Pitching tents

I've always considered myself wise in the ways of camping, but we made a rookie move this weekend. We figured if we left early enough we could just grab a first come first serve campground. Of course it was the hottest weekend of the year (here in Oregon), we left late and we shot for a small out of the way place with 14 sites. We rolled in to see the no vacancy sign. And also about five or six other cars looking for a place. Fortunately we had the Northwest Camping Guide on us. I was able to call every campground from Astoria to Newport, and after an hour or so of calls, I found a place. It was an RV park, but they had a spot. So bring the book, but book ahead. Normally I might recommend you grab it at the Multnomah Public, but its popular and it won't be available when you need it, so just buy it. Here is the author of the book, a professional outdoorsman.

The plus side of the unplanned trip is that we went to Cape Meares. It's a gorgeous spot with very high cliffs, bird watching and this creepy tree that would give Lovecraft or Stephen King some inspiration. We also hit this beach, but this being the West Coast, we were unable to swim thanks to the Arctic temperatures.