Planning, Planning…and Oregon Bound!
Well it’s been a few days since I’ve blogged, but your comments and words of support have been AMAZING. I am truly humbled by everyone who has shared their story and will be taking time to comment to each poster individually. My love and support goes out to all of you who are dealing or have dealth with things far, far more difficult than I. For the moment I still can’t quite wrap my head around writing about everything that’s happened here. Suffice to say it’s been a loooong 5 months and I’m ready to have it all behind me, at least for a while.
The one silver lining to all this is that we’re finally ready to move and making plans for our next months of travel. This is mucho-exciting and means we’re back on the road, baby!
This past week we knocked around a few different locations including Utah & Colorado, but decided in the end to follow the cool coast and explore the southern part of Oregon. It’s the perfect follow-on to our 2-month trip through Northern Oregon last year and means we’ll get many more paw-happy-sand-lovin’ moments on our very favorite coast. And in true beauty and the beast style it’s ALL going to be deep nature a-la national forest, county parks and state parks along the way. So, for a few days I’ve been scouring natural and inexpensive locations and have come up with a rough plan.
Basically we’re gonna high-tail it to Oregon up the 5, stopping at Mt Shasta for some mountain hiking & exploring and heading over from there to Ashland, OR for their annual Shakespeare Festival. From there it’s up to our fav spot in Eugene, OR for yearly RV maintenance & stocking up on fabulous produce. Then we hit the coast and take our fine time south along the 101, stopping at as many State Parks as we can physically manage to book. It’s a fine plan if I do say so myself and will take us to many new and unexplored areas.
Our adventure starts 2 weeks from today. In the meantime we’ll be wrapping up stuff here in San Diego, and hopefully cramming in a few more blog posts about the area. If any of you have thoughts on our trip or are planning to be in Oregon in the next few months do let us know. We’ve gotten some of our best visit ideas from other bloggers/commenters and always love meeting folks on the road.
Have a great trip. We love Oregon. Hope to move to the coast in the near future. Can’t wait to see the pictures.
Travel Mercies to you.
Paulina
Perhaps “being on the move” will be just the thing. Hard to come up with words of encouragement without sounding smarmy. Or like some sort of stalker.
Overall you seem to be a very positive person, and this “glitch” is only a brief blast of icy cold wind up the ole kilt.
And if you go commando under there, it’s something to make a person appreciate when the winds are warm and calm.
(What a helluva metaphor, eh?)
I’m here all day. Be sure and tip your server.
LOL….good Scottish humor there. I like the analogy alot! Nina
We are finally on the road and thanks to your tips and informative blogs we learned from you. First we now have an account with wordpress for blogging. As we were heading north we stopped by Hendersons line up for some MH improvements based on one of your blogs. We are on the Oregon Coast and despite the rain we are loving it and I know you will too as their State parks are really RV friendly.
Hope our path will cross someday and meet the best blogger.
-MonaLiza
Oh excellent. Congrats on being on the road and SO happy you guys had a good experience at Hendersons.
I will be checking your blog! Nina
We have a few blogs on our recent last stops on the beautiful Oregon Coast. As this is off season we are enjoying the parks mostly to ourselves. Check us out at http://lowestravels.com/
-MonaLiza
Oh excellent! I will definitely read up on your recent posts!
Nina
We did the Oregon coast last year in June. You can look back at our blogs to see where we stayed. We sure loved the coast and had a blast doing highway 101 and can’t wait to come back. Jeannie whereseldo.blogspot.com
Jeannie,
GREAT! I will check your archives for your travels. Always love to see what others have done. Gives me tons of ideas.
Nina
Get your motor runnin’
Head out on the highway
Lookin’ for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Steppenwolf said it all in their song.
Great Lines! Nina
I keep pushing my Montana husband for us to do the Oregon coast but he is a little people phobic–and it can be crowded, maybe in the fall when all the kids have gone back to school?? Have a wonderful time and blog lots so the rest of us can enjoy!
The coast definitely gets a little more crowded during summer vacation. Last year it was pretty busy in July, but when we hit September we had alot of space to ourselves.
Nina
Welcome Oregon, bring sweatshirts, haha. I highly recommend a trip over to Crater Lake Natl Park if you get the chance, one of most scenic areas in the state!! it will still have a lot of snow at this time of year but that makes it more scenic. It is about 90 miles from Medford. might make a good day trip.
enjoy the southern coast. go to the lookout above Heceta Head Lighthouse and enjoy the view, near Florence.
