We love camping, and try to go at least a few times each summer. This year we have been a little worried about how our camping trips were going to go with baby Ruger in tow. We had picked a really close campground up in the Tillamook Forest just in case things didn't go so well, but we shouldn't have worried - Ruger did great and we all had a wonderful time!
As soon as we got our campsite set up, we headed out to explore the forest and play in the river. We found a little side stream off the trail and headed down to check it out. It was so peaceful and relaxing, and so very beautiful!
The kids had a great time playing in the shallow water - here they are trying to catch some of the baby fish that were all over the place:
We briefly attempted to have Ruger off leash here, but it quickly became apparent that he was MUCH to excited to possibly be able to listen. Back on the leash he went, which meant that it wasn't quite as relaxing for me as it could have been, since I was in charge of keeping track of him. This was one of the moments where I found myself wishing we could fast forward time to next year, when he is older and more reliable, and a lot more trustworthy. Camping with him next year is going to be so awesome!
All of us love being in the forest, but Matthew probably loves it the most and he took some time to quietly soak it all in. I am so lucky to be spending my life with such an incredible man!
After a while we headed further down the trail, crossing this cool wood bridge on our way:
The campsite is a short hike to the Tillamook Forestry Center, and I had read that there was a suspension bridge and fire tower to explore, so we headed that way to check them out. The bridge was really tall:
And the view from it was amazing:
The kids loved the fire tower, and went up once with Matthew and once with me to check it out. At the top you can go in and read about what it would have been like to live in one of them, spending your days scanning the horizon for forest fires. It would have been lonely for sure, but a great adventure at the same time!
On our way back we stopped and played in a shallow spot along the Wilson River. Ruger was very excited about the idea, and was happy to follow us into the water:
When we got to a deeper section, he practiced his "doggie snorkeling" where he would stick his whole muzzle underwater and snort and frolic about. It was pretty cute to watch, and he ended up soaking wet from ear tips to toes because of it:
We headed back to the campsite to dry off, and Killian got the fire started for us:
We had dinner and went on another short walk before the kids went to bed and Matthew and I stayed up and talked by the fire. Those late night campfire conversations with him are probably one of my favorite parts of camping!
Early the next morning we got up and headed out for a little hike. Before we even left the campground, we saw this little fella nibbling some grass:
On our hike we saw so many beautiful flowers, and these ones were probably everyone's favorites. I have no idea what kind they are, but would love to plant some in my yard. They have the neatest little spots inside of them and I love how delicate they looked:
We were following signs that supposedly led to a waterfall that was just a mile or so away from the Forestry Center. We walked for what seemed like forever and there was definitely no waterfall in site. Ruger isn't the best about not pulling on his leash, and trying to navigate a foot wide trail with him through dense forest was not at all the relaxing hike I had signed up for. I had been ready to turn around for quite some time before we ran into a couple guys hiking the opposite way who told us that the waterfall was still a good 30 minutes up the trail. Seeing as we had already been walking for at least 45 minutes, we called it quits and headed back to the campsite.
We had to check out at 1:00, so we ate a quick lunch and packed up the car to head home. Have I mentioned lately how nice it is to have the van? There is NO way we could have gone camping with all our stuff and Ruger in the old car, so its really been a blessing to have all the space we have now. I fit all our stuff back there, and still had a nice space for Ruger and his favorite chicken toy to hang out in:
Ruger did really well about not barking at people, and sleeping quietly in his crate all night. I am so happy that he did good with all the changes, and that he enjoys camping as much as we do. I am really looking forward to more camping this year, and definitely to camping trips next summer when Ruger is a little older. There is so much wilderness to explore together!
As soon as we got our campsite set up, we headed out to explore the forest and play in the river. We found a little side stream off the trail and headed down to check it out. It was so peaceful and relaxing, and so very beautiful!
The kids had a great time playing in the shallow water - here they are trying to catch some of the baby fish that were all over the place:
We briefly attempted to have Ruger off leash here, but it quickly became apparent that he was MUCH to excited to possibly be able to listen. Back on the leash he went, which meant that it wasn't quite as relaxing for me as it could have been, since I was in charge of keeping track of him. This was one of the moments where I found myself wishing we could fast forward time to next year, when he is older and more reliable, and a lot more trustworthy. Camping with him next year is going to be so awesome!
All of us love being in the forest, but Matthew probably loves it the most and he took some time to quietly soak it all in. I am so lucky to be spending my life with such an incredible man!
After a while we headed further down the trail, crossing this cool wood bridge on our way:
The campsite is a short hike to the Tillamook Forestry Center, and I had read that there was a suspension bridge and fire tower to explore, so we headed that way to check them out. The bridge was really tall:
And the view from it was amazing:
The kids loved the fire tower, and went up once with Matthew and once with me to check it out. At the top you can go in and read about what it would have been like to live in one of them, spending your days scanning the horizon for forest fires. It would have been lonely for sure, but a great adventure at the same time!
On our way back we stopped and played in a shallow spot along the Wilson River. Ruger was very excited about the idea, and was happy to follow us into the water:
When we got to a deeper section, he practiced his "doggie snorkeling" where he would stick his whole muzzle underwater and snort and frolic about. It was pretty cute to watch, and he ended up soaking wet from ear tips to toes because of it:
We headed back to the campsite to dry off, and Killian got the fire started for us:
We had dinner and went on another short walk before the kids went to bed and Matthew and I stayed up and talked by the fire. Those late night campfire conversations with him are probably one of my favorite parts of camping!
Early the next morning we got up and headed out for a little hike. Before we even left the campground, we saw this little fella nibbling some grass:
On our hike we saw so many beautiful flowers, and these ones were probably everyone's favorites. I have no idea what kind they are, but would love to plant some in my yard. They have the neatest little spots inside of them and I love how delicate they looked:
We were following signs that supposedly led to a waterfall that was just a mile or so away from the Forestry Center. We walked for what seemed like forever and there was definitely no waterfall in site. Ruger isn't the best about not pulling on his leash, and trying to navigate a foot wide trail with him through dense forest was not at all the relaxing hike I had signed up for. I had been ready to turn around for quite some time before we ran into a couple guys hiking the opposite way who told us that the waterfall was still a good 30 minutes up the trail. Seeing as we had already been walking for at least 45 minutes, we called it quits and headed back to the campsite.
We had to check out at 1:00, so we ate a quick lunch and packed up the car to head home. Have I mentioned lately how nice it is to have the van? There is NO way we could have gone camping with all our stuff and Ruger in the old car, so its really been a blessing to have all the space we have now. I fit all our stuff back there, and still had a nice space for Ruger and his favorite chicken toy to hang out in:
Ruger did really well about not barking at people, and sleeping quietly in his crate all night. I am so happy that he did good with all the changes, and that he enjoys camping as much as we do. I am really looking forward to more camping this year, and definitely to camping trips next summer when Ruger is a little older. There is so much wilderness to explore together!