Due Diligence

We know better but in the rush to leave Diamond Lake RV Park we just took a campground that came up in GS with good ratings and went thre.

Don't do that.

We went to Oregon Motel 8 and RV Park near Klamath OR. Pull thru sites are so tight I wondered if we could open our slides and still walk between the coaches. The small coach on our road side had its awning our and I know that if we didn't pull as far forward as we could I would not be able to open the bedroom slide. The pool was empty and under repair. The 50A at our site was only 30A. Gravel roads and site pads.

We had to have some work done on our toad and the local Jeep dealer took us in the next day and got it fixed so we decided to leave and go to Tulelake Butte Fairgrounds and visit the Lava parks, wildlife refuges ...

So the point is use rvparkreviews.com as well as other resources to check out the campgrounds you plan to stay at. Also contribute your reviews.

Into the Fire and Out

We left Florence and headed inland. We decided to take OR 126 to Eugene and pick up I5 because I wanted to fuel up at a Pilot/FJ to keep on the top half of the tank. 126 is a neat road but it is a main route between Florence and Eugene so there can be lots of traffic. Since we were traveling on a Sunday it wasn't bad. There is one tunnel and lots of curves and grades. Nothing to challenging. However it was nice to get on the slab and let it roll.

We had made reservations at Hi-Way Hideaway, in Suterlin OR, which was a drive-in movie theater. It had been leveled and full services installed. The screen and projector house remained as well as some other buildings. We arrived early afternoon and got set up then decided to take a run to town and find the local visitors center. Drove by it twice before we saw the sign. Closed Sunday's. We took a drive to Richardson covered bridge which was only about 3 miles away.

On Tuesday we went to Oakland to play disk golf. The course was spread across a small valley and was only 9 holes. One of the holes was over 400 feet. After crossing the valley 3 times in 7 holes we decided to skip 8 and 9 which would have been two more trips across the ravine.

Ice cream was calling so we went to Tolly's and had great ice cream.

While we were in Sutherlin we made two trips to Roseburg for shopping We wanted to stock up on a few items before we headed to some less populated places.

On Wednesday we packed up and took OR 138 to Diamond Lake OR. Another 2 lane winding road with grades. We came upon some construction which made for a big slug of traffic. We were near the end of the line so most folks went charging ahead. When we had a few folks behind us we pulled over and let them pass. This left the road mostly deserted and I could drive my pace an enjoy the scenery.

There is a wildfire about 5 to 8 miles from the campground we would be staying at, Diamond Lake RV Park, and they advised us on the best route to take because of a closing on OR230. The wind is in a good direction and I don't think we will have to evacuate. We did, however, choose a couple of places we could go to. We also didn't set up more than necessary just in case we were awakened during the night and told to evacuate.

Life on the road. At least if we have to go the house and all our possessions go with us.

We took a drive to Crater Lake and drove the west rim road stopping at several of the overlooks for pictures. We met some firefighters that told us that the fire had jumped OR230 which is near the campground we are staying at. Since we were on our way there we just continued our drive. When we arrived we were advised that they thought the SET order may be given in the next day or so. We decided we would just cancel our reservation and find another CG. So off we went to Oregon Motel 8 and RV park.

Floreence OR

We continued our drive down US101 with reservations at South Jetty RV and Camping Resort which is a Thousand Trails property. We had a reservation and our profile has that we are 45' with 4 slide room and we require 50A. Well the way TT handles their reservations is that you will have a space. Maybe you can fit maybe you can't, maybe you have 50A maybe you don't. Oh and they don't even know what sites they have available. Here the map, the 50A sites are here go see if you can find one. Hell of a way to run a business. Glad we only paid $475 for our two  zone pass and 30 days of free camping. We have used six so far. Now we will get some discount at our winter quarters in Tucson so that may make it worthwile.

We didn't find a spot. We found Woahink  Lake RV Resort near by but could only get two nights, we took it. This is a nice place. We found that there we could stay the following week, Sunday to Sunday, and made that reservation. Now where to stay for two nights. Three Rivers Casino is near by and they allow blacktop boondocking so that was to be our weekend plan. Worked out great. No we didn't gamble, but we did eat.

