With fall approaching upon us, we wanted to get in as much late season camping as possible and fishing on the John Day was calling! Le Page park is one or favorite getaways, with the climate and scenery of the high desert of Central Oregon, but just a 2-hour scenic drive down the awe-inspiring corridor that is the Columbia Gorge.

The Gorge is certainly one of the most beautiful drives in Oregon, I-84 follows the curves of the river while thousand year old rock walls line the freeway. Le Page is a very small park with just 20 sites right on the John Day where it comes into the Columbia. The scenery is breathtaking, with multi-colored hills covered in juniper brush and wildflowers. As the John Day snakes away from the powerful Columbia it narrows and is bass fishing heaven.

Ron was, once again, our camp mate, unfortunately without his partner Dario who had some responsibilities at home. A gorgeous, sun-set filled drive and the weekend was on! One thing that makes the Columbia gorge world renowned for kite-boarding is, of course, the wind. Unfortunately for us, this weekend turned out to be a great weekend for kite boarding which translated to a really windy weekend at camp. In spite of the lack of bass on our lines and the heavy wind gusts, it was another incredible weekend of camping in Oregon. Good friends, good food & drink, hiking, a sunny day on the river and a weekend spent in the great outdoors, once again we realized how truly blessed we are to be able to live and play in this gorgeous, gorgeous state. Below check out the extraordinary panoramic Jim took on our morning hike in the hills!