Kuhns Family Camp-Out 2005

I was going to wait until I had some photos of our camping trip before making an entry, but with two requests to know how it went, I will forgo the pictures (but may add some in the future).

This last weekend was the Kuhns family camp-out (Steph's Mom's family) at Fishermen's Bend Recreation Site just west of Mill City, Oregon. Fishermen's Bend is situated along a heavily wooded section of the rugged North Santiam River. We stayed in a "group camp" site complete with a large, open shelter that housed six very nice picnic tables, a wood burning stove, and a buffet counter with electrical outlets. There were two fire rings, a large barbecue pit, fifteen tent sites, several trailer/RV sites, and the nicest shower/restroom facilities I've ever seen at a camp-ground. There was also a playground, sand volleyball courts, a basketball court, a softball diamond, an amphitheater with shows, and numerous hiking and biking trails along the river and through the woods.

The Kuhns camp-out has been an annual occurrence for many years now, but this was the first year that we actually stayed the whole weekend. We would often just show up during the day on Saturday, but never really camped because we lacked the equipment. Well, not anymore!

We had a wonderful weekend. It's amazing how having your own equipment can change your outlook on camping. The tent went up without a hitch and it had plenty of room for the three of us and Sandy (Steph's mom). Sandy had planned on sleeping in a cabin near the group site, but she found it to be a little small for five people, so she tented it. I'm confident that the tent will withstand a little rain, but we were lucky enough to have a completely dry weekend. It wasn't until we were driving home that we encountered rain.

Most of the meals were fend-for-yourself, with one potluck dinner on Saturday night. We had sirloin steaks and baked potatoes on the BBQ Friday night, breakfast tacos (scrambled eggs, refried beans and organic salsa on tortillas) Saturday morning, and I cooked baked beans for the potluck. Sunday's breakfast was the classic camping standby: Krusteaz pancakes and bacon (and a new addition, fresh fruit). We ate very well. Of course every day had to start off with a pot of fresh, French pressed coffee... no way I was going to be drinking the Yuban stuff that everyone else was sippin'.

Saturday morning I awoke bright and early and decided it was the perfect time to get a shower. I had told Steph that real campers don't take showers, but when your internal clock wakes you up at 6:00, what else are you going to do? I brewed my coffee and set out on a walk along one of the river trails. A light mist hovered just above the surface of the fast moving water, lingering there until the sun could make it's way above the evergreen canopy and chase it away. As I stopped along the river to admire God's creation, a little bird in a snag of a tree chirped a melodious "good morning" to me. I continued on, sipping my coffee and surveying the beautiful landscape before heading back to camp to see if anyone else was up.

After breakfast, fifteen of us went on a much expanded hike along the river, with Noah riding on my shoulders for much of it. He did walk on his own long enough to find a perfectly sized walking stick, and to throw a few rocks into the river. As we strolled along the stony banks of the North Santiam, we were greated by many a cheerful kayaker, canoer, and fisherman (well, the fishermen actually ignored us, but I'm sure they were full of cheer).

If a long walk wasn't enough of a workout for a leisurely weekend, some of us decided to play a game of basketball in the midday sun (at least part of the court was shaded). Then after dinner, we all went out to play a little "work-up" softball. By the end of the day my back was killing me, my legs and hips were sore, and my knee ached. But it was more fun than I have had in a long time.

If we ever got tired of physical activity, we could find good conversation around the main fire ring. There was a wide range of personalities and life experiences around that campfire, and it was nice to visit with everyone again. I'm sure my political and social views didn't agree with many of those whom I was conversing with, but it didn't really matter... not this weekend, anyway.

Noah really loved camping. He spent a lot of time digging in the dirt and gravel with his toy tractor and dump truck, he went on bike rides (in his bike trailer) with his mama and cousin Karlee, and he played a little baseball with his papa. He did have a little trouble winding down in the tent at night, so he ended up falling asleep on the big air mattress with me (which was kind of a nice change). I missed out on evening activities because I was doing bedtime, but Steph was on morning duty while I sipped coffee and reconnected with nature, so it was a fair trade.

When it came time to tear down the tent and pack everything away, Noah asked, "Where'd the green tent go?". He was very sad to see it come down... so were we. But, this definitely will not be the last time. I don't know if we will be able to make it out again this year, but we will be back to Fishermen's Bend for next years Kuhns camp-out, that is for sure.

Posted by jethro at June 27, 2005 07:47 PM | TrackBack