We took a tour south to see Umpqua River Lighthouse. We arrived just as they were opening and signed up for the first LO tour. On our way to the LO we saw a lot of activity. Well it was Dune Fest Wow what a lot of  Off Highway Vehicles. Lots of folks camping too. See the proceeding link for more information. We still had the kayaks on the Jeep so we decided not to participate. Also we hadn't registered and didn't have a clue it was the big weekend. Maybe I need to carry 4 mounted tires for doing a little desert/dune riding. I'd have to get a flag too.

Great tour of the lighthouse and the museum was very well done also. Time for lunch so we drove back to Reedsport. Suzette spotted Don's Main Street Diner & Ice Cream Parlor which was on the left and I was in the far right lane. So after a short tour of Reedsport we were in the parking lot. Great food, reasonable prices and of course excellent pie.

We found the Dunes Visitor center and stopped there to see what we might be missing. We watched a short video and then headed to the Elk viewing area on OR38. We saw a small group of Elk only one had antlers but it must have been quite young since the rack was small.

We also took a trip back North on 101 to see Yaquina Bay and Yaquina Head lighthouses. We arrived at Yaquina Bay first and waited for it to open. Walked the grounds and toured the house. There is nothing left of the light, no lens etc. but the museum in quite nice.
Leaving there we went to Yaquina Head (blm link) and stopped at the visitors center. We learned that folks are lined up for the 10:30 opening so they can sign up for tour of the lighthouse. The only open tour was at 3 PM. We decided not to wait. We viewed the exhibits and went to the lighthouse for some pictures. Back to Newport and WalMart and a lunch at Subway. We were past hungry so that worked. We picked up some items and made for home.

We took a drive north on 101 another day to stop at several of the overlooks and see parts of the Pacific ocean that we hadn't see before. One of the sights was Heceta Head lighthouse. We couldn't climb it because it was closed for inspection. Bummer. It was a neat stop and we did see some whales along the coast.

We had a nice stop at Perpetua Scenic area in the Siuslaw National forest. We drove up to a great overlook and I hiked to the Rock Shelter that was built via CCC or WPA. What a view. A couple of pictures and here.

We were allowed to wash the coach  at Woahink so we did, front, back and the side we couldn't get last time. We were to close to the hedge on the road side of the coach to do that side again.

Paradise Cove OR

From our last stop we traveled US101 south to Paradise Cove Marina and RV near Rockaway Beach OR. The road is mostly good however where there are road signs indicating a slide area that means the road is like quartering waves in a small boat. The road had at one time slid down the hill and the repair leaves a little to be desired. Also US101 is a popular route for cyclists and you are likely to come upon them on a blind curve frequently with oncoming vehicles, like log trucks or tandem  tows.

Of course since the road follows the coast in many places there are many overlooks that a large rig like ours can pull off and let traffic pass as well as enjoy the view. One thing we noticed was the lack of truck stops. There were a few gas stations where we could get into if the outside pump wasn't occupied. There are a number of Card Lock fueling stations but we didn't have the necessary card.

Paradise Cove has 2 sections one on each side if 101. The main reason we choose this location was the 50% discount we received for being Escapees members. When we arrived and disconnected and toured the park. We decided on the west side since we would be close to the river. That got us a FHU 30A site. We didn't need AC since the nights were cool as were the days. We did some sight seeing, Tillamook Dairy Co-Op as well as Cape Meares Lighthouse.

In our opinion Cabot Cheese is better. Nuf said.

Some DA, vandals, had shot at the lighthouse damaging the lens.  They were real smart vandals since the went and bragged about their accomplishment. Yeah the cops got'em.

Back to Paradise Cove. The sites are quite tight and you get to know your neighbor but that is not a bad thing. Our neighbor gave us two Dungenees crabs that they had caught and cooked. All we had to do was heat the butter and dig in. They were great. Since the "resort" allowed the washing RV's we took advantage and did one side and the front and back. We didn't have enough room on the other side so that waited until later.

As usual pictures are here.

Ocean Beach WA

We stayed at a Thousand Trails park called Oceana RV and Camping Resort. There were no sewer sites available also the 50A were few and far between. Now to call this a resort is a stretch. This sites are very close the facilities are tired and there are laminated do this don't do that signs all over. We choose this park because we had bought a Thousand Trails Zone pass at the Tampa RV show. We get 30 days of camping at their "resorts" for the price and then only pay $3/night after that. Such a deal.

