Oregon State Parks – The MoHo and Other Traveling Tales

03-08-2023 The Last Leg and More Adjustments

When the morning arrived for our departure from Bayport RV Park on Scappoose Bay in Warren, Oregon, the skies were threatening, but there was no snow predicted for the route we chose.

Cornelius Pass is a decent route that passes by the main urban area of Portland to the west, crossing a low mountain as it approaches Highway 26 and continues south toward the upper portion of the Willamette Valley where we planned to spend two days in Dayton.

Google suggested route from Bayport to Dayton

I checked the webcams, read the Facebook Group for Cornelius Pass, and declared that we could take that route and avoid returning south via Highway 30 and Interstate 5. Even though Mo was driving, the roads required navigating to the extent that I didn’t have the opportunity to open the phone camera for photos. So I have no record of this trip.

The density of housing in parts of Aloha is surprising

We crossed Highway 26, the main route to the coast from the city. We were aghast at the wall-to-wall row houses and apartments that seemed to extend for miles around Hillsboro and Aloha on the western perimeter of the city of Portland.

Google is notorious for sometimes routing over impassable roads, and when I saw an extremely curvy road on the projected route I said, “No No! Keep going straight, that road is too curvy”. The alternate route I chose seemed to be a bit less curvy and hopefully, we could navigate a way to Dayton that would be a bit less challenging. All was well until we saw a sign for an 18 percent grade ahead. Eighteen Percent??!! I think the steepest sign we have ever seen was 16 percent on the road into Calistoga in California.

We kept on going, and climbed a narrow road into some steep hills (which felt like mountains) to an elevation of 2,000 feet or so, with fairly deep snow on either side of the road. In one short section, within a distance of no more than 2 miles, we saw 4 newish SUV-type vehicles smashed into trees and telephone poles, some appeared to be climbing the poles. So much for avoiding the curvy roads. And no, I don’t have a single photo of this experience. Somehow I had no clue that the Willamette VALLEY had steep curvy snowy mountains here and there on the perimeter.

Looking south toward Dayton from the hills

We breathed a sigh of relief as we entered the actual valley toward the community of Dayton and our reservations at the Dayton RV Park. Searching Google again for the actual address of the park, I was redirected to several other RV parks, but no Dayton RV Park. I dug out the reservation papers, which also had no address for the park, then went to the park website and discovered that there was no address listed there either. Finally in the small print somewhere I found the phone number of the RV park and called.

A sweet lady answered the phone and gladly offered the address, yada yada yada…Dayton, Nevada. NEVADA?

It seems we somehow made a reservation in Dayton, Nevada instead of Dayton, Oregon. I would expect that an RVr who has traveled for any length of time has had a similar experience. Now what?

I started calling around, and after a few parks with no openings, found one for 80 bucks a night, with this caveat, “Oh, by the way, we have some construction going on but the framers don’t get loud until after 9am.”. Thanks anyway, but no thanks. This kind lady pointed me to the nearby state park suggesting they might have an opening on a rainy, out of season, Monday night.

We found Champoeg (pronounced Shampooey) State Park on the map and headed east, hoping for an opening, or at least a spot in a handicap site. That little blue card has saved us more than once in full parks at the last minute.

Arriving at Champoeg, we saw the dreaded “Campground Full” sign, but continued in, hoping for a cancellation or an ADA site. Found a ranger who checked and then sadly confirmed that there was no available space anywhere in the park for us, but said we could stay awhile until we could search for an alternative.

Mo and I settled in for lunch, and about 20 minutes later the ranger returned, saying her boss ranger had found us a site and had to wait a few minutes to be sure that the cancellation was real. Sure enough, it was, and we were directed to a full hookup site 34 in the B Loop, with the added benefit of that site being open for us for the two nights we hoped to stay.

Champoeg State Park was a perfect location for a home base as we visited the area around Dayton. During her research, Mo learned that the Dayton area was well known for a large number of excellent wineries. We thought it might be fun to sample the famous Pinot Noir grapes of this part of the Willamette Valley much as we dove into sampling the Old Vine Zinfandels in Lodi, California.

Mo also discovered a well-known four-star restaurant located in Dayton that we thought might be a fitting end to her birthday trip. As we settled in for the rest of the afternoon, I took advantage of the very slow internet signal on the phone to research a few wineries and the famous Joel Palmer House restaurant. There were so many wineries to choose from but most of them required a reservation or wouldn’t be open when we were planning to visit. We settled on a plan to visit the Stoller Family Estate, open for tastings on Tuesdays without a reservation.

We then checked for possible reservations at the Joel Palmer House and when we saw that dinner there was fixed at $375 per person, decided we didn’t need to visit this 4-star restaurant, no matter how good it was.

Bike Trail adjacent to Champoeg State Park and the Willamette River

We spent some of the rest of the afternoon enjoying a walk along the beautiful bike trail adjacent to the Willamette River which borders the park. With the cloudy chill outside it was nice to return to the MoHo for the evening. It had been a crazy kind of day that ended quite well.

The next morning dawned beautifully, with sunshine and puffy white clouds in the sky. We took Mattie for another long walk through the park and along the river. The bike trail continues for a few miles in either direction, with the destination toward the east about two miles being Butteville General Store.

