west (in reverse of the way it originated) we'll be going to the Missoula, Montana area next. If you can't travel to the Nez Perce sites the National Parks Service has made a virtual museum available on park website. There are some great photos of the items and each has a detailed description.

After touring the visitor's center we went into the little near-by town of Wisdom. Originally named for the near-by river, before they changed the name of the river to Big Hole River.

Wisdom's population isn't much over 100, but I suspect there are a lot of weekenders represented by all the buildings with antenna and other signs of activity.

Newer and older, shoulder to shoulder

There are a lot of really old wooden structures, lending the feel of a ghost town, but a still-active church, a couple of saloons, a small grocery store keep it alive. An interesting place to visit on the way to the battlefield.

Aug 4-5 Forts along the Missouri River

Aug. 4
When you've grown up on the west coast, as we have, you don't think too much about commerce on the rivers. Here on the plains, surrounded by evidence of how important the Missouri river was to the westward movement, it is clear that river traffic and in later years the railroad, were essential to the development of towns and industry.

Where the boats could dock, towns sprung up, and later, any railroad stop, even if it was just a water stop in the days of steam engines, a little settlement would be

established.  Now, the river boats are done, trains no longer need water for their boilers, so along the river and the tracks we see many of those little settlements long abandoned.

This section of the Missouri was particularly critical is it was the end of the navigable section so supplies had to be off loaded and moved from the boats to another form of transportation. That lead to the formation of the settlement of the area.

Forts too, were established along those routes. Most were military forts, for the protection of westward moving citizens from the east, but many of the so-called forts were really commercial enterprises. The term "fort" in the historical sense means a trading post, and of course, as it had walls, warmth and food would have also been a refuge in time of need.

Leaving Great Falls, heading toward Havre (pronounced Hay-ver), we stopped to visit the Upper Missouri Breaks National Monument visitor center. A short movie highlighted the importance of this river in the development of the west, touching on Lewis and Clark, the westward movement in general, the unique geology of the area, and the modes of travel necessitated by the river's character and the terrain. We don't think much about riverboats these days, but they were pretty essential at the time, as the river was very shallow in several places. A new riverboat design, with very little draft, had to be invented, which reminds me of the jet boats that now operate on the Rogue river in Oregon.

We spent the night at a great little campground on Fresno Reservoir, just a bit west of Havre. It's operated by the local chapter of Walleyes Unlimited (a walleye is a fish, for the uninitiated!)

Great, friendly folks. The campground asks for donations, but there's no set fee. We enjoyed visiting with the other campers and the hosts, and the doggies enjoyed a bit of freedom to play in the water.

Aug 5 - Friday
We pulled up stakes and headed east, still on hwy. 2. Our first stop was  Fort Benton , which bills itself as the "birthplace of Montana."

The actual fort is right in the center of town and surrounded by park area. It's restored and open for visitors.



In the middle of town, a block from the fort, next to the bridge, is this statue. It's titled "Rider of the Purple Sage".

It was donated to the town by the actor George Montgomery, who starred in many western movies.
He actually created it, as we was not only an actor but a sculptor and furniture maker, and a Montana native.


The museum in Fort Benton is a delightful blend of relics, memorabilia and historic items of all kinds that local people, and those with past connections to the area, have donated.

They are artfully displayed, and the topics range from the Indian wars to domestic issues like clothing and household goods. One of their prize items is the rifle Chief Joseph relinquished when he surrendered to the Army in 1877. Definitely worth a visit, and admission is free.

From town we followed signs to the Bear Paw Battlefield. This is the site of the last battle of the four month long Nez Perce War of 1877. The battlefield is part of the Nez Perce National Historic Park and the Nez Perce National Historic Trail.

We followed much of this trail in 2013 (in reverse order, due to where we started. You can read those posts here.) The trail follows the path of Chief Joseph and his band as they were driven from the Wallowa Mountains in eastern Oregon. Chief Joseph was an excellent tactician, and he outwitted the US Army at every turn, but in the long run, at the time of this final battle in the fall, the women, children and elders of his band were suffering.

