Rick Gordon wrote:
  it might be worth taking a
> straw poll on:
> what people are looking for in a site;
> where they might be coming from;
> how long they're willing to travel to get there.
>
> My guess is that most people are coming from the I-5 corridor, between
> Everett and Eugene (perhaps some B'ham folks), and would consider more than
> 1 day travel in each direction to be a bit too much, even for a 3-day
> weekend!
>
> Perhaps there is something in the Columbia Gorge area, maybe up near Mt Hood?
> That's probably 5+ hours from Seattle. Also, there are some funky spots on
> the Washington side of the Gorge I've driven by before - but the
> windsurfing crowd may  have overrun them by now.
> Another area may be near Mt Adams - Gifford Pinchot National Forest -
> although that's still a long drive around from Seattle. You get about 3
> miles from the Pacific Crest Trail there though.
>
> I still like the Mt St Helens area but if you go into the north section you
> have to pay $. On the south side, it s "free-for-all" camping. Just find a
> spot large and flat enough, and it's yours.
>
> The key may be if people are looking for some funky out-of-the-way place or
> are willing to take over a section of a more mainstream campground, say
> like Fort Canby.
>
> anyway, what do other folks think? I'm still likely to do it anyway but I
> wasn't aware of just how far east you were talking about until tonight!

Rick's concern might be an issue, or not. Personally, I don't mind the
day long drive from Eugene (on the contrary, its a chance to enjoy my
Westie) but I see how this can affect others coming from BC, CA, or even
WA. THIS IS PRECISELY WHY WE NEED A LOT OF FEEDBACK ASAP!
Do we stick to the Cascades/I-5 corridor/coast (see some suggestions
above), or do we go for the more adventurous, unknown and sunny proposed
campsite in Eastern OR?
Cris.