We decided that it would be best to leave Mattie settled in at home while we drove to explore the surrounding area before traveling to the winery.

Lots of informative signs around the park

Champoeg State Park is beautiful, but I was most impressed with the Visitor Center. Meandering through the stunning exhibits taught us about the history of the town of Champoeg, completely flooded and destroyed in 1861, rebuilt and flooded again in the late 1800s.

Inside the beautiful visitor center at Champoeg State Park

The exhibits taught not only the history of the area, but also the history of Oregon statehood, and the people who supported it and who were against it. I learned much that I didn’t know about Oregon as we walked through the center.

Surprised at how little I knew of Oregon state hisotry

In addition to human history, there was much on the natural history of the area, including the plants, the geology, and the animals that make the park their home.

There were sound recordings that accompanied this map

Native American history was covered as well, with an especially interesting map of the various dialects of languages that were used throughout Oregon. So much to learn. I think we spent at least an hour exploring the Visitor Center. There is a museum nearby that has more exhibits about the pioneer history of the area, but it wasn’t open yet for the season.

Save this for a warmer day and the famous ice cream

After visiting the center, we drove a couple of miles east to check out the Butteville Country Store. We originally thought maybe ice cream was in order, but it was early in the day and it was chilly so we weren’t tempted. I took a photo of the store from the outside, thinking maybe a hot summer day would make it more inviting.

Family owned since 1943 and a vineyard since 1993

Continuing toward Dayton, we found the Stoller Estate Winery on beautiful hills overlooking the valley. The tasting room was gorgeous, and the proprietor was informative and welcoming. There were only a few people who came and went while we were there, so it was uncrowded.

Beautiful view from the tasting room at Stoller Vineyard

We chose a wine flight for me, a glass of red blend for Mo, and a lovely sandwich for two. The sandwich was delightful, with ham and turkey, arugula lettuce, gouda cheese, and a yummy aioli on perfectly baked bread.

The wines ranged from some lighter rosé to some lovely Pinot Noir wines. The rosé made from their pinot grapes was the driest rosé I have ever tried, but delicious. We settled on a bottle of Pinot to take home, deciding that we needed something to commemorate our visit.

The vineyard was beautiful, with spectacular views in all directions, and made for some lovely photo opportunities with the huge puffy clouds that signaled rain to come.

On the way home, we stopped for an outside visit to the famous restaurant in Dayton. I walked up to the imposing door, and the people inside were gracious and let me look inside. What kind of restaurant is really worth $375 a plate? It was beautiful and historic, and the chef was really kinda cute.

I doubt if we would ever return to eat there, especially since they are famous for using all kinds of locally sourced mushrooms in the dishes. Mo isn’t a fan of mushrooms.

Heavy rain accompanied our late afternoon return to the MoHo, and we were treated to a few rainbows as well. Mattie was happy to see us, and Mo braved the rain to take her for another walk.

rain and rainbows on the way back to the MoHo

We planned to return home on Wednesday morning, via Interstate 5 to Grants Pass. I checked weather cams, weather apps, road cams, and everything I could to attempt to find a window of opportunity to get from this part of the state to our home a couple of hundred miles south in Southern Oregon. I saw that snow was predicted for our campsite, and before going to bed we put in the slide to avoid any possible snow accumulation on the slide cover.

Sure enough, when we woke on Wednesday, it was snowing, with a bit of accumulation on the grass, but the roads were merely wet. I checked the weather and road conditions again, and we had a short travel window opening up on Interstate 5 between Roseburg and Grants Pass during the early afternoon.

Timing our departure in a way that would allow for a stopover at daughter Melody’s home in Brownsville near the interstate, we left by 10 AM. On days like this one, we are exceptionally glad that we have an RV sewer dump at home. There was no need to get out in the snow and use the sewer connection we had at our site.

The trip home was surprisingly uneventful. Mattie adores Melody, and as usual, as we approached Melody’s home, she started yipping and singing and wiggling ecstatically. Our visit was short but sweet, and I loved seeing some of the home projects that Melody and Robert have been doing with their 110-year-old house.

By the time we reached the four highest passes between Roseburg and Grants Pass, the road was clear, with no ice, no snow, and no rain. We pulled into the driveway at 4:30 PM with a sigh of relief. Home looked great, and the house was warm and welcoming thanks to the ability to program the heater for the end of vacation mode earlier in the day.

Sue and Mo happy walking the trail on the last day of the trip

Despite the challenges, the weather, and the shifting plans, Mo’s birthday trip turned out to be a complete success.

05-19-2021 We Escaped the Snow…Mostly

When we went to bed after that gorgeous sunset we were in a bit of a quandary as to what to do. The internet was iffy, and I had a hard time getting weather apps to show current information. All I could see was the giant blue severe weather warning over most of the area we planned to explore on Wednesday. It wasn’t encouraging. There was always the chance that it was being over predicted, something that happens often. Then again, driving the MoHo down the winding mountain road out of the snow zone didn’t sound good if the 5 inches predicted actually happened. The 20F degree prediction for Thursday morning didn’t sound particularly good either.

