camping at Champoeg

We went for a one-night camping trip to Champoeg State Park, a mere 45 minutes from home, with Anja's family (Luna, Reiko, and Zeke the dog!). We arrived Saturday in the late afternoon, set up camp, and immediately played a game of family baseball. 

Reiko has been obsessed with baseball since reading a book in which the main character plays, and recently became the proud owner of a glove, bat, and ball. So we brought our equipment and had a terrific little game in a field. Liesl was delighted to be able to teach someone how to throw, catch, and hit, and Reiko proved to have great coordination and was able to hit the ball from a soft throw.  Jasper was the ever-ready fielder, of course, excellent at chasing down hits but perhaps less excellent at returning them to tag people out. We all hit and ran (second base was a stump way way far away) and had a wonderful time.

After that was dinner, and then a walk to the boat dock on the Willamette River. Sadly, because of algae blooms, the water is not currently safe for swimming (it's particularly toxic for dogs, who inhale a lot of water when they swim), so we had to stay out. We had brought our paddleboards, but ended up deciding not to use them, since the doggos couldn't go in. There was a dog play area where we could let the dogs run and romp off leash, and it was beautiful in the late evening -- sun setting off the grasslands. And a nature playground for kids, where we had a timed obstacle course climbing up and over various objects.  

On Sunday we had more fun -- Steve went for an early morning run, and then Anja and I followed the same trail, a 5-mile out and back on a paved bike path.  The dogs romped and the girls played on the playground and in the amphitheatre. And then we played disc golf on the park's course; we have played before, of course, but it was their family's first time. Much hilarity ensued, as always, because we aren't very good and are continually hitting trees. 

And then we were surprised to see a huge assortment of Fords pulling into a field -- really old cars and newer muscle cars -- the 49th annual all-Ford picnic at Champoeg. Seb was in heaven, wandering and taking dozens of photos of all the cars. We wished that dad/Bompy was with us, because he likes to talk and reminisce about old cars and would have liked seeing the scene.

And then it was lunchtime, and packing up time. We got everything back into the car, and then the three kids rode their bikes on the bike trail to the Butteville General Store (same trail we'd run that morning) while we drove the cars the long way around to meet them. We got ice cream cones, and played cornhole in the outdoor picnic area, before driving home. Such a fun little getaway!