LL Stub Stewart State Park

On the Road with Tim and April ! Happy Holidays! This short trip would be great for next summer ,

This is LL Stubb State Park just a short trip from our home town, This is a super cute wooded new state park . We choose to stay in the cabins, The cabis were perfect! No Tent ! no fuss ! all the cabins came with a covered porch , Table and chairs , Futon , twi/full bunkbed and POWER & Heat! Some of the people we saw brang extention cords and plugged in to cook outside. (you cant cook in doors) It was nice we brang a coffee pot as well a great addition! . 

There are a ton of trails right outside the cabin area there was a horse camping area as well as a kids playground day area, rv camping and hike in tent camping. The Camp grounds are beautifull and wooded in the foothills or Vernonia. Hiking was the main activity other then the daily ranger activities. There were many dirt trails for Horse , Bike and walkers and a 20 mile paved trail accross some beautifull train tressles one over 500 feet long from Banks to Vernonia. The views are mostly dense trees but for a nice wooded getaway I would give Stubb a try. There are two differant size cabins one a little larger you can reserve online. Happy Camping we will talk to you soon.

Check out the online brochure here (opens in PDF)

Facebook Photos

Flowers , Trees , Plants and the beautiful Northwest Await !

See you soon !

Tim and April

Bagby Hot Springs

Hello It's Tim & April!

This weekend finds us in a new place,

"Bagby Hot Springs", Bagby is one of Oregon's many hot springs. This is our first trip to this hot spring , the hike is an amazing well kept 1 1/2 mile hike with easy grades and so much to see , it runs along side a creek for alot of the trip , the water is crystal clear with many access spots and deep pools if you don't mind the cold water. What you should know about bagby- The water is hot! 134 degrees so

you will need to mix it with some cold creek water (buckets are provided) ,also there is a good chance you are going to see some naked people there are two areas to soak one is a public area where clothes are optional and people do use that option, there are five private soak rooms with hand made tubs made from a single log ,as well as a large 6 foot round tub a little further up the trail for a group. Go early! getting there early is a great way to get a soak log fast, it seemed like alot of people showed up in the after noon , this is a 24 hour use area so you can soak after dark, bring candles, we heard it does get a Little rowdy on the weekends at night even though alcohol is not allowed.

The place is amazing and pretty but of course there are people who have carved into the walls and not cared for the place like you would hope other than that the place is worth the hike and walk , it is way out in the woods so pack water and lunch.

The hot spring was discovered in 1880 by a hunter....you guessed it named Bagby. The first cabin was built in 1913 and still stands today. There used to be a telephone switchboard located there at one time, in the 1920's the bathhouse was built. In the 70's a fire destroyed the place and it was rebuilt by the friends of Bagby in 1974.

You cant camp at the springs but there is an 8 spot campground further up the trail.

There are a ton of campgrounds in the area you'll see them on the drive up.

You'll also pass the Ripplebrook ranger guard station about 14 miles before the Bagby parking area , they do have wood , some snacks and a map I would recommend you get , note it is also $5 to park at the trail head for state park day use.

The soak is great , we went right to the spring & got a tub in about 15 minutes , there are toilets at the springs , plan on packing out any trash you bring. We went to the creek and found a nice smooth rock to have lunch on and soak our feet , take your time and enjoy the walk the bridges are great and there are so many trees and rocks to see look the the leaner's.

The drive to the falls is just as great following the river . Bagby is defiantly on our you should do list !

Oh ! and its free!

To get there go through Estacada on Hwy 224 go 26 miles to the Ripplebrook Guard station at the road 46 and 57 junction take rd 46 go 4 miles take the Road 63 fork go 4 miles take the road 70 fork go 6 miles to the Bagby parking area there are road signs .

Well that's it for this weekend, keep an eye out in two weeks well be celebrating our 11th anniversary for two days doing nothing but enjoying the historic Embassy Suites In Portland.

Till next time Happy Travels

Tim & April.

Green Peter Lake Oregon

Hi It's Tim & April and Tabi too!
This time we are off to do a little camping and boating this is the last run before we sell our trusty "Das Boot" at Green Peter Lake, Green Peter is located about 10 miles from Sweet Home Oregon in Linn County and only a short 79 miles from our hometown of McMinnville. The lake is nestled in the woods it boasts hiking, camping , boating , fishing, Picnicking and swimming .

We choose to stay at Whitcomb Camp Ground ,there is a charge, the spaces were nice and you have room for RV , trailers or Tents, you can reserve online, it does have bathrooms and water (that was kinda a funny color) but NO SHOWERS , it was a short 1/2 mile hike to the dock through some beautiful woods , you can camp many places along the lake for free if you choose .

Green peter is just past Foster Dam , also a great little lake , we found Green Peter to be a bit more private , the water was 74 degrees and most of the time we had the lake to our selves .

We like to go on the week days rater than the weekend feels like the lake is yours alone most of the time .

There are plenty of inlets to get away too and even if you don't have a boat its nice on the shore , there was plenty of wood washed up on shore for your nightly fires . Bring some bug spray there are alot of bugs waiting to drink your blood .

There is plenty of space to roam around the lake the mornings are a bit cool which was nice even on the cloudy days the sun came out in the afternoon . The lake is very long and very deep .

Pack whatever you need it is a ways to town and don't forget a camp shower if you want to wash up . Its a great place for families and kids right in the woods of the northwest . Those cold mornings make the bacon taste better! If your a boater you'll love the space to roam , speed limit is 30 MPH and their is plenty of room to tube swim fish and ski , Tabi tubed for hours . There is also a floating bathroom on the lake for you to use which was nice to have , the dam is worth a walk across the view is awesome .

Get out there and enjoy the rest of summer , in Oregon it can end in a heart beat so enjoy the sun.

Till next time

Tim April & Tabi!

Drift Creek Falls Oregon

Hello this is our first post.
We thought what a great way to see and really get to know our Oregon together.
We hope to give an idea or two, enjoy!

This hike is definitely worth the drive!

Drift Creek Falls, Oregon
It's not too far from McMinnville, Oregon turn at Rose Lodge and make sure you look for and follow the Drift Creek Camp signs. It's only 9 miles from Highway 18 but feels like it's further due to the curvy road.

On your way, make sure you take time to stop and see
Oregon's oldest Covered Bridge. It's before your turn from Highway 18 and has a great story.

This hike is an easy stroll and ends with crossing a 200Ft suspension bridge 100ft above the creek. The bridge is an adventure in itself and quite a fun crossing even tough it does sway!
The bridge was flown in piece by piece by chopper. The view of the falls from the bridge is awesome! If you continue on, it goes to the bottom of the falls where water polished rocks and cool water awaits.

You'll see some great flora and a beautiful horsetail fall,
a relaxing easy hike and your their.

The trail is a bit muddy so bring shoes to change in to and lunch at the bottom of the falls is a must! It is $5 to hike but the donation station is broken at the time of this blog.

This 3 mile round trip hike in the woods of the northwest is a great way to start or end your day when visiting Lincoln City , Oregon.

looking where to hike? use this tool from the Portland Monthly
http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/travel-and-outdoors/find-a-trail/

Happy Travels
Tim & April

http://www.traveloregon.com/Explore-Oregon/Oregon-Coast/Outdoor-Recreation/Hike-Oregon/Hiking-and-Walking/Drift-Creek-Falls-Trail.aspx