We were reasonably certain that the main snow event would hold off until Wednesday evening, so went to sleep without much worry about snow the next morning, but where did we want to be when it happened? Did we want to simply give up and run home? NO! Did we want to try to run as far as Farewell Bend on the other side of Crater Lake? Hmm, MAYBE. Looking up the sketchy weather for Farewell Bend wasn’t possible because the only locations that would come in on the weather apps were Prospect, at a lower elevation with a decent prediction for rain, or Crater Lake with a LOT of snow predicted.

Maybe we should just stay at the RV park in Summer Lake? But with bad weather predicted for the next 5 days we really didn’t want to be trapped for that long. When we woke up to cloudy skies and a tiny skiff of snow Wednesday morning, we made the decision. We would drive the 5 miles east into the Summer Lake area to check for birds at the refuge before returning to the MoHo for a good breakfast.

With the overcast skies and spitting rain and snow I didn’t bother to take the big camera, depending on the phone to document what I thought would be a rather boring quick trip around the refuge loop. Big mistake! My Samsung Galaxy Note20 does an excellent job with most photos, especially in good light, or even sketchy light. However, zoomed in photos of birds are just a bit too tough even for the great phone camera.

Mo drove and wouldn’t you know that all the good bird shots were on her side of the car. As most people who watch birds know, staying in the car is the only way they stay around, with the car working as a great blind. So Mo would drive, try to roll down the window, take the phone and try to focus. We finally figured out that she could hold the phone and I could click the stylus to take the photo. Then Mo would roll the window back up because it was so dang cold, and of course, another bird would appear.

We had a good time anyway, laughing sometimes and grumbling at each other at other times. The water levels were low, and the numbers of birds seemed low, although it is a bit late for the big migrations. We were a bit astounded at the variety, however, spotting lots of blackbirds, red winged and yellow headed, ruddy ducks, Canada geese with babies, a beautiful pair of sandhill cranes, with a dancing male. As we drove deeper into the refuge, beyond the campgrounds, we began to see black necked stilts with their bright pink legs and the gorgeous avocets that we remembered from our last trip to Summer Lake a few years ago. We saw a single swan in the distance, too far to determine which species it was, but as always the swan was beautifully graceful.

By the time we completed the viewing loop at the north end of the refuge it was getting close to 11AM and we were chilled to the bone. Home to the MoHo and a nice big breakfast with eggs and bacon and toast and juice, a real treat when traveling.

As we were getting ready to pack up, a car appeared with two women we had seen the day before at one of the information kiosks. They were looking for the rock. They had been up the trail and had been fooled by the fake mountain goat scratched into a smaller rock along the trail. We told them how to find the real one. Shortly after that another car with a young couple showed up looking for the rock as well, and we told them about the trail and to be sure to look on the upside of the trail to find it.

By the time the slide was in and the jacks raised we had determined that our next stop would be La Pine State Park. Mo took me there one time when we were visiting her brother when he lived in La Pine but we had never actually camped there. It was only a bit over an hour away via Highway 31 toward Highway 97 and the road was wide and easy except for some rather horrific frost heaves on the pumice plateau that just about rattled us to death.

Once at the park, we first attempted to find a site in the upper north loop, where there was electric only. We didn’t need sewer so thought it would be fine. We attempted to settle into the rather narrow and unlevel site since there weren’t many available until we started to hook up the power. Um…wait….20 amp? On a very old post?? I think not!! Not if we are paying rather than boondocking, we wanted to at least be able to run the microwave without turning everything else off.

We retraced the entrance road and continued to the Middle and South Loop, where nearly every site was taken, but at least the few available had 30 and 50 amp hookups and the sites were paved and very level. We picked one and settled in, grousing about the dreary skies, the complete lack of not only internet, but even a cell phone signal! Neither of us was exactly happy with where we were. The forest was thick second growth lodgepole with some skinny scattered ponderosa pine and everything was so flat and gray. There wasn’t a bit of a view and the park was very crowded. It was disconcerting to discover that we had only a tiny bit of signal, enough for a text message but no access to any kind of internet, email, or maps. It certainly wasn’t what we had envisioned for our desert trip, and as the snow flurries started falling it made it even less fun when we couldn’t track the weather to figure out what to expect. We settled in, both of us a bit grumpy, which doesn’t happen very often. After talking it out a bit, we decided to get in the car and try to explore the flat, featureless landscape and see what in the world people did when they visited La Pine State Park.

With just a short ride, we found the Dan MacGregor memorial overlooking a lovely trail on a wide bow in the Deschutes River. With the sun appearing once again and the beautiful view of the river our mood began to improve considerably. Mo had camped at a forest service campground a few miles back toward La Pine and on the road that goes to Paulina Lake. Deciding to drive to that campground to check it out, we discovered a locked gate and a closed campground. Not sure why it was closed, but I am glad we hadn’t planned on staying there for the night.

The night was surprisingly quiet considering how full the campground was. I slept a bit fitfully, unsure of what the next day might bring. The snow flurries continued throughout the night, but by morning they were gone and lo and behold the sun was shining.

On the previous day I had photographed a map of the park with some locations that might be interesting to explore. When we checked into the park, there was only a simple map of the campground and not a single map or brochure about the area. Without the internet, we were basically following our noses, so I was glad I had photographed that park map.

