Oregon -- `Camping Lite' Program Includes Houseboats

MADRAS, Ore. - Telephones don't reach down to the waters of Lake Billy Chinook, where the Avgerakis family of Newberg, Ore., rents a state park houseboat each summer to enjoy the scenery and the quiet afforded by the rimrock-lined reservoir of the Deschutes River.

"That is exactly why we like it here," said Tom Avgerakis, a custom-home builder, who vacationed recently in central Oregon with his wife and two young children.

"When we're working, it seems like we're busy 24 hours a day. The phone can ring at any time," he said. "Renting a houseboat is our way of getting away and spending quality time together."

The Avgerakis family isn't unusual in an age when people always seem to be on the go. They don't want to mess with camping equipment, but they don't go often enough to invest in a recreational vehicle or a second home.

Until recently, camping-averse families were virtually excluded from overnight use of Oregon's famous state parks. That began to change in 1994, when the park system began offering some non-traditional camping shelters.

First came the yurts - circular domed tents with wood frames and locking doors. Then the concept expanded to cabins, tepees, covered wagons and houseboats.

The park system now has more than 200 alternative camping units that can accommodate 1,000 campers a night at 29 parks throughout the state. The alternative styles are referred to as "Camping Lite" in a state park brochure.

The creme de la creme of the non-traditional camping experiences are the houseboats, four of which can be rented by reservation at the Cove Palisades State Park 10 miles west of Madras.

The park's main attraction is Lake Billy Chinook, a scenic desert reservoir that entices Portlanders as one of north-central Oregon's first recreation destinations east of the Cascades.

A private business, Chinook Water Chalets, rents 30 houseboats on the lake.

"It's a great way for us to vacation. We just come here and relax," Lori Avgerakis said.

The style of a houseboat vacation varies with each group. Some invite lots of friends, helping spread the cost and partying until the wee hours. Others use houseboats as base areas for their toys - their ski boats, fishing boats and personal water craft.

"Our only boat is the rubber raft parked on the back deck," Tom Avgerakis said.

The state park boats cost as much as $440 a night for a weekend rental during summer, when they are generally reserved weeks in advance. Weeklong stays during slower seasons can cost as little as $150 a night.

"We think it's a good deal because we get so much out of it," Tom Avgerakis said. "Whatever the price is, it's worth it."

Lori Avgerakis concurred: "To me, it's better than going to a resort."

A houseboat is much like a big RV or trailer, but instead of rolling down the road, it inches across a lake at 5 mph. Avgerakis said the boat is easy to pilot, except for the maneuvering that is necessary around the docks.

"The marina staff is there to help you then anyway," he said.

Every inch of space is put to use, and the boats are filled with the comforts of home - air-conditioning units, microwave and electric ovens, two refrigerators, a bathroom with shower/tub, a gas barbecue, a stereo, sitting decks fore and aft, a rooftop sunning deck and beds for 10-12. About the only things missing are a telephone and a television set.

Pay telephones are available at the state park marina, and mobile phones work from atop canyon walls, a one-mile drive and a 400-foot climb to the top of the rimrock.

The state park houseboat program, which began in 1996 and is available only at the Cove Palisades, has been a big hit with the public, according to park manager Steve Janiszewski. Although the four houseboats are reserved for much of the summer, the future of the program is evaluated annually.

The other types of camping alternatives have been revenue producers, but park managers have found extra income brings with it extra burdens.

"We've got 153 yurts and could rent 500 per night," said Craig Tutor, director of public services for the park system. "But the Legislature hasn't allowed us to increase the size of our field staff. It's a real burden to the staff to maintain these things."

More information

For more information about houseboating in the Pacific Northwest, phone or write the appropriate state or provincial tourism office, or visit their Web pages.