Are you ready for the Hootenanny ?!

Thanks for taking a look at our wedding blog!
It is a work in progress, so please check back as we continue to update the following posts. And if there is an important and timely question that we have not yet attended to, feel free to drop an email or give us a call. Can't wait to see y'all!


Here's what to expect in the coming posts:

1. Campsite Reservations ("camping? like, in a tent?")
2. Alternative Lodging (sheets and showers are nice too)
3. Potluck How-To
4. Pie-Tree How-To
5. Suggested Gear (like a toothbrush for your filthy mouth... Kristen...)
6. Detailed Driving Directions & Maps
7. Information on totally awesome activities in the area
8. Carpooling/RideSharing/Funbus Suggestions (Eugene is close for some, far for others)
9. Gift Registry Info/Input/contacts (greedy greedy)
10. More on suggested arrival times
11. F.A.Q -- "What the heck should i wear to this thing, anyway?"
    

So, y'all come back now!
We will be adding to each post in the coming days!

Have you already mailed your RSVP Postcard?

If so... you're the best! More pie for you!!
If not... please do! I would hate to eat all your pie!
(PS-- they're already stamped!)

Camping Information

The Hootenanny itself will be held at the Clark Creek CCC Organization Camp, a large reservable primitive group campground with a covered picnic area, playing field, two brand new wheelchair-accessible pit toilets, 5 Adirondack-style open-air bunkhouses, and running water. (**Note: The photo posted here is not in fact Clark Creek... just a good picture of Poncho and Dan campin' in the desert this Spring.) Use this link to a website offering a little more information about the group site:

http://www.recreation.gov/camping/Clark_Creek_Organization_Camp_Or/r/campgroundDetails.do?page=details&contractCode=NRSO&parkId=73723&topTabIndex=CampingSpot

The group campsite, “Clark Creek,” we have reserved is along Fall Creek, a popular camping destination just outside of Eugene, and there are several more first-come-first-serve campgrounds very nearby, just downstream/down the road. Our hope is that many of the folks that intend to spend the night after the wedding will stay at these campgrounds for their convenience (this way one can set-up camp in close proximity to their vehicle, and also so as to not over-crowd the Clark Creek group site). The other campgrounds are as follows, and all offer nice sites right on the water of beautiful Fall Creek. A few campsites will fit an RV, but none of the sites have hookups, and are classified as “primitive,” although they all have bathrooms, fire rings, and picnic tables. Please let us know if you are interested in staying in one of these sights (with your RV/trailer/camper/tent etc.) and we will do our best to pay for & occupy them beginning Thursday night, until you arrive with your vehicle on Friday or Saturday.

Fall Creek Campgrounds— listed from Downstream-Upstream:

• Dolly Varden Campground— (3 sites total, one good spot for a large RV to back in)


• Private / Unofficial Spot by Big Pull-Out— (one tent site, or room for one RV to park along road)


• Broken Bowl Campground— (several good creek-side tent sites, walk-in, prettiest, good tenting spot for families/non-all-night-partiers)


• Big Pool Campground—(5 tent sites, one site possible for a small RV to back-in, kinda close to the road)


• (Clark Creek Group Camp is located here in relation to the other sites.)


• Bedrock Campground—(some pretty good spots for RVs here, although it is within the recent Fall Creek Burn, so not quite as scenic but still pretty. One bonus is that there is a possible pull-through RV site here.)

Please let us know if you are interested in any of these sites—remember they are all first come first serve!

Alternative Accommodations

One of the primary reasons that Poncho and I chose to have our wedding at a campground was so that after the party, where there will be plenty of booze and general rabblerousing, no one will have to DRIVE anywhere. In my perfect world, not a single person who has been drinking at the wedding will get behind the wheel to drive anywhere once the party winds down. For that reason I highly encourage everyone who can to camp out! But I certainly understand that this is not an option for everyone, so below is some info that should help you find off-site accommodations.

**Another important factor in off-site accommodations:::::: (!!!) RESERVE EARLY!!! There are two home games in Eugene and Corvallis the same day as our wedding, so lodging will likely be hard to come by in the Eugene area! The city will likely be flooded with Duck fans, and I am sure that those that are staying in hotels are likely to reserve their rooms early! (Sadly, prices are a little inflated for the football game, too…)

So get on the horn and get yourself a room ASAP!

Here is a list of the nearby towns that may offer lodging, listed in order from closest to farthest to the Wedding site.

