(+14 insets!) (Bigger is nice!) (This is another War and Peace doorstop so get a cup of coffee or prepare for a nap! :D)

Highlights of Detroit Lake State Park
What a wonderful visit we had here! Situated in the Cascade Mountains in central-western Oregon, this conifer and deciduous tree-filled park features over 300 campsites and an 11-mile long lake that caters to all types of water sports. We were there for seven nights and that meant total relaxation and settling into the park and all that it had to offer.

Boating and Fishing Adventures
Steve assembled our nifty fold-up Porta-Bote and I finally got to go for my first ride, what fun! The six horse-power motor was perfect for taking us out on the lake and around the sizeable Piety Island which sits in front of the campground. We buzzed up to the point where one river enters the lake--the North Santiam--and saw something that piqued our interest…a "scum line"! This is where the river water mixes with the lake water and creates a leafy, stick, detritus and log soup--and it's also a wonderful place for fishing! We were so excited!

The next day we came back and tried our luck…Steve was able to anchor us right next to the scum line and away we went! Soon I caught one, but it got away after leaping out of the water! Steve caught one that escaped its hook as he was reeling it in, and we also got a number of promising nibbles and bites that didn't pan out. But then Steve hooked a keeper! A lovely Rainbow Trout that we cooked up for part of our dinner the next night and what a delicious treat!

The next day we took the boat down to the south-eastern end, where the Breitenbush River enters the lake and tried our luck in a deeper spot. Sadly we didn't catch anything that day but we thoroughly enjoyed our time on the water and the beauty surrounding us. What amazing peace and tranquility--and how nice it was to have a boat with us!

Hiking and Biking Adventures
When I first visit a park, my morning walk includes a stroll around every paved loop road to check out everyone's trailers and tent setups. On following days, if there is a perimeter trail, I will often switch to walking on that instead. Happily, the Detroit Lake campground had a marvelous trail extending 3.2 miles around its 300+ campsites! Though half of the trail paralleled the often-loud highway, it was a very beautiful path and worth braving the noisy trucks, motorcycles and semi's that zoomed past. The lower half of the trail skirted the rear of the lake's beach and was the definite highlight. I would watch boats of all sorts buzzing by, jet-skis, kayaks, paddle boarders and canoers, and smiled at the sight of dogs diving in for balls, kids playing on their inflatables and folks soaking up the rays. What a nice way to spend part of my morning walk!

Biking was fun too, and we buzzed around the campground loops most days, cruising past everyone's campsites and looking in on all of the interesting family stories we'd see there. As I've said before, one of the best aspects of staying at campgrounds is the opportunity to see snippets of family life--something not possible where we have our rurally-located house.

I tried riding my bike on the perimeter trail one day but determined that the turns were sometimes too difficult to ride on, the little hills too abrupt, and the width of the trail too narrow to navigate comfortably. Still, it was great fun to try and I no longer had to wonder if it was the type of trail I'd enjoy on my bike. (There were other bike trails to go on which weren't too far away, but they required us to drive to those trails and we didn't feel like it!)

Let's Not Forget Pumpkin's Campground Tours!
Steve and I also went on daily walks with Pumpkin, something she absolutely loves! Her joyful whistling songs, hilarious bouts of laughter and silly sound effects are such fun to experience. Looking over at her as she sits perched in her little front-pack cage is a wonderful sight--feathers puffed with smiling eyes and happy expression--we cannot help but join in her jubilation. And of course, she's a total, magnetic ham. Her sing-song attracts onlookers near and far, and they are always delighted and amazed that we have a bird--"she's so beautiful!"--with us! Pumpkin turns up her antics whenever anyone else is around and while she's putting on her show--with plenty of laughing too--we answer questions and gently tell those who are excited about birds, that they are a very big responsibility and not for everyone. We love to educate and entertain Pumpkin's fans and those visitors sure do make her extra happy!