This battle took place at the end of September, when snow had already come to this region. Looking and the windswept prairie, one can see there is little shelter available. With no food, no shelter, and little clothing, there was no way they could hold out any longer.

Chief Joseph sent most of his band north, to Canada, where they joined other tribes in safety, while he stayed here with the remainder and surrendered. They were all sent to Oklahoma, and were allowed to be "free" as long as they never went to Idaho or Oregon again.

The trail at the battlefield site is well marked with notations of events at each location, including survey tags marking the sites where several individuals perished.

At these sites one finds offerings made by Native Americans, who often visit as they consider this a sacred place. The offerings range from toys to favored items and "sweet grass".

The site has several memorials, all with historical information, and names important in the history of the battle.


Home for the night was an absolutely delightful, "free range" camping area on the shores of Nelson Reservoir, near Malta. It's a "pack it in, pack it out", low maintenance kind of camping area.

Drive up and pick a spot.... so we did. Very few neighbors, and the few that were there were spread out, and quiet.  The dogs enjoyed the water, and we enjoyed the view.

There were plenty of birds to watch - pelicans and seagulls primarily.

The water level must have dropped considerably in recent days, as there were clams of all sizes sticking out of the sand, as if they'd suddenly been left high and dry.

Leaving the campground we stopped at the Sleeping Buffalo, a historic stone placed near the road in the settlement of Saco.

The buffalo stone has incised markings that resemble the ribs, spine, and nostrils. This stone, and others like it, often were mistaken for real buffalo on the plains, and were believed to have moved on occasion. Similar stories exist regarding powerful stones in England.

The smaller, buffalo stone, is accompanied by a larger medicine stone. It is covered with symbols of all kinds, and visitors often leave offerings at both these powerful stones.

The Buffalo stone

Offerings left on the medicine stone, with carved symbols

LaGrande and Wallowa State Park

June 29-30  La Grande, Oregon

A prosperous looking little town, La Grande has a long history. The first permanent settler was in 1861. There's been a lot of history here since then. The influence of cattle ranching is seen in the really wide streets - nice if you're towing or driving a big RV!

Grande Hot Springs RV park is home base - a new name for the park we stayed in last time. They've added a few new features since we were here last, including an additional laundry facility.
Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area is right across the road, and there's a canal running across the back side of the RV park, so it's a good location for bird watchers.

This is another of those quick stops, laundry, shopping, any needed repairs, and then on to four days at Wallowa State Park.

I could only identify one quilt shop in town, so paid them a brief visit when we ran a couple of errands. The shop in is the older downtown part of LaGrand, and while we weren't really in the market for shopping or browsing at the moment, there are a lot of attractive little specialty shops in the area. The La Grande Quilt Shop has a nice range of fabrics, but my space is limited so I only picked up a few interesting fat quarters.


We visited LaGrande in 2011 for trailer a trailer repair, as the Arctic Fox factory is here. We had no major repairs needed this time, but did develop a problem.

One afternoon we noticed we had no water on the hot water side of all the faucets. A bit of research and a lot of crawling around in tight spaces revealed the problem. It was Sunday, of course, so no parts were available, but as it turns out, we don't really need to replaced the valve. It's unnecessary unless you are planning to use antifreeze in winterizing the water system, which we never do. Problem solved!

Not much has changed in the area since our last visit except the name changes. Our comments on the interesting features of the hotel (now called Hot Springs Lake B&B) and the RV park (now called Grande Hot Springs RV Park) at that came are in this post.


July 31- August 3    Wallowa Lake State Park

They call the Wallowa Mountains the Little Alps, and you can see why.

First views of the mountain range from the highway are breathtaking, and in spite of the hot weather there are still little patches of snow here and there on the mountain peaks.

Steve has had Wallowa Lake State Park on his bucket list for a long time, and we finally made it! . . and it was a close call! When making reservations months ago he found it was already booked up, but put his name on the wait list. A short time before we left Texas he received an email message saying they'd had a cancellation, so he snapped it up.