We made the best of it and met a nice couple from England who spend about 6 months traveling the US in their motorhome. They created a Montana LLC which allows the LLC to own the MH, Otherwise they would have to sell it when they returned to England.

Our first evening we hiked to the beach. It was low tide and the beach is huge. We walked along but didn't see anything worth our effort to bend over and pick up. Very breezy and sea fog rolling in. On Friday we went to Ocean Shores and hit the visitors center where we got a lot of information. Then off to the interpretive center to learn more about the area. There were a lot of nice displays and several hands on areas. There were a number of items from the Japanese Tsunami and other debris from the far side of the world.

We went to dinner at Bennett's Fish Shack. I wouldn't eat there again. The fish was over battered and fried clams were like rubber. Service yeah they had some service.

Since dinner was so bad we had to stop for Ice Cream at Peppermint Parlor. Good ice cream.

On Sunday it was of to Cape Disappointment.  Nice long drive. We stopped at the visitors center in Ilwaco and one of the ladies behind the counter mentioned that she had been a camp host at Chippokes Plantation State Park in Virginia. I asked if she had a class C at the time and a daughter in Richmond. Yes she did. Well she was the camp host when we stayed there many years ago. Who'd a thunk?

Woodburn-Portland

Once we were setup we called our son Mike and he and Becky arrived that evening for dinner. To kill some time we took a walk thru the outlet mall that is an easy walk from the CG. Suzette did purchase a pair of shorts. We found the WalMart and did a little shopping for dinner. We had a nice dinner and visit.

The next day, Friday, was laundry in the morning then off to Camping World to pick up a new stool and water pressure regulator. I changed my the front tire on my bike and installed the new lens for the drivers side turn signal that was broken in the hail storm when we were at 7th Ranch.



On Saturday we went to Woodburn to see the 1859 Train. Ok it's a train engine. You can walk around the fence and look at it and read a plaque.

Then off to Silverton to see many of the murals that are on the buildings. We also went to the museum but it was closed.

We returned to Mt. Angle and had a fantastic lunch at The Glockenspiel Restaurant. We took the leftovers for the next day's lunch. After lunch we shopped at the meat market just down the the street and  watched the Glockenspiel do it's thing. To bad there are power and other lines blocking the view for pictures.

This evening we went to Mike and Becky's to visit with them and see their house. Nice place and they are making some updates to make it more theirs.  Downtown Gresham for an Italian Dinner and walk the streets and get some beer at Cheap Charlies.

Sunday we went to Aurora Colony museum. Very interesting. The docent played the music box they have and allowed us to ring the bells they have.

Monday we went to Salem to see the Willamette Heritage Center where we spent about 2 hours touring the houses and woolen mill. We went to another museum which after circling around via our GPS, the garmin, we found was closed. We drove thru the nearby park and found the Vermont Covered Bridge. We couldn't find much history on it.

Pendleton Oregon

We left Long Camp heading west on US12. US 12 is another of those cross country roads that the interstates have replaced. The western terminus is in Aberdeen WA and the eastern terminus is in downtown Detroit. Going west there were some climbs and descents but nothing serious. It is a little twisty, mostly in Idaho. Also some sections are part of the Lewis and Clark trail.

It was a nice drive and we left US12 in Wala Wala WA and headed south to Pendleton and the campground at the Wildhorse Casino.This is a decent campground with a pool and reasonable space between sites. Also you get a Good Sam discount.

We did get our "player" cards but didn't play the slots. Dinner there was reasonable but nothing to brag about.

We went to town and took the Pendleton Underground Tour. I was very interesting to see what went on under the streets of the old city. One of the tunnels went from the railroad station to a house on the far side of the river. Many of the tunnels were used to get goods from the railroad to the business without having them stolen. There was also a tour of Cozy Rooms Bordello. Oh it is now closed. There were interesting stories about the place that our tour guide told us.

We also went to the Pendlenton Woolen Mill but missed the 20 minute tour. We decided not to return for the tour later that day. Suzette did purchase a small wool blanket that we will use for  wall hanging. It will go on the hallway wall.

Next was to take the slab, I84, I295, I5 to Portland-Woodburn RV Park.