A year later

It's that time again, prepping for a season full of camping and outdoor adventures. 

I didn't get to go on an 'out by myself' dispersed trip last year. #1 my back wasn't up to it. #2 the weather in the NW was pretty terrible. Lots of rain, lots of cold, lead me to find camping adventures along the beaten path. 

Anniversary 'camping' with Stef-Anie at Cape Lookout State Park in a Cabin. The Cabin we stayed in. It was cold and wet and beautiful. Excellent way to spend time together and get a little taste of the outdoors while keeping warm indoors. Nice cabin, but for $76 a night, a bit more expensive than I would be willing to pay for again. 

Memorial Day led off the camping season. We went back to Cape Lookout and stayed in VERY wet conditions for the weekend with Charles and Amanda. It was a precursor to all of our camping adventures for most of the season. Went Beer Camping with a bunch of folks from BeerAdvocate.com, as well as some other friends. Learned to throw a tomahawk and played Bocce. I liked bocce enough that Stef-Anie bought me a starter set. Of course it rained the WHOLE time. I would do it again, but I planned the whole trip, and I think it's someone else's turn to plan. 

Went on a few other trips, but as a whole the wetness of the season put a damper on our more adventurous camping plans. 

We're set to go Memorial Day camping again this time at the Deschutes River State Recreation Area. I have high hopes that heading East will lead us to less rain. This year will be a first for me. Camping with my own dogs. We adopted two Flat-Coated Retriever / Border Collie (possibly others as well) Mixes. Sprocket and Sputnik. They are currently 8 months old and are fantastic little dogs. We took them through Puppy Kindergarten and Basic Obedience, and they have done very well. If you ignore Sputnik's lack of wanting to remember what "OFF" means, much less not to jump up. It's a daily training struggle, as soon as I think we're winning, she lets me know she has decided to 'forget'.  

I'm hoping this year will be fruitful for dry camping adventures. Plus, another REI Used Gear Sale is coming. I have a whole $20.43 dividend. (I've more than paid for my membership, even if you don't figure in the hundreds of dollars I saved at gear sales last year.