Crater Lake is definitely on our radar. Not sure if we’ll hit it on the way in or the way out (kinda depends where we go after the coast).
Nina
we love the oregon coast….have gone there for our summer vacations for the last three years!..simply beautiful!!..can’t wait to read all about your take on it!..we stayed in the small town of Port Orford at the Port Orford RV park!..great people and a lovely little park!
I will check out the area and the park. Cheers for the tip!
Nina
Love every inch of the Oregon Coast. The nice part about the southern part of the coast (Banana Belt) is that you see lots of sun, but it’s never too hot. I’m green with envy.
I’m definitely looking forward to the Bannana Belt! Should be a fascinating follow-on from our northern coast travels last year.
Nina
Hi Paul and Nina. Just thought I would chime in.. Belknap Hot springs along the McKenzie River is one of our favorite spots for a couple of days. Great hiking along the river with the fury friends is spectacular. Soaking in the HOT springs pools , beautiful gardens, big rig friendly, check it out if you have time.. Now the Big News. We started chatting and following you guys from the beginning, telling you that we were two years behind you on our Full timing quest. WE ARE READY ! Starting June 1. Headed to Southern Oregon then onto Northern California for July commitments. Planning to do Florida for the winter. (sound familure). Your Site is and has been a great help, keep it coming.. Now we will meet somewhere out there. So EXCITED to get this party started.. Have a great summer.
How exciting to have you guys follow us for so long…and mucho-exciting that you are on the road too!! CONGRATS!
DO hope we meet up. Cheers for the tip on teh springs!
Nina
Oregon has much to offer in the south as well as the north! And the coast is delightful. Go for it, and we’ll ride along with you now and again just to refresh ourselves.
I love your blog. We have been following you for the past few months. We are recent retirees and new to RVing. We don’t plan to full time, need to keep our house, but love your tips. We took our first big trip last July and it was up the Northern CA and Southern Oregon coast up the 101. It was absolutely beautiful! Have a great trip. As we plan to go back again we will take notes from your journey. We are currently in Southern Utah at Zion National Park. Absolutely gorgeous here!!
Great that you’re getting out there. Utah is simply gorgeous this time of year. We did alot of those parks 2 years ago and were considering it again this year, but OR won out. Will definitely go back to Utah.
Nina
It’s so exciting to be making travel plans, isn’t it? We are doing the same and hope to meet up with the two of you out on the road as we head north into Oregon as well.
You’re only going as far as Florence? You’re going to miss some of the best spots!!
We took a couple of months on the northern coast last year (all the way from Astoria to Florence), so we’re concentrating on the south this time around. We LOVED the northern coast!
Nina
A few suggestions: Just south of Bandon is West Coast Safari park where you can sit in a pen with tiger, lion, cougar cubs and play with them. A real treat for us animal folks, and make sure you buy some cups of food for all the critters that will surround you when you go in. Then in Roseburg go to the drive-thru safari park (I think actually in Winston). They have a small overnight rv park, your admission gives you two trips thru the park so you can take one in the late afternoon, stay overnight, the second in the am when the animals are feeding. You can drive your rv through the park but doggies have to stay in their free kennels. Takes a few hours to go through at your own pace, stop where you want. Maybe leave the pets in the rv in their parking lot and take the tow car through. Another nice campground is Bullards Beach just north of Bandon, then of course you have to eat at the Samoa Cookhouse near Eureka. Have fun, we’re heading up that way in 2 weeks but not that far.
EXCELLENT tips. I did not know about the Safari Park so that one is definitely going on our list of “must do’s”!
Thanks for the ideas.
Nina
Addendum: I just looked at the West Coast site, they may not have the RV park anymore, I’m not sure-but there is a private park right across the road from their entrance, we’ve stayed there a few times and it’s fine for an overnighter.
You can try the Oregon Dunes National Recreation area. Suislaw (sp?) area just south of Florence is a lovely place to explore. We have spent many vacations camped there, watching the birds, picking huckleberries, going for hikes. No real campsites as we know them, but plenty of spaces to camp boondock style. They do have water available though.