We drove north and found the road leading toward “Falls”, a dot on the map. What we found was a magnificent surprise tucked away on that flat, featureless pumice plain covered with lodgepole and ponderosa. Fall River was gorgeous, a well known river for fly fishing, but on this cold sunny morning there wasn’t a soul in sight. We followed the trail to the Falls, not exactly sure how far it was, and as Mo asked me if I had any idea how much farther we needed to hike, both of us began to hear the roar of the falls.

It was lovely. Brilliant in the sunshine and surrounded by thick blooming bitterbrush and grass still green from the winter. In spite of our misgivings from the previous afternoon about La Pine State Park, the walk along the Deschutes River and the hike to Fall River Falls made a huge difference in our opinion of the place. We might decide to rent one of the cabins with a nice RV hookup area to visit next year with our friends Maryruth and Gerald. Just 20 miles south of Bend and not far from the Newberry Crater there would be lots to share in the area and Maryruth said they would love to rent the cabin.

By the time we left the campground at noon or so, the snow flurries had disappeared but there were huge black clouds on the horizon. Once we reached Highway 97 and I had cell service again, I discovered that we could expect more snow along our route to Farewell Bend west of the pass that is north of Crater Lake where we hiked last summer on our camping trip on the Rogue.

On that trip we discovered a sweet little boondocking camp site at Muir Creek, a tributary of the Rogue. Mo wanted to see if that spot was open for us, so we set our sights for the Muir Creek Bridge. It snowed on us a couple of times but by the time we drove in, the skies were a gorgeous blue. There is a trailhead that is on the west side of the creek with a large parking area with room to turn around. We parked there, unhooked the Tracker, and returned to the east side of the creek bridge to explore the campsite area.

We were thrilled to find it completely empty of campers, quiet and beautiful, and easily accessible with the MoHo. Having scoped out the best location, we returned for the MoHo and brought her back to what I now think may have been an even better boondocking site than our previous amazing spot at Pictured Rock Pass.

Our camping spot was a perfect dream of whispering forest, gurgling creek, brilliant sunshine and blue skies. Until it rained. But between the rain and snow showers, the sun was warm and Mo built a beautiful fire in one of the nicest firepits we have ever seen.

We sat outside in the afternoon sun with our kindles by the fire, reading till a shower ran us indoors, and then returning to the fire when the sun came back. Mo had only to step out the door to keep the fire going.

I hadn’t planned on dinners for this 4th night, and we thought about driving the 24 mile round trip to Beckie’s Cafe in Union Creek. It seemed like such a waste of precious time in the sunshine with our books so we made do. Dinner was tuna sandwiches and pickles and was perfect.

There was no need to close any of the blinds or cover the windshield here, since there wasn’t a soul around. The night was dark, and snow and rain came and went, but I was delighted to see that there was no snow on the ground when we woke. Funny thing happened when I looked out the front windshield and did a double take. It looked exactly like we were crossing the creek in the MoHo. Our front fender was less than 4 feet from the edge of the water, but from inside it looked exactly like we were in it.

I have no idea if this perfect boondock site will remain as perfect as it was for us on this weekday in May. Last year there was a tent and a trailer there when we visited in August. I also have no idea if the huge crowds of RVrs that are inundating almost every available site in the west will find our two perfect boondocks, one in the desert and another in the mountains. All I know is that for us everything was completely absolutely perfect!

The final leg of our trip home the next morning was just under two hours of familiar highway roads via the Rogue River route along Highway 62, crossing the Sam’s Valley on Highway 234 from Shady Cove to Gold Hill, and along Interstate 5 toward home. The skies at home cleared enough that we did our usual quick unloading of the rig, putting the food away, piling laundry into the laundry room, and letting the rest of the MoHo cleaning wait for the next day.

We managed to fill up 5 days and 4 nights with a LOT. It took me several days to process the photos, and several more days to write the stories. Hope my readers enjoy it as much as I have, but at least Mo and I won’t have to question which day we did what. Thank goodness for the blog to force me to write it down so that we remember.

04-20 to 04-24-2021 Another Little Beach Trip

We hadn’t planned on returning to the beach, but when Mo’s brothers said they were gathering in Nehalem for some family time we decided to go. At this time of year the mountains are still getting snow flurries, the California deserts are getting a bit too warm, and most of the waters we love to kayak are still a bit chilly. Another trip to the Oregon Coast was added to our calendar for the month of April.

Ever since we have had the MoHo we try to make sure that we get out at least once a month on some sort of camping adventure. The only years we didn’t completely succeed was when we were selling our homes and the apartment building in Klamath Falls and Rocky Point and building our present home here in Grants Pass. It was a bit hard to get away then, especially when our lives seemed to be all about hauling the trailer around with mowers and yard equipment trying to keep all our places in order. Whew! So glad we have only one home and yard to manage now.

Even though we had a few warm days here at home, the weather on the coast was predicted to be chilly and possibly rainy. What is new!? We planned accordingly, and decided that hauling the kayaks along wasn’t particularly important. Dan and Don recently purchased new inflatable kayaks and planned to try them out for the first time on the Nehalem River. Last time we kayaked with them on the Nehalem, Mo and I both decided that exiting our kayaks from the water to the dock was way more work than we wanted to do. Never again. From now on kayaking for us will be in warm water with nice easy launches so we can get back out of the boats without a lot of pain. I discovered last summer that if the water is warm and the launch is reasonable I can get out with a simple roll into the water. Looking forward to more kayak time as the weather warms.

