"THE RIVER"

Camping has always been a part of my life. While my family and I went many different places over the years, the place that has endured and always been a favorite was a place we call "The River". Growing up I would tell people we were going to "The River" and I just expected them to know where that was. It wasn't all that long ago that it finally dawned on me that other people had no idea where "The River" was, that we talked about. This "River" has given my family and I so many wonderful memories over the years, memories that continue to be made today.

"The River" is actually a piece of private property along the Siuslaw River. It is located on Highway 126, traveling west from Eugene to Florence. For those of you who know the area, it is right next to Camp Lane, before the tunnel, and before you get to the city of Mapleton.

The property has been in my family for many years, as my father was raised in this area. My grandparents now lived in Eugene, but built a cabin on their property to use for weekends and vacations. One of my earliest recollections of "The River" was visiting my grandparents and making mud pies out on the back porch. Now this was a "real" cabin, because it included an outhouse. I also remember when the tunnel was being built; all of us would go and watch the progress of a hole being blasted through the mountain.

When I was in my early teens my family decided to clear some of the land just on the other side of my grandparent's property to use for camping. Separating the property was a steel bridge that crossed the Siuslaw River, called the Richardson Bridge. It was named for my family. This steel bridge has since been replaced by a modern cement bridge. The original steel bridge was moved to Eugene and now crosses the Amazon Creek, just off West 11th Street, and is used as a bike path.

Even though we camped in many places as a child "The River" was the best! In the winter months the river rises high with the rainfall and snow melt-off. One winter about five years ago our thirteen step stairway down to the river, that was cabled to a tree, broke loose and was taken a short way down river. We retrieved it and secured it again. In the summer months this river isn't cold, high, and dangerous like some of the rivers in Oregon. It gets so low you can walk across and up and down it. Deep holes make perfect swimming places; the water gets warmer and warmer as the summer goes on. Many hours were spent at the special swimming hole under the bridge. We would spend the entire day floating on air mattresses and inner tubes. Sometimes a rope was tied to the bridge and those of us who were brave, swung and plunged into the water. Those of us not swimming might be catching some of the hundreds of crawdads that made the river their home. One item that is a must in this river is the wearing of an old pair of tennis shoes. They save the feet and prevent many tumbles on the sometimes slippery rocks.

Even though we had a travel trailer, us kids loved to sleep out under the stars. Our parents would lay down tarps and then we would line up our sleeping bags all in a row. We would watch for shooting stars and talk through half the night.

As a child the only bad memories I have are seeing a wiggly snake once in awhile and a yucky slug in the damp shady areas.

Campfires provided a special time to talk as we all sat and stared into the crackling flames. Discussions about every topic you could imagine and eating wonderful treats: watermelon, cake, popcorn, licorice, cookies, roasted marshmallows, and s'mores, just to name a few, took place around the gathering place of our camp.

After my brother and I were both married we cleared more land so that we each had a place to camp. We then brought our children to enjoy the same simple pleasures that we had enjoyed as children. They used special wire nets their grandpa made to catch crawdads and swam under the bridge. They hiked in the hills to look for bear, deer, and elk, slept under the stars, carved initials in the river rock, and talked around the same campfire. Now that they are young adults they will someday have children of their own in which they will bring to "The River".

Today, going to "The River" is therapy for me. There are no phones (even cell phones don't work here), no clothes to wash, no T.V. to watch, nothing you have to do.

It's the place I finally read the magazines that have been piling up and the books I have been waiting to read. I take my lawn chair down to the riverbank, set it in the shallow water on the bedrock, put on the sunscreen, listen to the continuous current of the running water, and my therapy session begins.

This year all of my relatives discussed if we wanted to keep "The River" property. My parents still use it and do a lot of the upkeep, but they are getting older and it was now time to decide if all of us wanted to do a part and keep this special place. Well, no one even thought twice. Where else can you always go that only takes an hour to get to, you never need a reservation, the water is the best, and where memories of a lifetime are made.

Our families have grown and changed over time, but "The River" has been a place that has stayed the same and one that will continue to give pleasure and escape for many years to come. My family is so lucky to have "The River"!