Considering we had no choice in the matter, we got lucky and really have a great site. It's on an end, so our sitting area is much more spacious than most, and we are only a few steps from the entrance to the nature trail, which is handy for the dogs.

This park is huge ( 209 sites) , and very densely populated ..... the complete opposite of Clyde Holiday.

They've done a great job of working in around huge fir trees though, so there's a lot of shade.

We've never seen such a busy campground! All day and into the evening people there are wandering around, adults talking in groups, kids riding bikes (we've seen some pretty amazing bike helmets), young parents chasing their toddlers, people walking dogs (it seems everyone has at least one dog) and two enterprising young men made several firewood deliveries, pushing the little firewood carts while riding their skateboards. Now THAT was entertaining!

The park has a small but adequate off-leash dog area down by the marina, and it works well for the evening ball games. We also went swimming at one of the day use boat ramp areas. Otherwise, life is fairly restricted for the canine set.

Views of this beautiful lake can be had from the highway and the shore, but the campground isn't really situated in a way to afford that kind of scenery. This is where a boat would be handy, but we've given up hauling our canoes. We enjoyed several short excursions around the park to explore the little trails and views of the lake, and to play ball with the pups of course!


The little town of Joseph is just north of the state park, and the closest place for groceries and other services. Joseph is a beautiful town with a long history. It was established as far back as 1883. Originally a ranching and logging community, the town has now evolved into an art colony and tourism center. Summer visitors come for the beautiful views, fall visitors for the hunting, and winter for the snow sports. If you want to shop the galleries gift shops and eateries, you can do that year round too. And of course, there's a quilt shop!

Cattle Country Quilts didn't disappoint. They have some wonderful fabrics that really fit with the themes of the area. I couldn't resist a winter themed piece, and a license plate of course!

We stopped in to the local museum and chatted with their docents who are well versed in the history and family names. They can fill you in on all the artifacts displayed there, as well as Nez Perce tribe history, and anything else you want to know about the area.

Main street is an art walk every day, featuring several bronzes from local artists, cast in the city's foundry. We had lunch in an outdoor restaurant and really enjoyed the views.

The photo album includes larger versions of each sculpture

We also stopped at Old Chief Joseph's cemetery on the way back to camp. There's so much to do and explore here it's hard to fit it all in.

Wednesday we took the Wallowa Mountain Loop to the Hells Canyon Overlook

Photos of these huge mountains and steep valleys covered with trees just wouldn't convey the real message, so I didn't even try. What we did notice as unusual was the extremely tall snags standing far above the obviously younger, and very dense, fir trees.

Checking later I found this is the result of the Canal Fire, where a lightning-caused fire burned 23,000 acres in 1989. The younger trees (28 years since the fire) are so dense that they really need to be thinned, and there are discussions about how to go about that now.

We really enjoyed the drive to Hells Canyon Overlook. It's another one of those amazing, overwhelming scenic views. It's so large it's difficult to convey, a little like the Grand Canyon, and the smoke from forest fires was beginning to creep in.

We really enjoyed the drive, stopping along the way to admire several of the creeks that crisscross the road, visiting the fish weir, and stopping for lunch at a small fishing pond. The dogs seem to enjoy the scenery from the truck as well as getting out to explore each time we stop.

On our last day we drove north to the town of Wallowa to visit the Nez Perce Homeland Interpretive Center. The project office is in an unpretentious little building directly across from the post office, and we almost missed it. The displays aren't extensive, but there are some beautiful artifacts, excellent maps and explanatory displays, and the office is staffed by an enthusiastic and very knowledgeable young woman. The office will provide you with a brochure that includes a map to the nearby Homelands project, where you can walk a trail with interpretive markers along the Wallowa River, visit the dance arbor and longhouse, and enjoy some very special views of the Nez Perce homelands.

