Day 278: Mt. Hood National Forest

July 1, 2011

It's a bit surreal that it is July, the weekend of the 4th, a time I usually associate with mid-summer. Or at least, summer being in full swing. Here I feel like we're in May still. It's just starting to finally feel like summer regularly here. 

Today, after Fraser comes home from work, we're going to Mt. Hood National Forest for some camping. It should be a great time.

Wow. First of all, gorgeous. Hills and valleys of green all the way to the horizon. I noticed that I kept looking for the patches of brownish red dead trees that we see all the time in Colorado thanks to the invasive pine beetles. I saw none of that here, and even though it looked like Colorado, it's not. I didn't realize how much those common things are ingrained in my head until something like this makes me realize it.

The mountain itself if also so very photogenic. I love Mt. Hood. I remember loving it as a child when we'd come visit out here also. It's very picturesque. 

Our site was nice and wooded. The campground was packed and as soon as we got out of the car, the cool evening air hit us and the wonderful sweet, smokey smell of campfires greeted us. This, to me, is one of the Oregon smells. This and the pungent smell of boxwood will always take me back to Oregon. 

 
Fraser got inspired and ambitious about cooking this time around. He'd been reading The BBQ Bible which could probably inspire a vegetarian to eat meat. The first night, though, we brought something simple: deer round steaks to cook over the fire and some fresh corn. 

  Jacob had a macaroni and cheese appetizer (fastest, easiest camp food I can think of) before he devoured his corn and some meat. It was all very delicious!

The first night is always the night we're up the latest because we get to the site so late. So Jacob got to see some lovely stars which he really enjoys. He wanted to see some bats but there were none here. However, as we were lying in the tent getting ready for bed, we did hear an owl call! It was so cool. It was a great horned owl call. We could hear it close by in the trees and another one farther off. This, I think, was the highlight of the trip for me. Owls are just so incredible and hard to find or hear. Very, very neat. Of course, hearing this and, earlier, seeing a little Oregon junco (that I didn't know at the time) made me realize I had forgotten our bird book and binoculars! Coming from a family that practically wears these things in a holster at their waist (on a regular basis, not to mention on a camping trip!), I was extremely disappointed in myself. I obviously still have some learning to do.