After our days at the beach, with some lovely sunshine interspersed with lots of wind and chilly clouds we were glad we hadn’t bothered to load up the boats. With only three days to spend with family, kayaking wasn’t a top priority.

Dan had saved a spot for us in Nehalem Bay State Park, in Loop F. Loops A, B, and C are all reservation only throughout the year, but D, E, and F are first come first serve through April. It was surprising how full the park was, with A, B, and C completely filled. Dan and Chere, and Don and Wynn arrived on Monday to get sites for all of us so we had a place to be when we arrived. By the time we left, most of loops D, E, and F were almost full.

Most of the state parks along the beaches in Oregon are a bit inland, with a trek over various distances of sand dunes to get to the beach. South Beach, where we often go near Newport, is especially distant with a long sandy slog for at least half a mile to get to the beach. Here at Nehalem Bay, the slog over the dunes is only a few hundred yards. Still a bit difficult for old legs and knees, but at least we can get there without having to drive a long distance to an easier access point.

The arrangement was for each family to bring their own main dish but share our evening meals together. On our first night, Wynn assured us she had plenty of soup for all. She made a yummy tortellini soup with a rich full tasting clear broth that was a delicious and warm meal for the windy, chilly evening. It was so windy and cold that Mo and I didn’t even bother to trek the few hundred yards to the beach. Instead we hunkered down after supper in the warm MoHo to watch a bit of Netflix cast from the phone. With a great cellular signal and no local TV to speak of, this is a great option for us. Especially since we are so spoiled with recorded TV that we can barely stand to watch commercials.

The next morning dawned beautifully. It was Chere’s birthday, but she told Dan that she didn’t mind him spending some time with his new boat as long as she got to pick where we had her birthday dinner. The guys readied Don’s boat for its first launch while Dan explained why his boat was still at home. Seemed there was a problem and the company has to replace the boat they sent him.

We drove the short few miles back to Nehalem and the river launch in the brilliant morning sunshine. The guys managed to get the boat in the water and to figure out how to get in the rubber boat. One of the reasons for the inflatables is that Dan and Don think their ladies will have an easier time getting in and out of them than they do with the hardside boats. I had no desire to even try. The Saturn is a bit more like a sit on top, with a strong bottom that is rigid. You can supposedly stand up in one. Not me! I’ll stick with my treasured Adirondack until I can no longer figure out a way to exit. One nice thing about the Saturn inflatable however, is that it is self bailing. It is actually a sea worthy kayak that can take the waves and when water gets in, it flows out without letting more in. A nice feature. On a warm day I would love to launch it on a beach somewhere in some nice easy waves. Mo thought it might be a good idea to be sure to tether the thing to your body somehow in case it dumped.

The guys and their wives went back home while Mo and I drove to Manzanita, another nearby town, to visit the beach. Chere said that is where they often go because the parking area along the beach is right adjacent to the water, without all the dune hiking. The beach was nice, and there were lots of dogs and people walking about in spite of the windy chilly air. Even though the sun was brilliant in Nehalem, it was foggy and windy at the ocean. Mattie did her thing, running wildly in the sand until she finally stopped, panting. She loves doing that, but I have noticed that she wears out a bit sooner than she used to. Maybe a bit like her moms.

We drove around Manzanita a bit to explore the small, somewhat upscale town. Unlike Nehalem, Manzanita has some fancy shops, eateries, art galleries, and a coffee place that fit in perfectly with the vibe of the town. Signs for Black Lives Matter, organic dark chocolate, hand dyed yarns, and organic candles were scattered throughout the shop. I stood in line for a really good cappuccino while Mo waited in the car. Couldn’t resist taking photos of the charming little place. It reminded me of places we visited in California coastal towns.

By noon we returned to camp to meet with family for the drive to Tillamook, where Chere was excited to visit an area with several food trucks, her choice for an early birthday meal. When we arrived, however, most of the trucks were closed and the stiff chilly breeze made outside dining less than pleasant. We decided instead to hunt for an indoor dining venue. The Pelican Brewery was just across the street, but with limited inside dining, it was more than an hour wait. Chere suggested returning to Manzanita but Dan was much too hungry to wait another hour for our meal. We searched around town and finally found a place to park right in front of The Dutch Mill Diner.

Dan and Chere with a pal

Wynn and Don

It was a 50’s diner with juke boxes, lots of 50’s music, and hamburgers and milk shakes. I think it was a perfect choice for Chere who loves all the 50’s stuff. Lunch was good too, and Mo and I shared our sandwich and milk shake. We have been doing that more often lately, a great solution to the huge meals that most restaurants like to serve.

Dan and Chere’s rig with his crabbing boat parked in front.

Dan loves to go crabbing, but he doesn’t like crab that much. He had a successful day on Monday, but none of us were in the mood for it for dinner, so instead Dan offered his big beautiful crab to some campground walkers who were thrilled to get it. They couldn’t believe their luck.