We've followed the Nez Perce trail in bits and pieces, starting at the end and now, we've worked our way to the beginning, so we've completed the route. If you are interested in Native American history this is a worthwhile side trip.

On the way back to camp we stopped in to take a look at Wallowa Lake Lodge, which is located right before the entrance to the campground. The lodge was built in 1923, and was really thriving when our daughter's choir performed there (many years ago!) but apparently was about to go under when a small group of investors gathered together to rescue it in 2015. It would have been so sad to see the lodge close. It's a wonderful example of the classic lodge style, beautifully maintained, and exemplifies the gracious feel of the older park lodges throughout the west.

Reception area and main lounge

I said at the beginning the views of the mountains here are amazing, and they really are. Unfortunately, fires in the area began pushing smoke in, and by our third day the mountains were barely visible. I'm glad I didn't wait to take photos. This was taken the morning of the third day, and the smoke got progressively worse. 

Smoke over Wallowa Lake

We really enjoyed our time here, but now we're packing up and heading for a few days in Utah!

Photo Album here 

Whitman Mission and Plymouth, Washington

Heading west, toward the great Columbia River, we stopped at the historic Whitman Mission, which also figures into the Nez Perce history we've been following.

The Whitmans were among the very first white settlers in the Oregon Territory, settling between Mill Creek and the Walla Walla river, in Washington. Their mission was established in 1836-7, and soon was seen by the local Cayuse, Nez Perce and other tribes as a positive and helpful resource.

Historic painting of the mission

The local Native Americans were so impressed by the tools, conveniences, and skills the pioneers possessed they wanted these same things for themselves. Thinking the "power" they were witnessing came as a result of the settlers' religious beliefs, they asked to learn about Christianity. This new power would be something they could add to what they already knew and believed spiritually.

Things went well for a time, but the missionaries could not understand or adapt their teachings to the seasonal life-style the Cayuse had followed for generations - hunting here, gathering there, then moving somewhere else to fish. It was the only way people could survive in this climate, but the missionaries wanted them in church on Sunday. They wanted the people to quickly adopt white habits, clothing, and mannerisms.

The missionaries began insisting they change their ways and become farmers. When the people realized this new "religion" was going to require not only changing how they lived, but giving up their prior beliefs they became somewhat disenchanted - to say the least - and they began drifting away from the mission.

In 1847 a measles epidemic hit the area. Though many white settlers, especially children, were effected, Whitman (a doctor) was able to save most of them. Lacking the natural resistance the people of European ancestry had, almost all of the Cayuse who were infected died. The tribe blamed the missionaries for the disease, and soon rose up and killed the Whitmans and several other settlers at the mission.

Now all that remains of the mission are a few artifacts and stone outlines of the original building foundations. The walking trail through the original mission site has signboards to assist the visitor in visualizing how the mission was built, where the gardens were, etc. So much history here! And, what a lesson in how two cultures can think they understand each other, but are actually working at cross-purposes, and each looking for different outcomes.

Home for the next few days (July 31-Aug 4) is Plymouth Park, in the tiny town of Plymouth, Oregon. The town was named for a huge boulder that reminded the original residents of the original "Plymouth Rock", so they say anyway. It's not visible now - 'probably was covered with water when they created the dam.

This is the most park-like campground we've ever stayed in! Plymouth Park is a Corp of Engineers park on the Columbia River, and there's apparently no shortage of water for irrigation. Truly an emerald oasis, the park is surrounded by giant sagebrush and tawny grasses, all leading down to the steep banks of the Columbia.

The 32 campsites are all distributed along one road, spaced fairly generously, and each has a deep "lawn", leading to the river edge, as well as a large graveled area. Though there are no shrubs between sites, and therefore less privacy than some, we still don't feel crowded. There are a lot of mature trees scattered through out the park, so it's cool and shady most of the day. Many sites are full service, others have only water and electric. Most sites can be reserved, but two are held for first-come-first-served occupancy.

