Ore-Gone Camping

Well, here we are camping in Grants Pass, Oregon, where Ethan has presbytery meeting tomorrow and Saturday.

  

Errr . . . let me try that again.

  

Well, here we are at the Super-8 (where our dog is allowed) in Grants Pass, Oregon, where Ethan has presbytery meeting tomorrow and Saturday.

  

Ahem.

  

When we drove into our planned campground last night, about 30 minutes before the gate closed at 10, we found large sections roped off and a chipper older couple chasing us in a golf cart. "I'm sorry, but we only have one section open and no bathrooms. Did you want to stay one night or two?"

  

No bathrooms? No stay. That 15 (really 30, but don't point this out to my husband) minute shower is the ONLY chance at privacy I get when camping. I'm so used to corraling children ("Stay on this part of the road! Don't sit on other people's tables! Finish getting dressed BEFORE you leave the camper, for crying out loud!") that I have to train my eyes to stop scanning for a wayward child while I bathe. It never works, and the shower gets a constant looking-over. Each spider tries to crouch further into itself: "Hey, lady, what did you think I'd be doing in the two seconds since you last glared at me?"

  

So we found a hotel and have high hopes of scouting out a campground today, before Ethan's preliminary presbytery meetings with various committees.

  

The drive over was GORGEOUS. We figured out our van and camper have traveled cross-country, from Virginia to Oregon (with a 4-month stop in Montana). We traveled through Coeur-d'Alene, Idaho, camped outside of Pasco, Washington, and followed the Columbia River across the top of Oregon, past The Dalles. Such incredible landscape. We stayed a day at the campground outside of Pasco, right on the Snake River. It reached 80, we played in the river (and found out Maverick is a water dog, on top of being the world's most perfect dog in every other way), and Benjamin (7) perfected his bike-riding ("Mom! I think I'm an official rider now!"). The twins (3) and Lily (5) worked on their scootering. And sharing. Two scooters and three kids working on scootering means working on sharing (or working on speed in running to the vacant scooter, whatever). Eden (2) followed everyone around and played house with Miriam (who is always the mother, and always yells, "Edith! Edith!" in this shrill, matronly voice. Even though she can say "Eden" just fine. But THAT wouldn't make this pretending, would it?). Jonathan (10 mos.) speed-crawled all over the place and wore himself out thoroughly.

  

And Ethan fought and is still fighting a stomach bug. Which I plan to help him conquer by getting whatever super-duper medicated stuff works. The homeopathic stuff (you know, with acidophilus, bidowhateverus, and several other multi-syllabled us-es) hasn't effected much change. And him not sleeping/feeling good is BAD news at anytime, but especially when we're traveling.

  

Anyway. I'm off to google some campgrounds and gather the dirty clothes. Oh, but I just walked the dog, and it's a brisk 50-degrees and feels absolutely delightful.

  

AND, we're in the land of coffee houses on every corner! Today will be good!

  

It will!