Summer of Fun...2018

It's official...I am retired! Part of me is really excited to begin this new chapter of my life and part of me is a little sad. I've been working in a middle school the last 15 years or so of my working career and have made some really wonderful friends. I will NOT miss that alarm going off every morning at 6:00 a.m.! Rich will be retiring soon also and we hope to do a little traveling and more camping (we tent camp) and kayaking some new places.

I'm calling this the summer of fun because we have done a lot both at home and short trips around the state.

First trip of Summer was yurt camping at Tumalo State Park  Here's a link to the official park guide.  https://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPubs&parkId=34



We took a drive up Tumalo Reservoir Road. It turns into a bumpy road with a great view. No kayaking this trip, we had Buddy Dog with us.

Camping at Tumalo is always great fun, it's close to Bend for dining and shopping and close to the great outdoors!

Things you should know about camping at Tumalo:

• Always make a reservation before going. This place is usually full during the summer.
• Along with that, when the campground is full that means lots of people. If your idea of a good campsite is quiet solitude you might want to rethink camping here! There are some quieter campsites down along the river. We don't usually mind because we are busy in town or the mountains, it's just a place to sleep.

Lava Lake, Little Lava Lake and Tumalo State Campground

Lava Lake--July 2013

This week we did some camping and kayaking in the Bend, Oregon area. We had a great time camping at Tumalo State Park, then kayaking at Lava Lake--(See Cascade Lakes Highway Map). Beautiful scenery and beautiful weather in one of our favorite places to play! If you take a look at this map you can see there are lots of lakes to visit. In the past we have kayaked at Sparks Lake and Hossmer Lake, this trip we decided to try something new and floated Lava Lake which is about an hour drive time from Tumalo. 

Lava Lake has a lodge with private boat dock, Forest Service Campground with a boat launch area. Most folks there were fishing and using small motor boats but there were a few of us paddlers on the lake. It's a good idea to keep an eye on the weather, when we started out there was no wind, but by noon the breeze kicked up and the lake got really choppy very fast.

We saw some cool wildlife while we were out on the lake...mama deer and 2 fawns, cormorants (big black duck-like birds), herons, and a pair of bald eagles. Funny story about the heron...Rich was paddling up along the reeds trying to be quiet so he could take pictures of the eagles and out flew this giant heron squawking and croaking their weird noise. Scared the be-jebers out of us! Have you ever heard a heron? 

Little Lava Lake -- We didn't kayak there this trip, but it looks really nice. It is much smaller than the other lake but it has the advantage of having beautiful beaches. It was would a really nice place to just go hang out for the day. Take a picnic lunch, some folding chairs and a beach towel and make it a party! There is a small Forest Service Campground there if you want to camp.

Something else I should mention is that these high lake areas all require a Day Use Permit...you can pay $5 a visit or if you are a frequent visitor you can buy a year long permit at a Forest Service office. I think it's $30 for the year. 

Tumalo State Park -- I always call camping at Tumalo "urban camping". It's very close to Bend, and there's lots to do and see in Bend. Usually we bring our own camp food for morning breakfast then have a big lunch/dinner in town. This week when we went we hit the outlet mall, wandered the downtown area shops, walked the Mill District (which is an upscale shopping area), ate a meal at the Deshutes Brew Pub downtown, and the next day we went to a movie at McMenamin's Brew Pub and celebrated with a Happy Hour Burger. It was great fun and a bargain...movie (Ironman 3) was $3 a head, cheeseburgers were $6 and Rich's beer was $2.50. What a deal!

The campground itself is much like all the Oregon State Campgrounds, sites are close together, but restrooms are nice and the showers here are solar heated and the water is nice and hot! The Deshutes River is right across the road and the park area there has a swimming hole. There are a few yurts (reserve early!), trailer and tent sites. Do not count on just driving in and finding an open site! During the summer this place is maxed out every day...make reservations online ahead of time. This time I made reservations a week in advance and was able to get in, but sooner is better.

Lava Lake--View of South Sister

Fish Lake

Fish Lake 6/4/2013 

Last summer Rich and I discovered a really nice float called Fish Lake, located on Highway 126 near where it connects to Highway 20. There are some old buildings back in there that look interesting, here's a link with some historical information on the area. One of the interesting things about this lake is that it totally drys up during the summer, so if you want to see it check it out in late spring or early June. This year we went in mid-June and it was starting to disappear...some areas you could not reach because the water was too low.

There is a nice parking area, some trails to wander, a few picnic tables and a view! There is no boat ramp, you have to haul your boat down a little hill by the viewing area to launch. Rich went in early June without me (I had to work) and the water was right up by the edge of the viewing area so it was an easy launch. In mid-June when we went together we had to scramble down the gravel hill and walk 30 feet or so to the lake. Not a  big problem. The lake goes back in about a mile. There's lots of interesting plants and critters to see. This trip the wild rhodies were in bloom and the baby geese were mostly grown up. We saw lots of geese, a couple different varieties of ducks and a momma deer with 2 fawns.

Fish Lake 6/4/2013

Fish Lake--no water!

6/21/2013

Well, Siltcoos Lake is still there and I'm assuming the boat dock we launched from is still there, but the cabins and property have been sold. I haven't heard anything more about it so I believe that it's probably not available to rent anymore. 

