Last Wednesday a strong winter-like storm rolled into the PNW, bringing wind, heavy rains, some snow in the mountains, and showers throughout the area. Since we had a 4 day window to do some camping, I was scanning the weather forecasts, trying to find a place to go where we wouldn't get rained out. I ended up choosing northern Oregon.
The drive south to Portland on Thursday passed through a couple of heavy rain storms. Then we headed east along the Columbia Gorge, taking the scenic hwy 30 past a dozen (or so) waterfalls. We camped at Ainsworth SP, just east of Multnomah Falls. This is still in the coastal wet zone. Sleeping in the Element is snug and dry, but a good tarp over the picnic table was essential. Most of the other campers at this no-reservation state park were in RVs.
The next day I drove over to the dryer east side of the Cascades, via the east slope of Mt Hood (hwy 35 and US26). There was some fresh snow on the trees, and slushy rain at higher elevations. We camped a Cove Palisades SP, among sage brush and junipers. Given the weather and time (week before Memorial Day) there were plenty of sites available without reservation. I'm sure that on summer weekends this park is full. As it was the area closest to the playground was busy with kids. Our site was on the edge, closer to the enclosed 'pet exercise area'.
I put the tarp up (a MSR Vistawing), as much to dry it out as anything else. I added a second smaller tarp to act as a wind screen. There were dark clouds in the distance, but only a light sprinkle at the park.
The next day I intended to wander back north to Washington, but first wanted to explore a bit to the east of US97. The road from Madras to Ashworth turned out to be a native-surface ranch road, the kind of surface that turned slick with wet. Fortunately I only had to deal with some dry ruts. Ashworth to Antelope was a bit better, tending to stay on the ridge tops for much of the way. We passed the turn off to Muddy Rd, the site of an infamous guru's ranch in the 1980s.
Since I'd already seen Shaniko and US97 north to the Columbia, I turned east on 218 to Fossil, passing one of the John Day Fossil beds units. Since it was 5pm when we got to Fossil (county seat for Wheeler County, population 3000), and Marymore CG on the Columbia River was still an hour away, I chose to drive 11 miles SE to Shelton Wayside Cty Park. That is listed as a State Wayside in my Delourme Atlas, but is actually operated by the county. We had the campground to ourselves. This is open Ponderosa pine forest. At bed time it was 40 deg, and 32 at breakfast.
Still in the wandering frame of mind, I continued south on 19 to 207, which follows the John Day river for a ways, and then crosses a 4600ft pass to the wheat fields around Heppner and on to Umatilla and I82. The rest of the drive as fast interstate (I82 and I90). We passed through brief intense rainstorm on the ridge crossing between Yakima and Ellensburg.
So we had 3 very different campsites, the wet coastal forest, dry juniper forest on a reservoir, and remote pine forest.
