Tillamook, Oregon

   

We’ve traveled from central Oregon to the western coast of Oregon. We drove through forest land and mountain passes and arrived to a very different landscape: not so dry, in fact very moist, lots of fog, low-lying clouds and cool ocean breezes. Time to switch out our shorts back into our jeans and sweatshirts. We also got to drag out our firewood for the first campfire of the trip. 

Here is Jack posing to show the view from our campsite:

Two years ago, on our first Pacific Northwest RV trip, we stayed just down the coast in Newport, Oregon. At that time we saw road signs on the way for Tillamook and recognized the name from the cheese and ice cream we buy in Houston. Made a note to visit Tillamook next time and here we are.

This is the longest place we’ve stayed put in our RV yet. We’re spending six nights here. It worked well as a rendezvous spot to meet up with our kids. Ryan and Meredith drove here from Seattle for the weekend. It was about a four-hour drive. Lexi was in Seattle for the weekend and she and Max were able to come meet us Friday night. It was so nice to have a mini family reunion. 

We thought this would be a cute touristy town, but it’s not so much. Clamming and crabbing seem to be the big attractions here. We walked out to the tide pools one morning when the tide was out and saw people digging up clams.

The other big attraction here is of course the Tillamook Creamery.

We went on the free self-guided tour at the visitor center which had just opened this summer. Our first stop was the cafe for cheddar biscuit egg and cheese sandwiches. Yumm. We learned about where it all starts: the cows.

Then we looked through windows at all the machinery involved in making and packaging the cheese. We got to sample several varieties of their cheese and cheese curds. Finally, time for some Tillamook ice cream!

We took a walk along the beach at Cape Lookout State Park:

Looking out at the bay from our campsite we saw some objects in the water:

Thought maybe they were birds. Got out the binoculars and discovered they were sea lions (or seals, not sure which). As the tide goes out, sand spits poke out of the water and the sea lions like to lie on them in the sun and sleep. I tried to count them and came up with more than 200.

Our hearts go out to those in the Redding, California area affected by the recent wildfire. We were just there ten days ago.

Tomorrow’s plan is for me to drop off Chris at a golf course and I will visit the Pioneer Museum. That way we’re both happy. 😀

Bend, Oregon

If you’re looking for a city with natural beauty, lots to do, friendly people, and plenty of brew-pubs that’s also dog-loving and bike-friendly, Bend is the place for you.

We were fortunate to have Rick and Joy show us around their home turf while we visited for three days.  

We parked Thor at a beautiful RV park called Bend/Sisters Garden RV Resort. As the name suggests it is halfway between the towns of Bend and Sisters and the grounds were so lushly landscaped they were like a garden.

Bend is located in central Oregon and is near mountains, lakes, rivers, and forests. Mount Bachelor ski resort is nearby. 

If you want to fill up your growler with craft beer while you get your car filled with gas, the Growler Guys at the local Chevron station can help you out. State law in Oregon does not allow self-service gas pumps. So I guess the Growler Guys saw an opportunity to provide beer service along with the full-service gas. There are about 30 craft beers on tap. You can sample before you buy. Tables are provided right there in the gas station if you want to sit while you have a cold one.

Jack got to take a hike around beautiful Suttle Lake with his dog buddies Augie and Soli. The trail went right along the water’s edge and the dogs took full advantage of the easy access to swimming. 

We checked out the fish hatchery:

I’m in love with this picture of Mt. Jefferson at the headwaters of the Metolius river:

Here’s Tumalo Falls:

Joy and I hiked here one morning while Chris did an 18-mile bike ride:

Chris now has RV garage envy. Rick had this garage built for his motorhome:

I bet you didn’t know the last Blockbuster left in America is in Bend:

 

We walked through a vast field of lava rocks that had spewed from a volcano thousands of years ago. They were like pumice. It felt like a scene on Mars.

I learned we were in a “high desert”, meaning a desert at a high elevation. I also learned that lakes at a high elevation are called “alpine lakes”. 

We visited the “Old Mill District” of Bend, a revitalized historic area at the site of an old lumber mill alongside the Deschutes River. It’s a popular spot for tubers and kayakers going down the river. There’s even some artificial rapids installed in the river for surfers. I bet the lumber mill workers from days past never envisioned the river would be full of tourists floating along instead of timber.