Returning back to camp, we rested a bit before joining the rest of the family at Dan and Chere’s place for a birthday celebration. I made a lemon cake with lemon curd filling and cream cheese frosting back home, packing the parts and waiting until this day to put it all together. Funny moment was when we realized that the MoHo might not be perfectly level when I couldn’t get the 4 cake layers to stay upright, sliding sideways on the lemon curd filling. Took a bit of doing, but finally the cake was good enough to take over to Chere’s for the candles and birthday song. After cake we laughed and visited, skipping the fir since the evening was so chilly.

On Thursday, Mo took another walk on the beautiful Nehalem Beach. The dune hike wasn’t too much, and we spent a long time out there walking and enjoying the sound of the ocean. Mattie had her usual wild run, eventually settling down into a nice walk with us. Mattie is almost 7 years old, and does seem to be slowing a bit in her healthy middle age.

Mo and I played some cards and as evening came we all gathered at Chere and Dan’s camp table for shared supper. This time we did eat our own food, splitting a hot dog between us, and sharing the mac salad I had brought from home. Again, I made all the parts at home, but didn’t build the salad until that afternoon. It is still fresh and homemade, but much easier than taking time during a camping day to chop stuff, and boiling macaroni and eggs. We circled around the lovely campfire for a time before calling it a night. Once again, with the chill and our full tummies I didn’t bother to bring out the marshmallows.

When we originally planned this trip, we though it would be fun to travel east from Nehalem toward Silver Falls State Park to visit the waterfalls and maybe check out the Oregon Gardens near Silverton. I tried to get reservations at Silver Falls, but not surprisingly, the park was completely full. There are 12 first come first served sites in the park and we thought we might take a chance to see if we could get one. Our backup plan was to attempt to get a space at the Silver Spur RV Park, a decent enough place near Silverton where we have stayed in the past.

With hard rain predicted for the rest of the weekend at Silverton, and no sure place to stay, we had second thoughts about driving inland. There are very few ways to get across the coastal mountains between the Willamette Valley and the Oregon Coast that don’t involve curvy, narrow roads. We decided that if we had to drive a curvy narrow road in the rain we might as well take the coast route home. Somehow once we had decided to do that I felt much better. We could check for possible open sites at any of the beachside state parks that dot the coast route all the way to Brookings.

Beachside State Park with no dunes between the campground and the beach

As expected, it was raining hard when we got on the road Friday morning, but as always, rain or shine, the Oregon Coast is incredibly beautiful. Driving south toward Newport and Florence I realized once again that the section of the coast between Newport and Florence is my favorite. Highway 101 in this section is curvy, perched high above the ocean with views that stretch forever. It is here that the famous lighthouse at Heceta Head is located, one of the most photographed places in Oregon. Of course, my only photo was through an open window in the rain this time, but I took it anyway.

Many of the state parks along the route had “campground full” signs posted on the highway, especially the ones near the bigger cities. South Beach was full, and that is a big park! It was Friday after all and we knew that getting a spot could be iffy. Just about half way between South Beach and Florence, is Beachside State Park. It is smaller and closer than many of the other state parks, and the camp sites are right on the beach, no intervening dunes. However, the campground is sandwiched tightly between the beach and the highway, without a lot of spaces for rally big rigs. That and its lack of proximity to a bigger town might have something to do with the fact that there were spaces available on this Friday afternoon.

We settled in and realized that it was barely noon and we had plenty of time to relax. We walked the beach, played cards, and took a short walk or two around with Mattie. It was a quiet time, much different than it might have been if we had tried to go inland.

On Saturday morning we left around 8:30, traveling Highway 42 inland from the coast toward Roseburg. In my opinion, this is one of the better roads between the coast and I-5. This time of year everything is greening up beautifully. I was surprised at how much farther along the springtime green was here than it had been farther north toward Nehalem. Amazing how much difference a latitude difference of a couple of hundred miles can make from north to south.

I’ll leave you with a photo of the MOST PERFECT marshmallow I have ever roasted. No dry crackers or chocolate needed. Mo’s campfire at Beachside was a perfect bed of coals for this one.

12-15-2020 through 12-19-2020 Another December Escape

When winter comes, our best option for a short getaway is to head for the coast. We had barely returned from our Thanksgiving trip when Mo said, “Can we make a plan to go somewhere again before Christmas?” Ummm….took me an overnight minute but by the next morning I was ready to search Harris Beach for a reserved campsite. Harris Beach is beautiful, and close. Just a bit over 2 hours for us from Grants Pass. I guess that is why you will see more photos and blogs about Harris Beach than just about any other location we have traveled. So be it. If you are bored…just move along.

With all the sites being full on our last trip, we didn’t want to take a chance. Reservations are so easy, and for me personally it is much less stressful to know I have a place to land. Especially when the weather is stormy I really don’t want to be wandering around hunting for somewhere to by dark.

The weather report for our four days at the ocean was grim. Wind warnings, gale warnings, high seas and king tide warnings were many. Still, we have camped at the coast enough to know that in between all these dramatic events the skies can clear unexpectedly and the sun will break through. We planned accordingly. I think I packed more outerwear and footwear than I have in a very long time. Four days, four weeks, if it is cold and variable, I need all those alternatives to being wet. Glad I did.