• Lowell



• Fall Creek



• Dexter



• Jasper



• Pleasant Hill



• Springfield



• Eugene



• Creswell
  



• Oakridge

I have not had much luck so far in finding lodging in the smaller, closer towns of Lowell, Fall Creek, Dexter, Jasper, or Pleasant Hill. There may however be some vacation rentals available in these towns, and I would recommend looking on Craigslist if this option might be of interest to you. (We will continue to hunt for close-by accommodations… and post whatever we find!)

• Dexter Shores RV Park* (has hook-ups) (also has 2 small cabins that sleep four) 541-937-3711. **In Dexter… very nearby!

Springfield, Eugene, Creswell, and Oakridge however all offer plenty of lodging options, from hotels, motels, bed & breakfasts, to hostels. Here is a list of just a few options, but do bear in mind that they are a distance of at least 20-30 miles from the Wedding site, and if you do intend to drink at the wedding, the drive is not advisable.

• Comfort Suites Eugene – 3060 Brackenfern Rd, Eugene, OR 97403. (541) 343-7000. (Still a few rooms left! Looks like a good option in terms of proximity and accessibility!)



• Best Western Green Tree Inn (Eugene) 541/485-2727
  

And here are some other more “interesting” B&B-type options:

• Oval Door Bed & Breakfast (downtown Eugene, swanky B&B) (541) 683-3160



• Pookie’s Bed & Breakfast (downtown Eugene, swanky B&B) (541) 343-0383



• Campbell House, A City Inn (downtown Eugene, swanky B&B) (541) 343-1119



• The Secret Garden B&B (downtown Eugene, swanky B&B) (541) 484-6755



• Lively Organic Farm (outskirts of Eugene) 541-461-2737



• Belknap Resort & Hot Springs (McKenzie River, some distance from wedding, but super cool if you intend to stay a few days) 541-822-3512
  

Best of luck! Reserve soon! Give me a call if you need more help securing lodging.

--Heather

Carpooling & Ride-Sharring.... and a FUNBUS!

Come back for a looksie soon... the fewer cars we can put on the road for this the better!!!

(I was thinking anyone who has space in their car driving from Portland or Oakridge could "comment" on this post, listing their contact info, and the same for anyone looking for a ride...? Sound helpful?) For example, my friend Laura is flying into PDX on Friday evening, and needs a ride down to the Hootenanny... anyone planning to leave Portland late Friday evening to come on down and spend Friday night camping? )

*** Also! Just in! My (brilliant) mother is looking into renting a "Funbus" to drive folks from Portland down to the wedding and then back up again the same day. Would this option appeal to anyone? If so, please contact Nancy at 503-663-0220, and/or past a comment to this post!

Potluck How-To

Have you sent us your RSVP Postcard?

If so, you are probably golden.

Mostly what we need to know is if you are planning to bring a side-dish or not!

And if you are,

are you are planning to bring a cold dish

(like a salad)

or a hot dish (like a casserole),

so we can plan out our quantities of each.

Also- are you gonna bring a pie?

Pie-Tree How-To

IF you are bringing a pie please bring it in a standard size pie dish. I believe that would be a 10" dish.

Suggested Gear

TBA...

I'll revisit this, but here are a few key things I can think of off the top of my head:

• Headlamps or Flashlights or Lanterns! (It's gonna be dark out there!)


• Camp Chairs (bring a few extra if you have 'em to spare)


• Swim Suit


• Warm Clothes for after dark


• Rain Gear (you never know-- but the more prepared we are, the better luck we'll have!)


• If camping overnight, BYO camp dish or bowl, and your own fork or spork (for use with other meals besides the Potluck on Saturday- we've got you covered there!)

Detailed Driving Directions & Maps

Make sure you zoom out to see the whole map. Clark Creek Organization Camp is located where the Martini Glass is. I've added directions to the map showing how to get from Lowell to Clark Creek. If anybody has questions on how to use these maps then post a comment or give me a call.

DIRECTIONS FROM I-5:
- From Interstate-5 near Eugene, turn Right on Exit #188/Hwy 58 East/Klamath Falls/Oakridge
- Proceed East on Hwy 58 for 13 miles
- At covered bridge, turn Left on Jasper-Lowell Rd
- Continue through Lowell staying on Jasper-Lowell Rd
- Turn Left then Right followings signs for "Fall Creek."
- At 2nd covered bridge, turn Right on Big Fall Creek Rd., veering Left at dam
- Continue 7 miles to sign for Clark Creek Camp.


View H&P Wedding Hootenanny in a larger map

Link to Google Maps
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=114132947816381659159.000471ea00b9fc8a5672b&ll=43.992815,-122.578583&spn=0.756794,2.301636&t=p&z=10

Area Attractions

TBA...