We appropriately topped off a day of sight-seeing with some cold Deschutes beer.

I hope this didn’t sound like too much of a travel blog. We saw so much and were very impressed with Bend. And there’s even more to see and do so we’ll just have to return some day.

Klamath Falls, Oregon

We’ve said goodbye to California and are now heading to Bend, Oregon to see friends Rick and Joy. The RV park we wanted in Bend wasn’t available until Monday so we stopped half way there for a couple of nights on Saturday and Sunday in Klamath Falls, Oregon. I’m glad we did.

First of all, it was a short drive of 2 and 1/2 hours so we got there in time to set up camp and head into the little town for sightseeing.

Secondly, our campsite at the Klamath Falls KOA had some of the nicest amenities we’ve ever had.

We visited the Baldwin Hotel Museum. The hotel was in operation from 1911 to 1971. When the county took it over to be operated as a museum, there were still some suitcases left in the baggage room. I bet somebody had a good time going through the old belongings. The hotel is full of antiques, some original to the hotel like brass beds and claw foot tubs. The museum also got a lot of donated antiques when it opened. Our tour guide told us they are no longer accepting donations. I can just imagine all the townspeople cleaning out their houses and trying to get rid of their “stuff”. I loved getting to walk through the old rooms and I’m glad the building was saved; it was close to being destroyed.

Another couple on the tour was from northern Oregon where a wildfire is currently burning 50,000 acres. The couple discussed the various wildfires that Oregon has had with the tour guide and it reminded us of hurricane discussions in Houston.

They also discussed how there were so many marijuana shops opening in town now, a lot from folks coming over from California. They said surely some of the shops would go out of business from all the competition. The tour guide found a stoned guy passed out on the sidewalk in front of the hotel one day until 2 pm. She gave him food to get him to move on.

Apparently our site at the KOA camp was the “deluxe” site. Number 23 if you’re ever there. It had a huge pave stone deck with a fancy patio table with umbrella and four chairs. No plain picnic table here! There was a brand new Weber grill, a brick fire pit ring with wooden benches around it, and a glider bench! It was nice to not have to unload our chairs or bbq grill. We set out Jack’s water bowl and then wondered if maybe it was a common area for everyone in the park to use. Apparently not, we were just in the “deluxe” site. In the morning, KOA employees drove their golf cart up and watered the hanging plants. I was hoping maybe they would come sweep our steps and clean our windshield. Haha.

Normally RV parks don’t allow you to wash your RV; I guess it uses too much water. But this place allowed you to pay $5 for one hour of washing. So Chris gave Thor a much-needed bath.

We learned about small flying insects called midges. We got a handout on them when we checked in. They resemble mosquitoes but don’t bite. There were a lot flying around but it was good to know they were harmless.

I took a walk along a canal and came across this cool old bridge with “1898” on the top of it.

We headed out this morning to Bend and discovered the air had become very hazy overnight thanks to the wildfires. Such a shame.

See you at the next “bend” in the road....

Red Hot Temps in Redding, California

How silly of me to complain about how cold it was in the Russian River Valley. We were getting cool breezes from the North Pacific Ocean. Like in the 50’s at night. And it was a damp cold. I chose to sit inside the RV in the evenings to stay out of the cold.

Then we left the Sonoma coast area and headed inland ending up in ridiculously hot Redding. Like 109 degrees! You would think it would be cooler as you head north, but that was not the case in Redding. We went from 58 degrees to 108 in half a day! This time I only sat outside the RV in the evenings. 

   

These are some vineyards we drove past in the Napa/Sonoma area:

We took advantage of the three days we stayed in Redding to get a wheel alignment done on Thor. We were happy to find a place that does alignment on large vehicles. The alignment was a little off and that had caused the front tires to wear unevenly. Imagine driving your house to a shop to get it worked on. That’s basically what we did. We left it there in the morning and loaded up Jack in the jeep and drove to nearby Lassen Volcanic National Park.

The temperature was about 15 degrees cooler in the higher elevation of the park so it was a good place to hang out. We drove through the park, stopping at various overlooks and picnic areas. 

There were some beautiful views in the park and it wasn’t very crowded which was nice. This 300-ton rock was a piece of the hot lava cap that rolled five miles from Lassen Peak when the volcano erupted in 1915.