As we departed from home around 11, the skies were that gloomy gray dull that I like least of any, and the rain was spotty. Just enough to be wet and boring, but the trip down the Smith River past the Jedediah Smith redwoods is a familiar one. I usually like to drive home from the beach since the steep drop-off to the river is on the passenger side in the east bound lane. Mo was happy driving to the beach that morning. We switch off as needed, taking turns. I function better earlier in the day so usually leave later trips to Mo. We avoid night driving most of the time anyway and especially when traveling in the MoHo. Lucky for me, Mo is still a great night time driver if need be.

Much of B Loop and part of C Loop are closed for the winter. We are in A2

We arrived at our site in the A Loop and were delighted to see that most of the row was still empty. I was relieved to see that unlike our last campsite at Harris Beach, the campfire ring was a decent height. Mo had loaded up enough wood for four nights of campfires, in spite of the rainy forecast. After settling in we put on our coats, including Mattie, and braved the inclement but still dry weather to go check out the beach.

It was just a little short walk to the overlook and we managed to walk down the path toward the big rocks before I had to give up. Steep rocky stuff is out of my range now, especially when wet and slippery.

Mattie did NOT want to turn around.

The view was great from that spot, and we could see that the beach was almost completely empty. After walking back to the MoHo we picked up the car and drove down the steep road that leads to the main beach at the park.

Mattie was in heaven, running wildly the minute there was space for Mo to let her off the leash. The high tide had brought in some interesting tidbits that someone decided to arrange into a lovely still life that just begged to be photographed.

Mattie ran and played and climbed rocks, her favorite thing to do other than running wildly in soft sand.

Back home we settled in with some TV shows cast from the phone and a nice little steak on the BarB as the rain held off a few more hours. By dark, the rain was coming steadily. The rain drumming on the roof was as soothing as ever and we slept in much longer than usual the next morning.

We knew that Wednesday, the 16th, was to be the most intense day of the storm and we planned accordingly. Snuggling in with hot coffee, some news on the TV and cozy sweats we enjoyed the indoor day completely. I had come fully prepared with all my handmade Christmas cards ready to address and mail. It was much more fun writing little notes and stuffing the envelopes in the MoHo than it would have been back at home.

I started making Christmas cards back in the early days of COVID in the late spring. The most fun is deciding which cards go to which friends. The worst part of this is that if I make a similar card in the coming years I might not remember who got which ones the last time around. I guess I need to keep better notes!

It rained all night but the next morning on Thursday the skies had cleared somewhat. I decided to see if the Brookings Post Office was open and was delighted to find not a single person in the line and a friendly postmaster who checked each of my cards for weight and thickness.

The skies were clear and beautiful as we piled into the Tracker for the short trip south to Crescent City and our favorite fish and chips restaurant, the Chart Room. We stood in line with Nickie and Jimmy last September for our outside dining only fish and chips.

It was still outside dining only but the big difference was the weather and the lack of the long line of people waiting to order. Although the sun was just as brilliant, the air was chilly and we wore coats. Very few people in line and we had no trouble snagging a nice picnic table with a view.

We decided to check out the beach that we had attempted to visit last September. At the time, it was too crowded and there was no place to park. This time there was plenty of parking, but with the high tide coming in quite close there wasn’t much walking room. We weren’t impressed with this particular beach, actually called Crescent Beach. The sand is more like dark brown silt and while the surfers are fun to watch, the homeless tents and garbage strewn around was less enjoyable.

After lunch we drove north of town along the coastline to the remote headland trails at Point St. George. I have written about the amazing historical lighthouse that is just barely visible from this point in a previous story here. There were a few people parked but only a few hikers walking along the beach. The beach was gorgeous, wide open and clean with big breakers roaring from the high tide to keep us company.

Home again to a lovely evening with the rain holding out long enough that Mo built us a great campfire to enjoy before retreating to the cozy MoHo. As usual, Mattie had to have her own camp chair and blanket for fire time.

Most of the next day was sunny and beautiful with enough time to walk the beaches once again. We were surprised at how the temperatures moderated after the rain and the winds were almost non existent. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Mattie found many mini mountains to climb

For our last night in camp Mo once again built a beautiful campfire and we opened a bottle of champagne to enjoy by the fire and to drink with our truly delicious fish and chips. It is great when a good dinner is enough to last for two great meals. I am pretty sure that the Chart Room fish and chips at 14.95 each is one of the tastiest and best deals ever.

Saturday morning dawned gray and foggy once again and we took our time getting ready to leave. Even though we have an RV dump station at home, it is a bit easier to dump right there at Harris Beach. It is a good dump with a perfect angle for a complete clean dump. RVr’s will know exactly what I mean. It is also easy to get to and rarely busy. It’s the little things that matter when out traveling!

The trip home was uneventful, except for one minor detail. In Kerby, about 25 miles west of Grants Pass, there is a fair style food booth with hot dogs, hamburgers, curly fries and yes, corn dogs! Best corn dog I ever ate was at the Albuquerque Balloon Festival in 2019. Mo said, “Hey, want a corn dog ?” I didn’t exactly slam on the brakes in the middle of the highway, but I did find a way to turn around and get back there. Yup…Albuquerque quality corn dog. Once every year or so isn’t that bad for some truly delicious junk food. Then again, I might have to be sure to remember that place is there on our next trip to the beach!