What an outstanding idea. Is the area “beast-size” friendly do you think? I will have to look this one up.
Nina
Nina, there are a limited number of “beast” friendly sites. See attached link of the campgrounds in the Siltcoos and close by areas….
http://www.recreation.gov/unifSearchResults.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=75471
Cheers. Will check it out. Looks like it’s a big off-road-vehicle area so may or may not camp there, but will definitely take the trip to see it.
Nina
The move north each year is an exciting time. We were going to tour Oregon and Washington, but stumbled on the chance to host a 15 site campround 10 miles down a dirt road, on a lake, in the mountains near Truckee. Our kind of gig. A summer of hiking and fishing without the crowds.
Definitely recommend Crater Lake while you are in southern Oregon. There is a really nice State Park, Collier Memorial, nearby. 50 amp and full hook in the forest, on a river. And Crater Lake is amazing.
Dark clouds always part and the sun shines again!
Sounds like a really sweeeet deal. We are certainly adding Crater Lake to our list. Not sure exactly when we’ll hit it, but do want to see it.
Nina
We love the Oregon coast and I would pick that as my place to settle down if Dave didn’t like Minnesota even more.
On our first trip to Oregon many, many years ago our daughter bought a t-shirt that said, “In Oregon you don’t tan. You rust.” Hope you don’t run into much of those conditions.
Yeah I had ALOT of posts on the crazy weather up there last year. You definitely gotta expect rain, no matter when you go!
Nina
we too are headedto Oregon this summer but will be in San Diegoabout the time you leave – can you recommend some good parks there?
Sure. We have 2 favorite spots in San Diego depending on what you’re looking for:
1/ Location: If you want to be close to the water and central to sights I recommend Mission Bay RV Park. The park is so-so, but the location is PERFECT. Beach & bay right out the door, and close to everything in town. Park takes PA mid-week (well worth it), Good Sam’s on the week-end. They’re currently offering a weekly rate too.
2/ Green: If you want green and space then I recommend Santee Lakes. Large, lovely sites…lots of green, lakes, biking lanes, hiking etc. It’s probably one of the nicest parks in San Diego. It’s about 15 miles from town.
If our dates overlap let’s definitely get together! We’ll be in Mission Bay until we leave.
Oh and I forgot to mention. If you’re looking for free parking, check out Sycuan Casino. It’s about 20 miles from town, but will let you park for free for several nights.
Nina
We get our MH work done in Eugene also and love the town. Within an easy drive is 1) Silverton and Silver Falls State Park. The town is classic and lots of hiking and photo ops at the Falls; and 2) North on 99W is Emerson Vineyards, a member of Harvest Hosts with free overnight parking for MHs. During summer they feature their Friday night “music at the vineyard” with food and of course wine. Sending good thoughts and wishes your way. Lynda http://stillhowlyntravels.blogspot.com/search?q=Oregon
Wow…really love the idea of the Friday night “music in the vineyard”. Thanks so much for the tips and the link to your blog posts! I think we’re adding that one to our list.
Nina
Glad to hear you are getting back on the road and going to such a gorgeous place. If my experience is any help, moving to new places, seeing new things and keeping busy is a great help with the blues and sleeping. Looking forward to seeing Southern Oregon with you. We had planned to do the entire coast but now who knows. Unexpected life catastrophes put everything up in the air.
Sherry
http://www.directionofourdreams.blogspot.com
I’m so sorry to hear about things being up in the air for you guys. Sending love and good vibes your way for whatever is going on!
Nina
there’s a state park just out of Medfordthats lovel, and just a day trip to CraterLake. Not sure of the name, I think Stevens .We camped there once,my family goes often.Grand daughter drives a red Chevy Duramax, camps with a TT.
hope you find it.
you can camp free at our farm,call me for directions503-829-8141
I think I found the park you’re referring to (Joseph H Stewart). Will be putting it on the list of places to go!
Oh and thanks so much for the generous offer of farm-docking option! I’ll keep you number on hand for when we get up there.
Nina
I’ve seen seveal suggestions to visit Crater Lake so I’ll just chime in and recommend it as well. Diamond Lake is a few miles north and has many camping spots, even an RV park, grocery shopping, and a beautiful resort with a great place to eat economically. It’s a great location to explore the surrounding area, including CL. The wife and I plan to be there mid August for a week before heading over to the coast. We plan to spend September in Cresent City, CA, exploring the Redwoods and taking long walks on the coast. I hope you have a great trip…really enjoy your posts.
