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Today we headed out to see Ecola State Park. The park is perched high on a hill/mountain with spectacular views of the coast. We spent a hour or so at the park just soaking up the views. You had a great view of the Haystack rock to the South and the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse on an island to the NorthWest.
Once through with the park we drove to Seaside, 6-miles North of Cannon Beach. Seaside has a nice retail downtown with the typical tourist stores. The weather was pretty and warm so we walked up and down the 3 block strip. After the stores we drove a couple of blocks East to the Seaside Brewing Company. We sat outside next to a gas fire-pit and really enjoyed the food.
We returned to the coach and Donna headed back to Cannon Beach (the beach) to read a book while Maverick and I hung out around the coach. While she was gone I installed one of my LED rope lights permanently under the edge of the coach and then relaxed in my hammock until Donna returned. She returned frozen by the beach breeze. After she warmed up she headed into town for a pedicure and to bring home chicken.

Whew, April just flew by. When I look at the map of where we’ve been I can see why. We have covered some serious territory. This trip up the coast is a very long standing dream and it is amazing. Our route included:

• Olema Campground near Point Reyes National Seashore (North of San Fransisco)

• Ancient Redwoods RV park in Redcrest CA, on the Avenue of the Giants

• Mountain Gate RV Park in Redding CA, near lake Shasta Dam

• Waterwheel RV Park in Chiloquin OR, near Crater Lake National Park

• Bend/Sisters RV Resort in Sisters OR, near Bend OR.

• Beverly Beach Oregon State Park, near Newport OR.

• Old Stone Village RV Resort in McMinnville OR, near Portland OR.

• Cannon Beach RV Resort, in Cannon Beach OR, near Astoria OR.

The trip has included several different State and National Parks with giant Redwood forests. These forests are the most impressive we have ever seen and a joy to hike in. Crater Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes you will ever see. The Bend area is a really cool area to spend time and one of our favorite stops. The entire Oregon coastline is breathtaking. Oregon has been lots of fun to explore and not very crowded this time of year. The month of May will be really exciting with a few weeks around Olympic National Park, Seattle, and Vancouver B.C. area followed by the start of our Alaska journey. We can’t wait!

It’s crazy!!! We’ve been on the road now for 3 months! Here are some reflections on 3-months on the road. We are still super excited to be on the road. Every day is a new adventure. This road trip is pretty much like we imagined it, and that is great! The three of us still love spending time together. The traveling has been spectacular and we are really pleased with the itinerary we set. The main limitation has been the mountainous areas are all pretty much closed until June or July. That’s ok for our upcoming Alaska journey but leaves us wanting more in the lower 48. Places missed include Yosemite, Sequoya, Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, and parts of Crater Lake. Also, we won’t be trying Glacier NP for the same reason. We just have to come back.

The national park annual pass has been awesome. Not only does it get us in the National Parks but also any other federal park, monument, or fee area. It also saves a ton of time getting into the parks. We also got a Texas annual pass at the beginning of our trip and it paid for itself in about 4 nights of stays. We intend to use it more when we finally return home.

Our thoughts on the coach. This morning we discussed how we still really loved the coach and the mods we made. Nearly everything worked just as we hoped. The only thing that didn’t work out exactly like we expected is the satellite not working on the main network/local channels. There is quite a bit of TV we like to watch on those channels so that is disappointing. That said, bringing our home receiver is great because it gives us a bunch of recorded shows to watch all the time compared to the RV receiver with only one tuner. We talked about how we thought it would be nice to have a little larger shower, BUT we really don’t want a larger coach to get it. The shower is pretty decent for an RV, just not “home”sized. We absolutely LOVE the separate sink in the bedroom that gives us a second place to get ready in the morning and get ready for bed at night. I was worried that the 40ft length would be a big limitation, but it hasn’t been much of an issue. We originally thought we would spend up to ½ time boondocking (dry camping not in an RV park). The idea was to save money and enjoy more remote settings. The reality is we really like having hook-ups for running the washer/dryer and we really like having a known/firm/reserved destination. Part of that is due to the big rig size. You really don’t want to explore a new location while driving the big rig and the size means there isn’t an abundance of handy parking options once you get there. When I planned this trip I budgeted as if we were staying in a park every night so the money isn’t a restriction. So far we have averaged about $45/night for the entire trip. Nightly rates have been as low as free and as high as $100 (in LA).  We have had a few maintenance issues, but well within our expected parameters. The “jetpack” cellular Internet has been fantastic. Probably over 90% off our locations have passable coverage for Verizon, though we have yet to traverse the Alaskan highway. The jetpack supports the computers, iPads, and smart TV’s. We never have to worry about connecting to the park wifi and nearly all parks have extremely limited or unusable Internet.