There's also a boat ramp just a short distance away from the campground. Shiner enjoyed swimming there during the week, when there weren't any boaters putting in and out. She also made a lot of new friends here. One of the hosts practically adopted her, and we met a couple who live locally who made here very welcome in their camp (he's a fellow Texan!) In spite of being right on the water the "bugs" weren't a problem at all. It helps that the sites are set back from the edge of the river. The best part, with a senior pass the price is only $11 a night!

We took an afternoon to go into Umatilla for groceries and were met by a giant John Wayne greeting us at the entrance to the parking lot. I'm not sure what his connection to the area is, but he is eye-catching! Hermiston, famous for it's melons and other produce, is nearby, and the market stocks a lot of local produce so we stocked up. Yummm, best melons and peaches we've had in a long time!

Just across the river from the campground is McNary Dam, in Umatilla, Oregon. The dam visitor center was another afternoon's entertainment. The center has some very nicely done educational displays, and there are a lot of opportunities to see the various stages of managing the salmon runs.

The fish ladder, the sorting tanks, are all included in a self-guided tour, and we finally got an explanation for the occasional "fireworks" sounding booms we'd been hearing from the campground. It's a method used to keep birds away from the young fish!

Another shopping day, which of course included a couple of quilt shops,and after the fabric shopping we stopped for lunch at Nookies Bistro & Spirits which is now the home of the Hermiston Brewing Company. 
It's a comfortable place to relax, plenty of tables and bar seats, and enough neon signs and artfully arranged collectables to provide the visual entertainment. The restaurant has been there for eight years, but the brewing component just started up in early July. 13 beers on tap - hard to beat, and they make a darn good burger too!

Barton Park and Champoeg State Park, Oregon

We have to work ourselves into the urban environment slowly, so as to not cause too much of a shock to the system, so when approaching the Portland area we took even smaller steps than usual.

First, a couple of nights at Barton Park, east of Oregon City, on hwy. 224. This is a Clackamas County park. The park has 102 sites in addition to day use facilities and lots of parking for river access. Everything is very nicely maintained, though they've left quite a bit of unmowed area around the little ponds. That works out well for the wildlife.

The ponds are a bit swampy  covered with algae and duckweed they look greener than the grassy areas, but they do attract the wildlife. Our first evening in the campground a big fat beaver waddled up out of the creek, across the grass and down into the pond. Shiner stared in amazement as she didn't quite know what to think of the critter.

This park was a unique experience, as we don't often stay in such an urban environment. Most of the campers live within an hour's drive from the park. They just wanted to "get away for the weekend", and often come in two and three family groups.

The evening had a happy sound, as children rode their bikes and skateboards, played volleyball and other games, and the adults visited and played horseshoes.

Beautiful weather added to the enjoyment, as did the colorful sunset. The second evening we had a bit of rain, and a full rainbow....at 8:15 in the evening! That doesn't happen often!

Moving west, to the middle of the Willamette Valley, we stayed at Champoeg State Park, convenient for our friend Grayce to drive down from Portland for a visit, and for us to drive up there for a great BBQ.

We've used Champoeg before as a base for the Portland area. We stayed here in 2010, right after I retired. Here's the album from that trip.

It's a great place for us, as there are plenty of places to walk Shiner, and the park has a fascinating history. We even found a Nez Perce connection here, with the trail-side grave marker of Kitty Newell, the Native American wife of one of the pioneers who settled here.

Trails wander among markers indicating the location of various buildings before they were all lost to flooding, and the volunteers do a marvelous job of maintaining the historic kitchen gardens around the visitor center, as well as sharing their knowledge of the history of the time. The gift shop is stocked with a variety of hand made and history related items, especially books. They had some great northwest related children's books, and the gardeners have made available packaged seed from heirloom varieties grown in the garden here.

We had a great time visiting with Grayce and the family, first, a back yard bbq at Grayce's house, and then an afternoon out at the campground.

Now we head back to eastern Oregon, to  Ochoco Forest Camp, for Tailgate Training Camp. We'll be out of touch, electronically speaking, for awhile as it's a fairly remote area.