We came back from our camping trip to Cove Palisades State Park on Thursday, tired but somehow...rested. That's almost always the case with camping trips. We stayed at the Deschutes River Campground, in the section with full hookups, which was good, because the temperatures got up into the 90s each day we were there, so we used our AC to keep cool when we were inside the trailer.
While we were still setting up in our campsite, Sandy accidentally stepped on the foot-activated vacuum, which gave me a start, but putting everything away on the shelves goes very fast now.
Jim's campsite was at Crooked River Campground, which was, unfortunately, across the river requiring him to drive several miles to get to us each day. We didn't put up the picnic table awning, because it was too hot to eat outdoors until the last day, when it was cool enough in the shade provided by the big trees when we were ready to eat supper.
Deschutes River Campground has a great off-leash area, although there was very little shade. We discovered the exercise yard on the first day, when we were taking a walk through the tent campground. We hadn't brought a ball with us on our walk, but we found a nice stick to throw for the dogs.
After we had been there for a few minutes, some other people arrived with several dogs, which made it more interesting. They got acquainted and played together for a while.
Close to the exercise yard, we discovered the Tam-a-lau Trailhead, which leads to the top of the bluff overlooking the campground. We came back the next day to give it a try. We brought lots of water and a dish for the pups. I also brought some water in a spray bottle to cool us off if needed. We only stopped in the shady areas.
Every once in a while, we would stop to admire the fascinating rock formations. We've seen the basalt with columnar jointing typical of ancient lava flows like this before, of course, having studied geology, but it always makes us pause to consider how the older rocks eroded, leaving a surface for newer lava to fill in.
The ancient lava flows top every cliff in the area. The trail has an elevation gain of 600 feet, but with the heat, we decided to turn around about half way. We still had a nice view, though.
I forgot to turn on the Walk for a Dog app, as I often do, so the beginning and ending locations aren't the same, and the distance covered is slightly less than we actually walked.
We spent some time down at the river. We found this sign close to one of the trails. It explains how the various episodes of lava intrusion happened.
All kinds of small watercraft were out on the water. Jim used his kayak the first full day, when we hiked up the Tam-a-lau Trail.
There were lots of places where the dogs could get into the water and either swim (Sandy) or wade (Dusty). We threw a ball or a stick for Sandy, and he would bring it back. This photo is fun, because Sandy is obsessed with sticks, while Dusty prefers a ball. The ball was too far out for Dusty, so Sandy got it instead. (Show off!) Dusty had to be satisfied with the stick, which he could retrieve by wading.
We had to be out of our campsite by 1:00 PM on Thursday. We packed up a little early, so we could take the pups to the water again before our drive home. We always take everything off of the shelves and seats and put everything on the bed. It was so crowded, Dusty had to use Sandy as a pillow.
After leaving the campground, we drove to the Crooked River side to try to access the water there. Our permit was valid for parking at the day use areas, so we found a place where there were no cars parked, so we had room for both our truck and the RPod. We walked down to the water, where we sat down to eat our lunch. A flock of Canada geese were hanging out, full-grown as well as younger birds. Sandy was fascinated, but we made sure he stayed away from them.
Sandy went for a swim, while Dusty waded and helped himself to a drink.
I did get a little bit of knitting done. I'm just starting the outer border, which is mostly Color B (dark blue). I'm supposed to need 5g of Color A to finish the border. I have exactly 5g, so I need to decide if I want to chance it or look to see if I have the same color in a similar yarn in my stash. Decisions, decisions!
I didn't take the quilt with me; it would have filled up the RPod. I've been working on it in the evenings, though, since we returned. I'm halfway done with the first side.
We've been walking almost every day. We got in about ten miles during the time we were camping, entirely in short walks/hikes of two miles or less. On Friday we began walking on the Larkspur Trail, adjacent to our street. It's cooler now, but still pretty warm, so the pups like to stop in the canal that actually has water in it, close to Bear Creek Drive, where we always turn around.
It's fun to see the little water bugs rowing across the surface of the water. Occasionally you can spot a tadpole in the water.
Meanwhile, our youngest grandson, Johan, turned 11 on Saturday, and the new book has gone to my other proofreaders!
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What's in The Doll's Storybook: In Gossip the dolls learn about misinformation, thanks to Veronika and a game.
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