Cheers for the tip! Just looked up Diamond Lake and it does look very nice. A few NFS sites around there too, it seems.
Nnia
Wish you were headed just a little bit more north to Portland! Enjoy your travels & sending good thoughts your way.
Yeah, not quite sure we’ll make it all the way there this time around, but you never know. Our plans are still quite loose.
Nina
Have fun! My hubby and I have sold our house and are moving into our 5th wheel this weekend! We need to stay in San Diego for a few more months, as we have a few items of business here, but then this fall we will also hit the road! We recently found your blog and will follow along with your adventures! I have to admit, this step of selling our house is a big one and at times it has scared me. But reading through your blog has helped remind me just why we are taking this bold step! Thank you!
Oh CONGRATS!! That is simply wonderful news. So happy the blog has helped you on your journey. If you want to come by and say “hi” we’ll be in Mission Bay RV Park until the end of next week. We’re usually around in the afternoons.
Nina
Hi Nina and Paul, I know you’ll have a great time on the Southern OR coast; Hans and I are looking forward to spending time there ourselves. We are actually heading to OR in a couple of weeks to visit my daughter/SIL and see their new home near Roseburg. And the big news is: we are listing with an agent very soon. We expect to put the house on the market in June…I can’t belive it’s finally happening! The road is beckoning in a very big way! By this time next year we hope to be following in your footsteps!!!!! Thanks for the inspiration and for letting us pick your brains a few months ago!
Lisa
A huge congratulations on the big move & the house listing! Here’s hoping the house sells quickly and you get to living your dream on the road. It was really wonderful to meet you guys while we were here (still remember that lovely dinner you made and have been buying the Rabbit Ridge wine ever since we drank it at your place!). Hope we get to see you again on the road. DO stay in touch.
Nina
You bet we will stay in touch! 🙂 Lots of positive energy and excitement right now, with a little bit of nerves thrown in for good measure! Fingers crossed for a quick sale…
Throw a rock anywhere on the Oregon Coast and you can’t go wrong, Nina.
Just catching up on your blog after a a few weeks of our own little detour. My DW had her gall bladder taken out. She’s doing well. We spent a lot of time in Bandon last year. My FIL passed away and we made many trips up there both before and after he died. We have a good friend up there, like a second mom to us. It’s a neat town. We hope to get back up there and replace the memories we have with happier ones. It’s a lovely area and I could sit and watch the ocean all day. Good luck and I hope you guys have a great time and safe travels. I really enjoy your blog. Can’t wait to see your impressions of the area.
By the way, being from Nevada all that vegetation is a little unnerving. We’re happy when we get something to grow. Not a problem up in OR.
Thanks for the good trip vibes. We’re really looking forward to it. And I know exactly what you mean about vegetation….sure is nice with some green, but it does come with some weather!
Nina
I agree with you in your praise of Eugene. We stayed at the Rio Bend RV park the last two summers. Very close to Country Coach for service. We also went to the farmers market in Eugene. A great one. Very nice vibe.
Yup, we’re really looking forward to going back there.
Nina
Glad to see you are visiting sothern Oregon this year – my old stomping ground.
If going to Crater Lake, our favorite is Farewell Bend, a USFS CG right on the Rogue River and near where the river enters a narrow gorge and goes underground. Butte Creek Mill on Hwy 62 is worth a stop – old waterwheel grist mill. In Central Point is Rogue blue cheese factory.
As to the coast, here are some suggestions. All the OR state parks are wonderful. You may be approaching the season when reservatons in some areas may be helpful. Not sure where you ae starting, so I will provide some highlights from Waldport south.
Tillicum Beach is a USFS CG with sites overlooking the ocean and right on the beach. Beachside is a state park right on the beach. Cape Perpetua has a nice vistor center and rocky shore with spouting horns. Sea Lion Caves can be a good stop – take elevator down to one of the largest sea caves where the sea lions spend much of the year.
Florence has nice small waterfront with shops, etc. On the north end is Darlingtonia State Park with carnivorous eating plants. Honeyman State Park is a large state park with lots of activities and the sand dunes. Dune buggy rides are fun.
