Out West Adventure: Part 2--on to Portland

Sat. June 8—Tue. June 11: We hadn't gotten things ready to leave the night before so it took until nearly 10:00 to get packed up, dump the gray water, and make a stop for pictures of the dunes before we returned to Hwy. 101 north. We turned off at Hwy. 126 in Florence and took it east along the Siuslaw River for a while and then up through the Coastal range for about an hour. At Eugene we got on I5 and followed it north, up the Willamette Valley, through the heart of Oregon’s agricultural area, past vineyards and orchards. Snow covered Mount Jefferson and Mount Hood loomed within sight to the east for many miles. The GPS was set to take us to a Clackamas County park on the Clackamas River called Barton Park. We found a nice secluded campsite there with water and electricity, and showers in the bathhouse for only $21 a night. It is about a half an hour from Portland and should make a nice home base for our time here. Through texting we found out that we wouldn’t be able to get together with Todd Hesse and family because of his work schedule. In nearby Damascus we found groceries and propane to fill one of the tanks and had a good phone conversation with Ken and Jen. After some more setting up at the campsite we grilled a big pork steak and sweet potato wedges to have with a marinated salad we had bought. After eating we walked down the hill to the day use part of the park and then to the river and back, well over a mile. We were unable connect to the 3G hotspot and fear that the “helpful” technician I talked to before we left had disconnected us a month early. It was too late to talk to anyone about it so we will have to deal with it first thing in the morning. 

Oregon coastal dunes remind us of home