Piety Island and a Hike to Piety Knob
(Here is a link to a pdf which shows Detroit Lake with Piety Island in the middle)
The day before we left Detroit Lake, we decided to pack some snacks, take the boat down to the lake and buzz across to Piety Island. There was a campground there (closed for Covid) and also a hiking trail that led up to the peak of the island. Steve and I were so excited to go because we figured that so few people got the chance to do that hike and that made it extra special!

Once we got to the island, Steve attached its handy clamp-on wheels to the boat and towed it to the top of the beach where we locked it to a tree. The chance of any nefarious activity was laughably low but you just never know. We believe in the adage, "keep honest people honest" and on the other side of the coin…what would we do if we were stuck on that island without a boat to get back?

We didn't exactly know where the trail was but luckily we found it right away! The first foray into the forest took us the wrong way though, but soon we were on the right path and up we went! It was a lovely forest trek, gradually heading up and up, through acres of ferns and conifers that darkened the understory. Here and there we could see the water through the trees and even the harbors showed themselves at just the right angle.

Getting to the very top of the island turned out to be a bit of a challenge! Apparently the majority of hikers stopped just short of Piety Knob but we were bound and determined to stand at the highest point. Following the mostly-non-existent trail, we depended on the plastic trail markers that hung from branches along the way. Pushing our way through ferns and under encroaching branches, around bushes and over wispy plants, we managed the last quarter-mile to the point where no ground was higher and Steve's navigation app showed that we were at Piety Knob! YAY!! What a fun challenge to succeed at! We were delighted! Still, there was no place to sit and we wanted our snacks, so we did an about-face and made our way back down to the main trail. A few moments later and we were sitting with our legs dangling over the edge of the steep hillside, looking into the forested valley below. Our tasty reward for "bagging Piety Knob"? Lovely chunks of blue cheese, slices of pepperoni, gourmet hard sausage and cheddar-garlic curds, draughts of ice-cold water and handfuls of delicious roasted cashews! NOM! :D

And guess who came along for the adventure? Why, the Squidgy Gang, of course!* George, Bun and Stormy were safely tucked away in my backpack throughout our trip and Steve took a picture of us at our picnic spot. Alas, I wasn't happy with my expression and the harsh lighting from his phone's camera so my picture to document their visit to Detroit Lake State Park was one I took at a picnic table near the island's beach…and don't they look HAPPY! :D *These are three stuffed animals that were lovingly made for me by my dear ipernity friend, Jenny McIntyre.

Today's Pictures
My main image is a macro I took with my Canon and I just love the way these flowery stalks turned out. I couldn't place the species at first, even though I know I'd seen this flower many times before. After looking for a bit I remembered! It was in the sage family, and with that clue I figure it out: Creeping Sage! You'll see a close-up among the insets and I've gone crazy and uploaded tons of pictures because they are really piling up! I hope you enjoy the show!

Insets Include…
Detroit Lake Beach and Perimeter images…
…an individual cluster of sage blossoms
…a feather caught between rocks on the beach
…a fun bokeh shot showing a float on the beach and a line of other floats leading down to the water with people at the shore
…a picnic table sitting near the beach with trees overhead, the sun dappling the ground below
…groundsel fluff that I thought looked artistic and cool
…a square-format macro of Columbia Coreopsis
…a darling chipmunk that stopped long enough for a picture
…a cluster of snowberries and bokeh

Piety Knob Hike images…
…a natural bouquet of Groundsel blossoms
…a close-up to show the little beetle larvae on one of the flowers
…a view through the trees on the way up to Piety Knob which shows one of Detroit Lake's campground docks
…a view of the trail to show the amazing fern and conifer forest
…another trail picture because one isn't enough! :D
…and last but not least, the Squidgy Gang hanging out on a Piety Campground picnic table!

Here's hoping you're having a lovely and safe weekend!! Thanks so much for your visits, comments and favorites! You're all the best! :)

Explored on 8/30/20; highest placement #7.