I can fly!

Weekend Getaway

We went on our first camping trip of the year two weeks ago. We considered going two nights but thought it better to start with just one. The whole idea started in my head when I found out the Oregon Trail Rally was starting on a Friday night near where I work. I figured, if we’re going to be out late anyway, why not go camping?

Friday

Gates at PIR opened at 3 pm and we got there around 4:30. The actual race wouldn’t begin until after 7 pm so we walked around and visited with the participants and watched as they made last minute adjustments.

While walking up and down the rows of cars, trailers and crew I spotted a unique last name that I recognized from a training class I went to. The last name belonged to a girl I met in Ohio and was really into racing at the time (2004). At that time she had attended some rallies but never drove or co-drove. Turns out, she now has a rally car and travels the west coast driving sideways! We spend quite a bit of time talking with her. She let Chase sit in her car.

After making a few rounds we found a shady spot (the weather was gorgeous) and relaxed until the racing began. Once it did, Chase was very interested in watching the cars. During one of the stages we stood so close we had to cover his ears whenever a car drove by. The whole event was fun for the whole family which was a relief.

At around 8:30 we started heading for the campground. We camped at Seaquest State Park in Washington about 45 miles west of Mt. Saint Helens. We were all asleep shortly after setting up our tents.

Chase slept in a tent inside a tent…

Saturday

One advantage to getting up early with Chase is you get to all the busy spots before other people have had breakfast. We ate breakfast, packed up the tent and were at the first view point at 7:45 am, and we moved pretty leisurely

First view point…

The other advantage is you get to take pictures in really good light…

We stopped at many of the viewpoints heading towards Mt Saint Helens. And also went on a few short walks. We ate our lunch near the Johnson Ridge Observatory which is at the end of HWY 504 and started our trip home shortly thereafter. We took our time getting back to Salem stopping at rest area and IKEA for at least an hour. The trip was a lot of fun and it was nice to have Sunday as a full rest day.