It’s 8:32 p.m. on a Sunday night. Geoff is just over there-watching the Terminator, enjoying a bowl of what no doubt must contain ice cream. The cats are snuggled up on the couch cushions by the window. Bella is snoozing underneath the table at my feet. I’m running my toes along her coat, and skipping through my itunes, landing on Shawn Mullins, The Gulf of Mexico. I’m thinking about what a spectacular weekend we had camping.

Going off of a recommendation we received from a friend we decided to branch out from our standard camping location, Honeyman and went out in search of a much smaller campground: Olallie. Olallie Campground, set just beside the McKenzie River in the Willamette National Forest, about an hour and 15 minutes east of Eugene in the Central Cascades, was pretty much the best camping we’ve had yet in Oregon. We did our usual stay: 2 nights & 3 days from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, which seems to work pretty well with Geoff’s work, not to mention is about the longest I think I can go without a shower. This time around, we really roughed it. With only 15 campsites to chose from vs. the 200+ we’re used to at Honeyman and no running water, it was a much different experience. We realized that with smaller campsites with less amenities, there are considerably fewer people. We enjoyed being able to give Bella a little more freedom to roam around the campsite and chase her Frisbees, since the place wasn’t crawling with small children and their scooters and bicycles. (Remember that when you see a small child chasing a ball, Bella sees a fluffy, white errant sheep that must be herded right now!) Our campsite happened to be located right next to an exceptionally loud white water rapid section of the river. Last night, peering out from beneath the layers and layers of blankets piled on top of me, I fell asleep to the sound of the steady, tumultuous crashing of the water while watching the tent flicker and glow with the dying fire right outside our tent.

Our 3 day, 2 night stays are pretty ideal for us. It leaves us Friday afternoon to set up camp, Saturday is pretty much devoted strictly for hiking adventures (and a lot of eating), and Sunday morning is set aside for striking camp. So once Saturday morning arrived and my eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight filtering into our tent, I proclaimed to my sleepy camp mates, Geoff & Bella that it was time to embark on some necessary hiking adventures. I have to say, Bella looked much more enthused at this than Geoff. He always needs a little extra prodding. We had no idea where we were going as we really had no knowledge of the area, but soon found ourselves exploring a 20 mile long Recreation Trail along the river. It was everything I’ve come to expect from the trails in Oregon: filled with ferns and moss covering the forest floor as far as the eye can see and ivy climbing the trunks of thousands of old growth trees. Like the campsite, we didn’t come across too many other people. Unfortunately though the trail did seem to be popular amongst the mountain biking enthusiasts, and we occasionally had to sequester off our poorly behaved dogger into a forest corner whenever a group of bikers sailed past us. (Again, you see athletic prowess on a two wheeled machine, and she sees wiley, white, furry sheep things on wheels that must be nipped at into a manageable herd.)

We must have hiked for nearly six miles. Bella in the front, followed closely by Geoff and then myself in the rear taking pictures and singing songs that Geoff endured for a short time, until he threatened to toss me in the river if I didn’t stop singing The Color of the Wind from the movie Pocahontas. Well, what can I say? The six miles of hiking in that forest inspired me. It really was breathtaking. Truly stunning.

We took a break back at camp to refuel (tasty egg salad sandwiches!). Then it was time for a nap for me in the warm tent, while Geoff finally got some time relax and read. Bella and I must have snoozed the afternoon away, because when I awoke the light was getting lower. However, with guaranteed light until at least 9 p.m. thanks to living in the Pacific Northwest next to the ocean, I announced to my camp mates once again that another hike was in order. With mild grumblings from Geoff, I visited our neighbors at the next campsite over to inquire about “any cool places to go visit.” They were a friendly couple of ladies with two dogs, a yellow lab named Marley (named pre Marley & Me) and a dachshund named Stevie, and they were only too happy to produce various maps and hiking guides on the area along with their own personal recommendations which included two waterfalls “…about 7 miles from here.”

The falls were stunning, especially in the fading light as the sun was just cresting over the tree lined ridge. There certainly is something spectacular about a waterfall. Standing at the lip of it just as the water begins its descent or standing near the bottom and being humbled by the sheer magnitude of it all…it’s just one of nature’s best works of art.

Walking along the trails and taking in the views with Geoff was inspiring. In fact, I believe there is only one way to best describe it: Click here (This one’s for you Geoffy)

Pictures? Click here