Fishing From a Kayak

I bought an inflatable kayak from a friend of mine who used to own a rafting business. It's a classic yellow Tahiti she could only find on eBay. Nostalgia was the main reason she bought it; a distracted lifestyle is why she never used it. So it's mine now (for the lovely price of $100). 

View of shore from on the water

The first time I took it out was on a river east of Shady Cove at a secret swimming hole. Using a hand pump (non-electric from Bi-Mart), I inflated its many parts, including two independent chairs. Fully inflated, it requires two people to transport it from the car to the water. But once in the water, it is heavenly.

A Week Alone in the Wild

Hunting, Scouting, Foraging

A writer will find a way to write and that's exactly what I did. On two-year old printed deer tags by the ceiling light in the back of my SUV where I slept, using a book of crossword puzzles as a hard surface, I unveiled my experience of being alone in the wild. 

The creek behind my campsite

Exploring as an Outing

Long weekends and early release school days are perfect opportunities to go out and explore the land. Forest service roads, highways, backroads; there are so many unexplored sites to see for you and your curious kid.

Venturing Alone in the Forest

Wind beat against my 4x4 capable Toyota in the middle of the night while I lay snuggled in the back on a thin inflatable pad. The valley likely only saw a light drizzle from this passing storm. But the hills where I camped were pounded by 15-20 mph gusts and sideways rain. I awoke intermittently to the rocking motion of my truck caused by the storm. Maybe sleeping in my vehicle beside a cliff wasn’t the best idea.

Odell Lake, OR

When I go out camping or day exploring with my son, I usually wing it. We wander up random roads and stop at spots (hills to climb, streams to play in, dirt piles to roll toy trucks on, underbrush to forage through) we might be able to make into a fun and interesting adventure.

Sometimes, winging it can be stressful.

My cousin and her family (husband and daughter) wanted to go camping with me because I'm awesome and random. We needed to meet somewhere half way so neither of us had an exceptionally longer drive over the other.

Odell Lake is about an hour and a half east of Eugene along highway 58. I had passed by it many times, entranced by its water surrounded by high peaks. Little did I know that campsites around the lake fill up fast and are reserved weeks ahead during the summer (like many popular recreation sites). Still, it worked out alright.

As soon as my partner got home from work we hit the road on a Friday afternoon to lock down a spot before my cousin arrived the next day. There are five campgrounds around the lake. The first we tried had only one site open, but it wouldn't fit two tents, so we decided to keep looking. Oh, what a mistake that was. Sort of.