Winchester Bay has a nice county owned RV park right on the waterfront. Sportsmen’s seafood market is great. Umqua oysters are some of the best.
Coos Bay – North Bend is the largest commercial centers on the Oregon coast. Sunset Bay State Park is one of our favorite campgrounds. Shore Acres has a wonderful garden, a remnant of the Simpson mansion.
Bandon has a small waterfront, but interesting. Bullards Beach State Park is just north on the opposite side of the river. Don’t miss the candy shop in downtown. Just south of Bandon is Misty Meadows – wonderful jams, etc.
Cape Blanco is westernmost point in continental U.S. Lighthouse. Historic Hughes house.
Port Orford – small town with interest harbor – fishing boats hoisted onto dock. Crazy Norwegian fish n chips is great.
Humbug Mountain State Park has CG and chance to hike up to top of the mountain.
Gold Beach (my hometown) is famous for Rogue River. Don’t miss the jet boat trip up the river – take the 104 mile trip, spectacular. My favorite place to camp is Quosatnana Creek up the Rogue. Wonderful USFS CG, warm since up the river about 10 miles. Hwy south to Brookings is some of the most spectacular.
Enjoy the Oregon coast, it is wonderful!
Al Z
Al Z,
THANK YOU so much for all the recommendations. We have actually made reservations on the coast since things were starting to book up. We will be hitting Harris Beach, Cape Blanco, Bullards Beach to name a few. I did look at Sunset Bay, but all the reviews suggested it might be too tight for our size (40-foot). We will definitely be making the trip out to visit it through.
Also love the suggestions for Crater Lake. I noticed alot of UCFS campgrounds in the area and was trying to narrow down the choices.
Will be printing out your comment for reference as we travel there.
Nina
Having lived in Oregon over 30 years, may I offer the following on your escapades in southern Oregon?
Crater Lake will most likely be buried in snow in May. The road to the main parking lot will most likely be open, but the rim drive around the lake most likely will not. Be sure to check on weather and road conditions before you go. The lake will be gorgeous if it is sunny or cloudy; however, some days the lake is socked in with fog and you can’t see it. See http://www.nps.gov/crla/parknews/upload/Crater-Lake-Reflections-Winter-Spring-2011-2012.pdf
At this time of year, your only option for getting to Crater Lake from I-5 is OR 62. In the summer, our recommendation for travel from Crater Lake back to I-5 is OR 138. Along the route are a number of waterfalls, all have great hiking trails, some are pretty close to the road. When we spent our summers in that area, we did not have an RV, so can’t vouch for your “Beast” fitting into some of the many campgrounds on the route.
We second the suggestion of visiting Shore Acres State Park. If possible try to go when there’s a storm at sea. The waves crash on the cliffs sending the waves 50′ or more in the air! It’s very dramatic. Even if it’s not stormy, it’s definitely worth visiting.
Enjoy your trip! Oregon is still near and dear to our hearts. It is our home base for our RV’ing.
Love your blog! P.S. Are you Ayn Rand fans? Just wondering because two of your pets are named Taggart and Rand.
Susan & Bob
http://travelbug-susan.blogspot.com
Oh thank you, thank you for the tips. We haven’t yet decided when to hit Crater Lake, but looks like it might be later (after the coast) rather than earlier. We’re checking the forecast anyway.
And YES we’re Ayn Rand fans, thus the name of our kitties….well spotted 🙂
Nina
We, too, are avid Ayn Rand fans. Check out how we met: http://travelbug-susan.blogspot.com/2012/04/us-story-of.html
The later you can go to Crater Lake the better. As of now, they have 1.1 miles of the rim drive open, but you can walk three miles of it that has been partially plowed, as long as you stay away from the heavy machinery. Duh!
Susan & Bob
There are two parks I would recommend a half hour north of Florence, just through Yachats. Tillicum Beach is a USFS park, right on the beach, drawback there a only a few sites for larger rigs, but if you can score one there are miles of dog friendly beach and you will be camping right above it. Beachside is a state park a couple of miles north of Tillicum, again right on the beach. Hiking on Cape Perpetua, drive to the top, or comb the rocks, great place to explore.
Farther South I know you will discover Bullock state park among many others. I grew up going to the north Oregon Coast, but the South is much more interesting…have a great summer!
Phil