Camping in Florence

We quickly followed up our first camping trip of the year with our second. I think this is the first time ever that Michael and I have gone camping two weekends in a row, and I'm not sure if we will do it again. It was fun, but tiring and I got even more behind on housework than I usually am! ;)

Our friends, John & Amy invited us to camp with them at an "off highway vehicle riding area" campground seven miles south of Florence, OR, called Driftwood Campground. What the "off highway vehicle riding area" part means is that we were able to take our ATV and Michael's dirt bike to ride in the dunes. In the past we've gone either to Brownscamp which is on the way to Tillamook, or to Sand Lake which is very close to Tillamook. Michael has dreamed of riding the dunes ever since he heard about them. Besides that, he had not had a chance to ride in a couple of years, so you can imagine how much he was looking forward to the trip.

The Hays met us at our house the morning of the 9th, and we finished loading their van and our truck and trailer with 2 kids, 1 dog, 4 adults, 1 ATV & 1 dirt bike plus a mountain of supplies to get us through the next 3 days. We spent the next few hours traveling down I-5 South, stopping at a park in Corvallis for a quick lunch before hitting the road again.

When we pulled into the campground, it was clear we had left the warm sun behind us--the skies were overcast and it was definitely cool outside. I was glad I'd brought lots of warm layers! Our campsite was right between two other sites and it was mostly just sand . . . the kind that sinks up to the ankles and always makes me feel like I'm walking around in a giant ashtray. :)

We spent the next couple of days lounging around the campfire or in our tents or taking rides out in the rolling dunes. John and Connor got to ride with Michael and experience the thrill that comes with speeding through the sand on a machine with no seatbelts.

I always love watching Michael when he rides--he comes back with flushed cheeks and shining eyes, reminding me of a small boy at Christmas. Maybe someday we'll have a house in the country with enough property that he can go riding anytime he wants and I can see that look all the time. But for now, we'll take what we can get.

More pictures from the trip: