CAMPING In THE NW - a first for our family

June 30, 2013 was a night of firsts. My husband had never camped in his entire life (married 13 years and I did not know this!) and the boys had never camped. They had never had a real, natural fire (no briquettes, no fire starter etc.) cooked burger or steak - a must if you've never tried it,  I promise there is nothing like it.

We had been shopping for an RV for over 2 months - nothing ever fit. We (ok I) made an executive decision and bought a 10 person tent, two air mattresses and a lighter and we set off.

Our first stop was Ainsworth State Park! I rate this 4 stars for first time tent camping. Hot showers, flushing toilets and the walk in tent sites - fabulous!

Our second and third nights were spent at Beacon Rock in Washington. Oh my - this is a favorite. Although if you require hot showers and clean bathrooms a little lower rating. There were only 2 tent spots and we snagged one on July 4th week no less! We waded in the water, watched the geese and various birds, the boys fished and we enjoyed tracking what we thought might have been a bear in the berry patch.

From there we headed down to Winston, OR and camped at the Wildlife Safari, where deer and antelope roam free. We woke early to explore the Wildlife Safari and the boys rode a camel! This was a highlight for us all.

We spent July 4th at Crater Lake and camped inside the National Park. Pictures speak louder than words. Blissful!! Fun. The lodge for breakfast was scrumptious and we met a delightful little fox terrier named Katie and her master who was on a bike trip from Tucson all the up to Bellevue, WA and back down to Encinatas, CA. WOW! That's now on my bucket list.

From there camping near Bend, OR and then back to Ainsworth State Park for 2 nights.

This was a family adventure we will all remember.

The last night we camped was a poor experience because of our choice of sites Paridise Point in Ridgefield, WA. Terrible if you want to be off and not hear the traffic of I-5. Also the kind of folk who tended toward this area, well,  frankly inconsiderate folk. There were two sets of campers one on either side of us who were up until 2:45 and 3:17 respectively. Misery for anyone who wanted a few zzzzs. Where is a park ranger when you need one. I will say the hike in to the water fall is absolutely gorgeous.

Before the summer is out we have beach camping on the list. I will also search for some more secluded camp sites that will leave us with the kind of memories we enjoyed the first few nights of our camping summer adventures 2013.