Now that we are becoming 'grizzled veterens' camping in our RV, it was time to try dry camping or boondocking. Every year, Shawn goes to Sand Lakes for his birthday. Most years entailed rough camping conditions with little food and primitive sleeping setups.
This year would be different. We now have the trailer, so Shawn being the schemer he is, talked me into taking the 5'r while he hauled the quads with his truck. His son Payton who is four, was going for the first time and was...lets say...wired! Shawn and Were set to go down Thursday night and get set up. We left town and made it to Sand Lakes just after dark. It was one of the most frightening drives I have made as it was raining, foggy and bad roads. US 101 on the northern Oregon coast is not in that great of shape right now. There were times, we were at 20 mph as we could not see in front of us. We made it finally and went to find our reserved campsite. As we neared the entrance to the campground, we found a large motorhome parked and shut off blocking the entrance. We had to turn in at the exit, which made for a tight fit for me. A couple tries and I was in the campgound. Again, so dark, you could not tell what was ahead. As we rounded the park, it was so narrow, I brushed up against a wood fence and had to stop, back up and hug the other shoulder. We found our spot and found it was very small, just big enough for the trailer. We left it there for a couple and went to the main parking lot which allows camping. We found a great spot and retrieved the truck and trailer. Soon we were set up and ready for bed. Shawn was immediately spoiled as I blew up the air bed on the couch and he slpt like a baby. I forgot to turn up the heat and it got very cold that night. We rose early to sun and warming temps. Soon the camp coffee was ready and after some really tasty omlettes, it was time to ride. It was great, get on and go about 150 feet and you are on the sand. We rode hard most of the day and had most of the place to ourselves. Lori, Jennifer and the fids arrived late in the early evening, just in time for Payton to go for a quick ride. Off they went to eat dust and sand. We cooked dinner and as we were finishing up around 9:30, we started to see one, now thre, patrol cars with lights and sirens go on the beach. Soon several units from the fire Dept followed. Jennifer and Shawns friend Neal decided to check out the 'action'. They returned a short time later with sullen faces to report the sad news that two sand rails had collided on the sand and two people were killed. Several others were hurt. About this time a helicopter flew over and landed a few hundred yards from us. A sobering moment and the mood around the lot was quiet and subdued.
Saturday morning was agin sunny and warm. Payton was out waiting to ride. I spent several trips with him and observed a steady improvement in his riding. It was very obvious towards late afternoon, he was running out of steam and I made him park the quad for awhile.
I had trained the crew on dry camping as best I could. Conserve water, use the lot restroom when possible and use minimal water for dishes. All went well. I took a GI shower in the am and it went well. Lori waited till Monday for a shower (phew). Somehow during her orientation on how to take a shower, she forgot to take a brief shower. Invigorated and clean after a 'normal' shower she comes out and finishes breakfast as payton and I went for a morning ride. I returned to find dishes in the sink (had not used paper plates) and Jennifer now in the showe. Shawn remarked about how nice his shower was. I ran to the display to find a full galley tank, grey water tank and no water in the fresh water tank. The shower was sputtering as Jennifer finished up. Glad we were leaving today, some people...
We hit the road for a much more visible and enjoyable ride home. A quick detour to the Elma rest area and my tanks were clean and empty. Back home and soon I'll be ready for our next adventure. It was a great weekend and I look forward to 'dry' camping again soon.
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