July 24th… Ready or Not, Here We Go!

After months of planning the countdown clock finally hit zero and our departure date has arrived. The last few days were a bit frantic. Every time I crossed something off my “to-do” list, I’d think of two more things to add.  Packing the RV for a year of full-time living was a little nerve wracking and Rog had to remind me there are stores all across the country. No need to lay in a year’s supply of peanut butter. Lol. Callie knew something was up too and was puppy guarding the front door, determined not to be left behind. She needn’t have worried, since we brought her home in 2010 she hasn’t missed a camping trip.

We pulled out around 5PM on Sunday – a little later than planned – but we had scheduled a short drive to Aurora, OR in anticipation of a late start. (Know your limitations!) Our second night was spent in a campground outside Bend, OR and then on to one of our all-time favorite campgrounds at Diamond Lake in Oregon. We caravanned down with my brother Tim and his mastiff, Brody, in their RV and met friends, Mikey & Glen, at the campground.  

Our site at Diamond Lake Campground.

We’ve been coming to Diamond Lake for about 25 years. When the girls were little, we’d meet Roger’s parents and grandparents here and have lots of great memories fishing, kayaking, and bicycling the 11-mile paved loop around the lake.  We arrived Tuesday, 7/26, to beautiful blue skies, temps in the 90’s, and a forecast for more of the same. The evening temp drops to the 40’s, perfect for a campfire, so you couldn’t ask for better weather. It was a great way to start our year on the road.

Sunset on Diamond Lake.

Callie enjoyed short walks around the campground. Rog and I biked the loop trail around the lake which offers stunning views of Mt. Thielson and Mt. Bailey.

One of the few downsides of Diamond Lake is really spotty internet. It has taken well over an hour to upload these six pictures. Lol. So if I don't respond right away to comments, it's not for lack of trying! I have another post ready to go and will try to get that out tomorrow. We are planning to hike the Mt. Thielsen trail, we'll see how close I get to its craggy top. 

Mt. Thielsen, taken from the loop trail.

Silent Creek, taken from the loop trail.

Rog at the Silent Creek bridge.

Mt. Bailey