Life with Andrea

I wanted to go someplace where i could hear birds, not traffic, in the morning.
I found two places - one possibility in Hood River, where it would be warmer. And one outside Yacolt, where it would be closer. Lazy me, I chose Yacolt - the place is called Sunset Falls.

Sunset Falls is GREAT! Here's a picture.
And, I even learned how to use the camera phone! Bob said the reason it takes such crummy pictures is that it's designed so you can take a picture of yourself. And I did it!

Anyway, I walked around a bit, and it was very quiet and very peaceful. But their signs about camping are really bad. I saw lots of signs that said $5 per day fee. I didn't see any signs about how much to camp overnight. So, I paid what I had - which was a $10 bill - and put it where they said, on the post at the campsite. (If you're doing day use, said the form, put it on the dashboard. If camping, on the post).

Then I discovered I had forgotten my sleeping bag. Maybe I could spend the night, maybe not? I had a sweatshirt and a towel and a hat ... I might be warm enough.

After I had been there 4 hours, the campground host comes up, and says, you really need to pay. I said I did. He said, how much? and I told him. He said it's CLEARLY MARKED that it's $12. (which is really is NOT. I had looked ALL OVER). And he also said that he does not like to have people put their stubs on the post, he wants them on the dashboard.

So I found where it told you WHERE to put the slip, but the Host did not like that. I could not find HOW MUCH to pay, and paid the wrong amount, and the Host did not like that. And, I had forgotten my sleeping bag anyway. The host made me move to the day use area, for lack of the $2. (Or I could go back to town and get an additional $2. Which is a 40 minute drive). Even though there were only two other people camped in the entire campground, and I said I'd be gone before overnight because I'd forgotten my sleeping bag.

So, while the place is pretty - I cannot recommend it as a place to calm down and relax.

BUT - I saw the funniest birds. They would sit on the rocks, and look at the water. Maybe wade a bit. And then they would DIVE IN. I saw one swim to the bottom of the pool for something! Really SWIM. Like a penguin! They were small and black or grey, sometimes they would swim on top like a duck, sometimes just walk on the rocks. One of them did that funny "i'm not really balanced here" thing people will do with their legs too far apart as they try to stand on rocks to get or do something.... But he didn't fall in. They kept JUMPING in, and diving, and swimming underwater. They were fabulous.