Camping in a Canyon

Our last two nights of camping have been spent at Cottonwood Canyon State Park.  It’s the second largest state park in Oregon.

Beginning in 1930, this property was used for cattle ranching by the Murtha’s. In 2008, the property was sold and now it is Oregon’s newest state park.  The thing that makes it charming, at least for me, is the old barn and some very old farming equipment that is scattered around here and there.  The area is pretty rugged, so I imagine farming was not easy here.

This is a small campground—only about 20 campsites. It’s also what they call “primitive”, which means there are no hookups.  So we’re dry-camping (boon-docking). But they also have some cabins for rent, and several things to enjoy in their day-use area. This would be a good destination for a day trip.

The part we like best, though, is the canyon.  The hills here are so pretty!  This is our second stay here, and this time we’ve been able to see big-horn sheep on the cliffs. The John Day River winds its way through the park on its way to the Columbia. The river is a lot higher and faster than it was two years ago when we were here.

Because we’re in a canyon, the wind is pretty intense.  The first time we were here, the wind blew pretty much the whole time.  But each campsite has its own wind-break and they work pretty well.

Looking at this picture, you’d think we’ve had a couple of beautiful days here.  But believe it or not, it rained all night last night.  This afternoon, a horrendous storm blew into the canyon and doused us with a good amount of wind and rain for an hour and a half. Then the sun came out and we ventured out for a photo. 

I have to say, it’s pretty cozy to be hunkered down in the trailer when the wind is howling and the rain is pouring.  But we did feel very bad for a couple that had just gotten their camp set up. They rode out the storm under their dining tent.  Amazingly, everything, including their tent, stayed put. When things calmed down, they started a fire and continued on with their camping.  What troopers!

Check out H's Gallery to see more of the park.

This has been a nice way to bring our excursion to an end. Our next stop is home.

Stay tuned for a recap of the trip that will include some things we learned about trailer travel along the way.  It will probably be about a week before we get around to posting.  I have a feeling we’ll have a lot to do when we get home.