Good new and bad news regarding the campout.
Bad news first:
By the time I finally started to get the ball rolling for the camp out, there were hardly any group sites left for this summer, so I booked the Atkission Group Camp site unseen. Well, after a weekend in Portland, we decided to take the scenic route home and swing by the campground to check it out.
No wonder it wasn't booked! Not what I would call a campground - just a hunk of blacktop. And so, the campout will NOT be at Atkission. There is no way I would let everybody drive all that way to sit on asphalt together.
And now, the good news:
The first NW Camp-Inn Round-Up will go on as planned - at a new location.
We spent the rest of the day driving through just about every campground in the county looking for anything other than Atkission, and stumbled across a small county operated campground that will be MUCH better. It is just a few miles from the gorge and from Beacon Rock, so there are lots of things to do nearby, and, best of all, flush toilets! What really look appealing was the grassy day use area. We could just picture all of our teardrops circled in the little meadow. It was a long shot, but we asked the county to make an exception and allow us to reserve the day use area for our campout in August. Yep, it's ours! In addition to the day use area, they have also made individual campsites available to us as needed - for anyone who prefers a little more privacy. Apparently, the county was so pleased with the teardroppers at the recent gorge gathering that they have agreed to make a large exception for our group.
We have reservations for the original dates, in the same general area - just a much better location. The cost will depend on the number of trailers that show. For example, with 10 trailers, expect to pay around $30 for the entire three/four day weekend. (If you want your own site, you can pay for it there - $15 / night.)
Here is a link with a google map:
http://www.recreationparks.net/WA/skamania/big-cedars-county-park-willard
Hope to see you there!