Day 1: Barview County Park – Not Our Favorite Campsite
We got a slow start today after a late night of relaxing. Finished up the laundry, made a quick sweep of our gear, took the kitties out to the kitty hotel then headed out. It isn’t too difficult because we always try to keep our gear together for quick packing for camping. We decided to take it a little easier this time and bring out the gas two burner stove instead of the little whisper jet we bought for backpacking a few years back. Our gear, not including our clothing, just takes up the very rear section of the jeep. We keep a cooler up front, our pile of books, maps, laptop, camera, clothing bags, and other luxuries in the back seat space behind us for easy grabbing.
The ride along the Oregon Pacific Coast Scenic Byway just always a beautiful any time of the year. I still haven’t made good friends with my old digital camera yet; I have gotten so used to taking photos with my phone that my hand no longer reaches instinctively with my camera. Usually, by this time I would have already taken 50 pictures or so. I should have more pictures to post from here soon.
Here is a picture of this gigantic old blimp hanger out near Tillamook. The hanger now houses an air museum in. This thing is huge.
We landed around Tillamook late in the evening for the first night of vacation, and also the first night the family “camp-out”. The camp site is called Barview County Park. We had been here a time or two before, and although there are nicer spots in the campground, those are usually taken by the time arrangements are made for the camp out. The last time we visited here, the area we camped felt more like a parking lot than a camp ground. In all fairness, there are nicer parts of the campground. The reason why it feels so much like a parking lot is because part of the family has a fifth-wheel and the section for RV’ does feel more like a trailer park than a camp site.
Here is a shot of some of the tents and trailers, very near one another.
I’m guessing that it must be something strange thing that comes over people who have RV’s or fifth-wheels to camp in places like this. Their quest for comfort in camping, and probably living already in a city, makes looking out of their window into someone else’s living room feel, well…. ok. In all reality, staying in places like this is probably a expectation of the RV mode of travel in some places. Like I mentioned, the “tent only” spots are much nicer. As I get older, and aches and pains start setting in, an RV mode of travel may start to seem more appealing. I’m hoping not, but this way of camping may be inevitable.
Here is another shot of RV row…
Kind of looks like a city street.
Sure do love a camp fire
So after getting to the camp ground we all sat around the fire, (I do love camping with pyros. That’s not a fire it is Chernobyl!). We roasted a few weenies and ate some marshmallows.
It was very cool to learn that both we and part of the family were actually sitting a few seats from each other at the Police concert. Although we didn’t see each other there, we recognized this fact after telling jokes of the same two inebriated girls sitting two rows behind us and practically quoting them. I think it was this part of the family who actually helped hide the bodies of the two now missing females.
Camping out at the Comfort Inn
We enjoy this section of the camp ground so much,that we took our camping gear and parked it in front of this nice Comfort Inn (that is where I’m typing this post from). Smiles… And before you start to think we are party-poopers, consider that 80% of the other family campers decided to campout in the very same hotel this very night.
I am looking forward to the continental breakfast, the family, and goofing off on the coast tomorrow.
Overall, a great start to the trip. Friends and family around a fire and the sure promise of wonders to come.
Good times…
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