Here is Mount Lassen:

Here is Jack swimming in what must have been a very cold lake, he didn’t stay in for long. 

We saw this “mudpot”, a vat of bubbling mud due to hot gasses escaping from the ground. Steam was rising from it as well as a foul odor. This used to be the site of a Sulphur Works.

We picked up our “house-on-aligned-wheels” in the afternoon and drove it back to our campsite where the air-conditioner worked overtime to cool it off after it had been sitting in the sun for six hours.

The next day we explored Lake Shasta Caverns. Shasta Lake is a beautiful, large lake with undeveloped shoreline. There’s lots of houseboat rentals on it. I didn’t have my phone with me that day so I have no pictures of it. Chris was in charge of photo-taking that day and he got lots of pictures, but all inside the caverns. So you’ll have to take my word for it, it’s a beautiful lake.

We took a nice tour of the Caverns, first by boating across the lake, then a bus ride up the mountain. As we entered the caverns a blast of cool moist air hit us, a very welcome relief from the heat.

We climbed through various rooms in the caverns and heard a story about a group called the Odd Fellows in the early 1900’s that initiated new members by leaving them in the caverns in the dark to find their way out. They succeeded by taking off their clothes and burning them and following the direction of the smoke which naturally found its way to the air in the opening.

Here are stalactites from the cavern and a picture of Mount Shasta as we drove by it the next day:

We stayed at Mountain Gate RV Park where the sites were tiered on different levels which provides nice views. This was sunset one night from our campsite.

Sonoma Coast

On July 14, we moved on up the California Pacific coast, past San Francisco/Oakland towards the Sonoma Coast in Northern California while low clouds hovered over us. 

The next thing you know, our GPS had us driving along scenic California Highway 1 right next to the coast. The road winds around hairpin turns overlooking stunning views of the ocean. It could be described as exhilarating. But I’m afraid “harrowing” is a better description when you’re in a 38-foot motorhome towing a jeep on the very narrow road with no shoulders. It was a tough drive for Chris and even our dog Jack was scared.

Luckily we made it to our stop at Casini Ranch Family Campground in Duncans Mills with no mishaps. The temperature had dropped about 20 degrees to a refreshing 62.

The campground was celebrating “Civil War Days” the weekend we arrived. I had no idea California was involved in the Civil War. There were reenactments and a barn dance with period costumes.

The RV park was a very local place. Our Texas license plates stood out among all the California plates. It was very family-oriented with kids everywhere. There was a group of about five families camping together next to us. There were a lot of tents. It was a different vibe from our usual “RV Resort” experience of mostly retirees in large motor homes. It’s nice to see kids running around with each other, playing outside, and being kids.

The campground is on Moscow Road and sits on the Russian River. I looked it up and sure enough Russians settled the area. Jack had fun swimming in the river. 

There was no cell service in the park but the WiFi was good. This was the first time we encountered pay showers in the restrooms. One dollar for a 6-minute shower, which I discovered was quite long enough.

We had no sewer connection at our site but the park provides a service where a truck drives up and drains your tanks for $20. It’s called the Honey Wagon but the guy didn’t know why it’s called that.

The nice thing about camping with locals was they had good recommendations for places to eat in the area. We enjoyed sitting on a patio at Stumptown Brewery in Guerneville overlooking the Russian River. 

We had really good clam chowder and crab sandwiches at a little place in Bodega Bay.

After lunch I checked to see what there was to do in Bodega Bay. The number one Sight/Landmark on TripAdvisor was the Potter Schoolhouse. I didn’t know what it was but it sounded cool. As we headed to it, I read that a scene from the Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Birds” was filmed there. Neat! I remember watching that scary movie as a kid. Now that I’ve seen the schoolhouse I want to rewatch it.

We hiked through Armstrong Redwood State Reserve and saw a 1400-year-old redwood. The park was very peaceful and smelled so fresh.

I wanted to visit some wineries since we were in the Sonoma wine country area but they were a little far from where we were staying. We did visit the Korbel Champagne Cellar as it was close to the Redwood park. We got a free tour of the facilities and a free tasting. It was founded by three Bohemian brothers in 1882. 

Here is a cork tree growing at the winery:

I’m still amazed at the flowers growing in the California campgrounds. This bush was at our campsite: