Kerri and I didn't have to wait long to take our Apache Eagle out into the wilderness. I checked the forecasts for all of southern Washington and northern Oregon to find a place that wouldn't dump rain on us. (If you haven't heard, it rains a lot 'round these parts...) After looking everywhere from Crater Lake to Mount Baker, it looked like a trip way out east of The Dalles was the safest bet.
We had never been to the Deschutes River State Park but we had read all about it in our favorite guide book, Curious Gorge by Hood River resident, Scott Cook. If you live in Portland and love the Gorge you HAVE to get this book. You can find it all over town and I think it runs around $12 or so. Scott Cook is the author of a few other books such as Pokin' Round the Gorge (a complete guide to secret places to get it on in the Gorge) and Bend, Overall, a guide to hiking the Bend area...
Admittedly, I was a little nervous taking the Apache out on the highway for the first time. I've never towed anything before as far as I can remember...least not anything attached to a car and not a truck. But, the Eagle towed like nothing was there at all. Very light and stress free.
Plus, with the storage capacity of the Eagle we were able to give Tilford a little more room in the Forester. I made him a super car doggy-bed throne like space...
The weather was gorgeous ;)
(there in the tree line! also, not my photo)
We went straight to the Deschutes River State Recreation Area, an hour and a half east of Portland (through the maritime section of the Gorge and into the high desert area) and were sooooo glad to be there. What a great park! This is from the Oregon State Parks and Rec website:
"The Deschutes River State Recreation Area is a tree-shaded, overnight oasis for campers. The sparkle-laden, swift, green rush of the Deschutes converges with the Columbia here, and there's no better place for family outing activities like hiking, mountain biking, camping, rafting, world-class steelhead and trout fishing, and equestrian trail riding."
I did not take many photos of the actual park/camping areas but for those interested you can see some pretty nice panorama shots here.
After tooling around a bit and having some conversation with the park ranger (?) we decided on a spot for our first Apache Eagle base camp site! Seeing as we had only done it once before, we had the Eagle open and ready in about 15 minutes. And, here she is...
I must mention here that, to me, when the door is open and the entrance is unzipped, our '72 Apache Eagle reminds me very much of this guy...
...I'm probably the only one...but I see it!
Anyhow... We loved the camp site, the proximity to the Deschutes River and all the geese. The park area is home to about a hundred Canada geese and while I can't say I enjoyed having to dodge their shit with each step toward the river, I did enjoy watching them poke around for food en masse.
After we set up base camp it was time to hit the trails. The Deschutes River State Rec. Area has some easy and slightly moderate trails as far as elevation and incline go. There is a loop trail near the river's edge and a longer loop that leads up to the hill tops...
However, there are other dangers. You have to be very careful about these guys...
Gross. I've never seen as many snakes in general and rattlesnakes in particular as I did at Deschutes. And that is coming from someone who grew up in west and central Texas. Seems like they were everywhere. Later in the week I had nightmares about snakes attacking Tilford. Horrible feeling...
BUT!!! Don't let that deter you from taking a trip out here! It's BEAUTIFUL!!!
Next up, I tell you about our adventures at Horsethief Butte and give you a preview of our next Apache Summer trip!
Peace and happy camping!
Ulysses