Today we packed up and headed to the town of Cannon Beach. We have reserved the RV Resort at Cannon Beach for four nights. It was about a 2 hour drive, the first half of which was pretty heavy traffic through small communities South of Portland. Once we hit the highway West it was pretty smooth driving. The RV park is another well maintained park with beautiful, large trees throughout. The downside is that means no satellite again. Thank goodness for DVR. We do have decent Verizon/Internet though. This park has both Diesel and Propane sales on site. I am excited because finding Big-Rig accessible Diesel on the travel days can sometimes be a challenge, especially in California and Oregon. The prices were decent as well.
After a quick coach setup we went in search of lunch. Just a mile or so away we drove to the beach and there was a nice looking restaurant with full coast views. Sold! The cafe is Mo’s which is a chain in Newport all the way up the coast to Astoria. We saw it in Newport but didn’t give it a try. We had fish and chips and the food, service, and view were all great. Mo’s has a really nice beach vibe. After lunch we walked the coast. This part of the coast has the much photographed Haystack rock formations. You have probably seen them if you have seen pictures of the Oregon coast. We had a nice walk but we kept Maverick on the leash as he wants to eat the dried outer skin(?) of a jelly fish variety that washes up in great numbers all along this section of coast. He ate some in Newport and vomited the next two nights. We aren’t eager for a repeat. Next we drove the coast all the way past Astoria. Very cool! Washington (state) is very scenic on the other side of the Columbia river. We will see more of Washington next week!
Once back at the park we checked out the indoor pool and spa. They both seemed pretty warm so we came right back and tried them out. The pool wasn’t quite a warm as it originally seemed but the spa was great. We had it all to ourselves.

Today was another chill day. We stayed local in McMinnville. We took Maverick to the Vet to get his flu booster. California required the flu shot for Maverick and a booster 2-4 weeks later is required. We thought it best to get it done since he is exposed to many different regions and animals and we weren’t sure if Canada might require it. We stocked up at Wal Mart and had lunch at Golden Valley Brewery. Like before, Gold Valley had great food and service. It rained this afternoon and temps remain in the low 50’s. Tomorrow is a travel day so more adventures are on the way.

Today we simply planned on taking it easy and running a few chores.  We didn’t get a chance to take good pictures of the vintage trailer park earlier so today we stopped and walked the row of trailers to see them up close.    As mentioned before, the Vintages offers both normal RV park sites but also rents out vintage trailers by the night and was featured on the TV show Flippin RV’s.  It s really interesting to see.  Next we dropped Donna off for a massage. While Donna was there Maverick and I headed to Camping World to check on a few items. We didn’t find anything we needed. We also ran around Home Depot to buy a few small items. We picked up Donna from her massage and headed on into Portland to go to IKEA. Donna hoped to find something for the coach but in the end we bought $2 of merchandise.

On the way back we stopped at the Ancestor Brewery in Tuatalin. We had seen it several times and it had good Google reviews. We were disappointed in the food and service. We did fill up with gas which brings me to something I wanted to mention. It is illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon !!!! Every gas station is full service and can be fined if they allow a customer to pump their own gas! I admit I have violated that law at least once in Oregon so far. After research I discovered Oregon and New Jersey both have similar self-fueling laws. Weird. Back at the coach we did a few chores before calling it quits for today.

Today we headed into downtown Portland. We arrived about lunch time and after exploring we ate at the Von Ebert Brewery. The food and service was really good. Across the street was a Cookie Dough/Ice Cream store and we treated ourselves to a sweet treat. After lunch and dessert we drove to the Saturday Market held in downtown. The market was really a craft market with art, t-shirts, and novelties. The market had a pretty good vibe and we enjoyed exploring for a while. Eventually Maverick grew tired of the crowds and noise so we called it quits.
It was still early so leaving downtown we headed for the Columbia River Gorge. There are a number of spectacular waterfalls along this route. We first stopped at Bridal Veil Falls that had a 2/3 mile trail to the bottom of the falls. It was a really nice hike in comfortable weather. Maverick got to go but had to stay on leash. The falls were moderately crowded so I can bet it would be really bad during the summer. Next we headed for Multnomah Falls. This waterfall is one of the most photographed falls. We were able to get a parking spot at the main visitor area, but the parking lot was full. They were running a shuttle bus from a park about 8 miles East of the visitor center. This waterfall is very accessible with a short paved walk probably a couple of hundred yards from the car. This waterfall also had a nice gift shop with ice cream, drinks, fudge, and the normal touristy stuff. Both Bridal Veil and Multnomah are very beautiful and worth the trip. The scenery up the Columbia River Gorge is really beautiful in its own right. Some of the scenic areas weren’t accessible because the scenic driving route separate from the main highway was mostly closed. We followed the main highway all the way up to the Columbia River locks and dam and crossed the Bridge of the Gods. The bridge is a older, picturesque bridge with a $2 toll to cross. Its the first time we actually made it to Washington on this trip.