Siltcoos is another of our favorite kayak places, partially because of it's beauty, partially because of it's location. It's close to the ocean, the sand dunes near Florence and close to town if you want do have a meal out or do a little shopping. It's a huge lake and is 68 square miles according to wikipedia. We've been there a bunch of times and have never even been down to the west end of the lake where most kayakers go.

Siltcoos Station

When we go we rent a rustic cabin like room from Lane Community College  called Siltcoos Station on the east end of the lake. It's a room with a queen bed, a kitchen, bathroom and a view! No TV, no cell service, but there is WiFi. Bring your own entertainment.

There's lots to do an explore around the lake. We like to kayak the "bay" area off to the north of where we stay. The water is generally pretty calm in this area, if you go out into the lake it sometimes gets windy so keep an eye on the weather.

This is the dock and boat launch area and view to the west.

Pink water lily near the dock.

Last summer when we visited the caretaker's cat decided we were OK and moved in to take a nap!






Things to do:

• Other things we like to do in the area if explore the town of Florence. There's a nice little shopping area on the bayfront to visit. 
• The amazing Oregon Dunes are all around, stop by Honeyman State Park just across the highway and see what you can see. There's a small lake, big dunes and it's a nice place to sit in the sunshine and people watch.
• Like to gamble? 3 Rivers Casino is just down the road in town. We like to stop by for lunch at the buffet, which usually offers a really fresh salad bar, some cooked to order items in the hot food area and some of the standards...fresh sliced roast beef, mac-n-cheese, etc. Desert bar is also really good. Then we go throw some money in the slot machines and try to break even on lunch!
• Go see the ocean...play on the beach, make a sand castle, walk until you drop, search for treasure.

I hear stories of a small river channel with a place you ford your boat to continue on to the ocean. Heard of it, never done it! Here's what I found on the internet describing it:

"Siltcoos Canoe Trail--Getting there: Follow U.S. 101 to Dunes City/Westlake, six miles south of Florence. Turn east onto Pacific Avenue and follow it to the boat ramp at the end of the road. The day-use fee is $3."

A Rainbow of Kayaks

Kayaks loaded and ready for a trip! Rich can pack 4 of them on the BigDog (our Xterra). My personal favorite is green one. 

Waldo Lake

I'm starting with Waldo Lake since that's the first place we floated our boats. If you haven't been to Waldo I have to tell you it's well worth the trip. It's out Hwy 58 past Oakridge, Oregon about 30 miles and then on up the mountain. The elevation is 5,414 feet so don't plan on going in the winter. They don't plow the roads up there so when it's closed for snow, it's really closed. It's a huge lake and the blue-est blue you can imagine. I like to paddle out to where the water changes color from greenish blue to blue-blue and just float a while. It's my moment of zen!

Things you need to know about Waldo:

• The water is cold, cold, cold...don't fall in! =)
• Gas powered boats are not allowed at Waldo, so it's just us paddlers and a few sailboats out there...nice!
• Beware of the mosquitoes...they will eat you alive if you are not prepared. Be sure to bring bug repellent. Usually they aren't too bad out on the water, it's the put in and take out when they will get you. Also, mid-August they are mostly gone.
• Bring something for lunch, there's no place to buy a snack up there. We like to stop in Oakridge at the A&W and grab a burger and a root beer...just because it's fun! (It's also a good bathroom stop.)
• Sometimes we camp at Waldo, there are a couple forest service campgrounds up there. They are sort of primitive, but have decent pit toilets and running water. When we camp we usually stay at Shadow Bay but there is another campground further up the mountain.Be prepared for the cold at night, at that elevation it gets really chilly even in summer! 
• I'll say it again...the mosquitoes will eat you alive. We only camp up there mid-August or later! 

Enjoy!

Update for 7/9/2014
Another beautiful trip to Waldo for RnR and neighbor Barb. Beautiful blue lake, a little bit of wind but a great day on the lake. Today we explored the south end of the lake. The mosquitoes on and near shore were ferocious, but out on the lake they didn't bother us.

Rich did a little bit of exploring on one of the beaches and found deer tracks AND cougar tracks in the sand. We've never seen any big predators around there but I guess they might be there! 

On the way home we stopped in Oakridge at Brewer's Local 180 brew pub. We each found a  cold beverage to enjoy.The people were friendly and the music was music that I knew the words to. Bring you growler

Our perfect day took a turn for the worse on the trip home. There was a horrible accident that blocked traffic for several hours. Sooooo.....our little trip turned into an adventure. It was recommended that we turn around and go home by way of Bend. Not a short trip, we stopped in Bend and fortified ourselves with some coffee and hit the long, long road home. All is well that ends well, our "day trip" ended at 11:30 at night. Wow, what a day! 435 miles roundtrip.

The drive home was long, but beautiful! Sunset over the Sisters...pretty nice, eh?

Hello Friends!

My husband and I (Rich and Ruthie) enjoy kayaking whenever we can. People always ask where we've been and what we've seen so we decided this would be a way to share the great (and some not-so-great) places we've floated our boats.

Some things you should know about us:

• We live in Oregon...so most of our kayak adventures are in Oregon.
• I am a flat water, fair weather kayaker. Rich is not so picky. He's been known to bundle up and go float his boat in rain and snow. 
• We are fast approaching senior citizen age...how in the world did that happen? 

If you have questions for us, or suggestions of places we can kayak we'd love to hear from you!

RnR