to the mountain!

When the going gets hot here in Portland-town (anywhere above 80 degrees), people go to the mountains. Actually, once July hits, the population pretty much shifts to all the nearby campgrounds until the end of August. This weekend we went to Mt. Hood National Forest to camp with some friends. 

 The plan was to leave Thursday afternoon and snag an unreserved spot at the ever-popular Trillium Lake campground. Alas... it was full. So, our friends, Brandin and James, found the last 3-night spot at Still Creek campground instead. It was fantastic! 

 I love camping by Mt. Hood because of all the wonderful trees: Douglas firs, cedars. The air smells of the sweet pine needles and then the smoky campfires... Our site was on the corner and behind it, there was an open area of the forest with a bunch of logs laying around. It was the perfect spot for the two boys (Jacob and Preston) to play. They had all sorts of games going on back there. One Jacob referred to as "wikki wame". It involved throwing sticks, pine cones or bark up in the air and shouting that. Pretty funny. 

Of course, there was also the creek to visit, t-ball, frisbee, hammock-testing, biking, digging and stump rolling to entertain a person too.

On Saturday, we actually went over to Trillium Lake which is absolutely beautiful. Picturesque. The water was refreshingly cool but not so frigid that one felt numb. Wonderful. I know that sounds redundant but truly, it was just... great. 

As always, it was just nice to get away from our own house. Leave all the business and tedium of the house and let my mind just relax. Breathe in the mountain air, spend time looking up at the trees, sit around campfires and talk about the stars and the universe and life while eating s'mores. That's what I call time well spent. 

As I was headed to the outhouse at one point, I noticed an Arkansas license plate. It reminded me that we really do live in a gorgeous area of the world, a destination for many people, somewhere to plan on going. And we get to drive here in little over an hour. Not too shabby. Certainly something to appreciate.