Even though this park is further south than I wanted, it is close to some key sites. This morning we drove to Van’s Aircraft in nearby Aurora OR. Most of you know I have been building an airplane for a very long time. More than 20 years. The airplane is a kit manufactured by Vans Aircraft. Van’s gives tours and we arrived there at 9:30am. We enjoyed a lovely personal tour of the factory and got to see where all of my parts were created. It was really nice for me to get to see. On the way back to McMinnville we stopped to see the Vintage Trailer Park. This park is featured on the TV show Flippin RV’s where the show renovates old/classic RV’s. This park has several of Flyte Camps RV’s that are included in their vintage section. These vintage trailers are permanently located at the park and are rented by the night like hotel rooms or cabins. They are neat to see. We simply stumbled on the park on the way to Aurora. It rained on and off all day which seems normal for Oregon. The temperatures peaked at about 52F today. Not near as nice as yesterday.

On return to McMinnville we ate at the quirky Wildwood Cafe. Donna had French Toast, Eggs, and Bacon breakfast and I had the French Dip. It was all excellent and a good value. The restaurant is located right off of the cute old tree-lined downtown main street. We still had most of the day ahead so we chose to go ahead and see the next big local attraction. I didn’t mention it but the RV park is located immediately adjacent to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. Not just another local aircraft museum, this one houses the infamous Spruce Goose built by Hughes Aircraft. Wow, it is huge. Its similar in size to a Boeing 747 or Airbus A380 and is built entirely from wood. Overall the museum is one of the best non-government aircraft museums we have seen. After the museum our legs were worn out so we called it a day.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we really hate to leave Beverly Beach. The natural beauty here is both fantastic and varied. You have beautiful sand beaches, huge waves crashing on dramatic rock landscapes, old-growth forest, and mountain streams. It is a very peaceful and soothing place to be. That said, it is time to continue on to our next adventure. McMinnville was only 1 ½ hour drive up the coast and inland. The landscape changed to pastoral and agricultural. We arrived at the Old Stone Village RV park and found it a very clean, landscaped park. We have great connectivity here which is really nice. After set up we ran into town for lunch. We ate at the Golden Valley Brewery. I know we’ve gone to lot of breweries in Oregon but they represent some of the best dining around. GVB was no exception. A great burger on a patio in 70F sunny weather. We returned to the coach for normal chores after lunch. Back at the coach I disassembled the front arm of our main awning. I knew I had broken something in Bend when I extended it into what I thought was a very flexible small tree. Once apart I discovered a belt roller had come loose inside the arm and I was able to repair it. Im not totally sure it will last long term but at least it works for now. After chores we drove through McMinnville and ended up eating at Tequila Grill Mexican Restaurant. The food was really good and kind of like our beloved Tex-Mex. We both ate way too much!

After our morning nature trail walk we drove up the coast to Depoe Bay, Lincoln Beach, and other coastal communities. The drive was spectacular. We even stopped by the outlet stores to feed our Columbia clothing habit. Donna has now forbid me from entering another Columbia store. On the way back we stopped at several coastal viewing areas and every one was breathtaking. We again drove through Newport and this time stopped at the Made In Oregon store in the historical downtown area for touristy shopping. I dropped Donna and Mav back at the coach and headed back to Les Schwab tires. I had discovered a nail in the driver rear tire of the Jeep and thought it best to be repaired even though it wasn’t really leaking much (yet). The tire place was awesome and repaired the tire for free with no waiting. When I got back we all went to the beach again. I spent some time cleaning the bugs from the front of the coach and checking out the coach in preparation for tomorrows move day.

Today started with taking Maverick along the nature trail. The trail started just feet from the coach and wound though a forest of large old-growth trees. The trail followed a clear mountain stream flowing over a rock bed. After our walk we headed to Starbuck for some connectivity. The phones, ipads, and computer were all in need of updates I had put off waiting for real Internet that wasn’t our cellular data. I also needed to choose and reserve our next RV park for the south Portland area. After being rejected at 6 or 7 parks I finally reserved one in McMinnville called Old Stone Village. Its supposed to be nice but is much further from Portland than I had hoped. The good news is it is near several attractions we wanted to see.
After Starbucks we explored the coastline of Newport. In the process we found a promising and well rated restaurant called Georgies. Georgies sits right on the beach. We had a Chicken Parm that was delicious with a view right out at the beautiful shoreline. After lunch we drove by the Oregon Aquarium and through the historic bay downtown shops. We didn’t feel like the Aquarium and while very quaint, we didn’t see any shopping we needed downtown. We continued on down the coast to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. The lighthouse is old and historic but the real beauty once again was the coastline. We enjoyed the view for quite some time and even saw some juvenile whales from a distance. We headed back to the coach and enjoyed some beach time. The Beverly Beach includes a fast moving creek/river that runs to the Ocean. Maverick loved playing the fast moving but shallow river water splitting the beach.