More on the Suggested Arrival Times

11am-- Recommended arrival time if you are camping overnight AND plan to join us for the ceremony. This will give you time (about 2 hours) to find your campsite, set up your camp, orient yourself with the grounds, get settled in , and relax a bit before the festivities begin. This way you can stay with the group after the ceremony, for the eating and drinking and festivities, rather than running off to set up your camp while we have all the fun without you.
**As long as you are all settled in and happy and not running around asking us questions and slamming car doors and yelling at each other about how to set up your tent at 1pm when we are trying to start the ceremony, we will be happy. (Thus the 11am "suggested" arrival time- to give you 2 hours to do just that!)

1pm-- Recommended arrival time if you plan to join us for the ceremony. (*Coming to the ceremony is not mandatory... it's only if you really want to see it and really actually honestly want to be there! If you don't- we'll see you at the potluck!)
**Keep in mind there are 2 home college football games on the same day of the wedding!
Both the Ducks in Eugene and Beavers in Corvallis are playing sometime around 1pm on Saturday... so that means that I-5 traffic will likely be BAD! You will probably want to allot yourself more time than usual to drive from Portland to Eugene.

4pm-- Recommended arrival time for the Potluck and Reception. Show up at 4 to eat, then stick around for the drink and merriment!
(And remember- if you plan on drinking, please plan on spending the night! Be safe!)

Frequently Asked Question: What is going on between the ceremony and the reception, from 1:30 to 4 pm? Well, we are planning on a little buffer time for the start of the ceremony, considering the long drive for some and the threat of football traffic. So we are counting on the ceremony being finished up sometime between 2 and 3pm, depending on unforeseen circumstances, which leaves just 1 hour for the "Wedding Work Party" (family and friends) to set up the BBQ, get the meat a 'grillin', put out all the potluck food & pies, etc. During this hour/hour and a half, we hope you will enjoy a cocktail, play some horseshoes, croquet, or badminton, and relax in the beauty of the forest. The time will fly, and the dinner bell will ring before you know it, I am sure. So, chillax!

F.A.Q. "What the heck should I wear to this thing...?!?"

Frequently Asked Questions and their Answers...

Q: "What should I wear?"

A: You can wear whatever you like to the wedding, but it is fun to see people looking dressed-up and sharp. (We'll be lookin' super dapper, I tell you what!) Not too crazy fancy though because it is a campout, afterall; stiletto heals might not be very wise on uneven pathways and porous forest duff... You can always dress to the nines for the start of the party, if you want to, and then bring a change of clothes (fleecy/jeans/cozy-action) for later. But if you show up in jeans and a T-shirt, we will love you all the same!

Gift Registry: Greedy Greedy!

http://www.honeyfund.com/wedding/ponchoandheather

The purpose of the traditional newlywed gift-giving, as I understand it, is to help the new couple "make a home," showering the young love birds with china, silverware, toaster-ovens, potential heirlooms-to-be, and all those other wonderful things that help make a house a "home." I think its a lovely tradition... for an eighteen-year old!

Poncho and I have been "making our house a home" for several years now, and we've both (well, mostly me!) already done plenty of nesting, pretty well filling our cupboards and closets with much-loved dishes, gadgets, tools and heirlooms. Why start over when what we already have suits us just fine? Want not, waste not, right?

That said, the wedding gift-giving tradition isn't something we want to deny our family (or ourselves!) entirely. So while we ask our guest to kindly refrain from giving cake stands and crystal vases, we hope they will recognize and sympathize with our shared desire to travel the world and explore new places. We have set up a website called "Honey Fund" designed to help guests contribute funds to our Honeymoon Trip as a wedding gift. We hope the specific nature of the web site will help our wedding guests realize that rather than just forking over the red envelope, they are in fact giving us a very special and important gift to help kick-start a long & loving relationship in which we will value the excitement and opportunities of world travel together.

To contribute, have a look at our Gift Registry at http://www.honeyfund.com/wedding/ponchoandheather

Thanks for reading, and feel free to contact me or my mom, Nancy, Newlyweds Acquisitions Manager, at (503) 312-3063, if you have any further questions!

-Heather

PS- Keep in mind, too, that if the slight vagueness of helping us pay for international gallivanting is just not to your liking, you could always go with a Gift Card for The Home Depot or The Rebuilding Center-- certainly more concrete, and always useful!

Lovely British Wedding Gore

WARNING: Not for the faint of heart! (Litterally: *GORE!*)