11-24 to 11-27-2020 Bandon Thanksgiving and a night at Harris Beach

Don’t forget that you can click on any photo if you wish to see if full resolution in my gallery

Site A47 had more privacy than we
expected

Between the time we made our reservation and our trip to the coast, COVID numbers began rising in Oregon and the governor once again shut down restaurants for indoor dining. One of the reasons we chose Bandon over Brookings for this trip was to have an opportunity to spend some time in the little shops and restaurants that make Bandon so charming. The weather forecast was for rain most of the week, so we wanted to have other things to do than walk the beach.

We traveled north via I-5 toward Roseburg and turned west toward the coast via Highway 42. However, instead of following the Google Girl directions to stay on Highway 42 all the way to HWY 101 and then back south, we thought the quicker route along 42 S made more sense. In hindsight, Google Girl sometimes gets it right and we don’t. I spent most of the time hanging on while Mo navigated the very narrow, very winding road toward Bandon. It was not fun for me, but I think it might have been for her. She used to drive a TR7 among other sports cars.

Don’t try this route in a motorhome

It rained a bit along the way, but the afternoon was dry enough that we had time to enjoy a walk along the beach after we settled into our site.

The campground is about a mile from easy beach access at the Coquille River Lighthouse

We were a bit disappointed in the condition of the lighthouse

Adjacent to the town of Bandon, the Coquille River empties into the Pacific Ocean. The river extends inland a great distance and was a natural link to the virgin stands of timber in the area, but the bar at the mouth of the river, formed by the interaction of the river and ocean, was a major obstacle for ships entering the river. At times, only a few feet of water would cover the bar, but vessels still attempted to navigate the river in hopes of reaping the rewards that lay upstream. In 1880, Congress passed a bill funding the construction of a jetty on the south side of the river’s entrance that created a deep channel, resulting in a rapid rise in the number of ships entering the river.

A lighthouse at the entrance to Coquille River was the next logical step for improving navigation. Congress appropriated $50,000 for the project on March 3, 1891, but it would be four years before land was purchased, plans were solidified, and the construction crew was assembled.

In 1939, the Coast Guard assumed responsibility for Coquille River Lighthouse and decided it was no longer needed. An automated beacon was placed at the end of the south jetty, the dwelling was disassembled, and the lighthouse was abandoned. The lighthouse stood neglected for twenty-four years, until Bullards Beach State Park was created on the north side of the river. The grounds of the original eleven-acre light station were included in the park, and the park assumed responsibility for the lighthouse.

Over the years there have been several attempts at restoration, since park funding isn’t sufficient to maintain the old lighthouse. In normal years, the lighthouse tower is open for visitation from May through September, however at the moment the old lighthouse looked quite sad.

The air smelled so incredibly fresh, and the surf was loud enough that we could hear it in camp across the dunes at least half a mile from the beach where we were camped.

There were high tide and surf warnings posted for the next couple of days so one evening we drove through town in the dark to the south jetty where we could watch the huge noisy waves breaking over the jetty rocks. Lots of warnings for “sneaker waves” kept me alert and when a big one came roaring in I immediately jumped back into the car.

It rained off and on that first night and the next morning dawned cloudy and wet. We settled into the MoHo for a cozy morning before driving the a mile south to Bandon to explore the small town. The rain came and went all day, usually with a downpour at just the moment we would head for the car after visiting a shop. About half the shops in town were open, with masks and social distancing, and we especially enjoyed the beautiful Second Street Gallery, Winter River Bookstore, and the Coastal Mist Chocolate Boutique, where we had two tiny cups of creamy drinking chocolate, to go of course.

This photo is from last year when there was still inside service

The rain poured down as we ran to the car with our little cups of chocolate. I also purchased my first ever macaron (not a macaroon). I wasn’t impressed, although I do think that maybe the high humidity at the ocean makes it hard to make a light crispy meringue cookie. Who knows. I don’t have to try again.

We then meandered around the famous Cranberry Sweets. The store has been in Bandon for more than 50 years and specializes in all sorts of cranberry confections. I learned that more cranberries are grown around Bandon than anywhere else in the west. Although Bandon is referred to as “The Cranberry Capitol of the World”, more research informed me that most cranberries come from Wisconsin and Massachusetts. Five states grow almost all of the country’s supply of cranberries with Wisconsin producing more than half of all cranberries in the US. Massachusetts harvests another third, and New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington produce most of the rest. So much for “Cranberry Capitol”.

Still, the shop was charming and old fashioned, with lots of candies and confections behind the counters. The hostess told me that they usually had lots of samples around the shop but due to COVID we had to settle for a little bag of free stuff.

I decided it was time to get some fish and chips to go and tried out Tony’s Crab Shack where I was politely told that Tony didn’t fry ANYTHING, and perhaps I might like to try to fish tacos. Made with fresh caught crab and halibut, they were delicious. Everything in town was take-out only, with all the restaurants closed for inside seating. We returned home in the pouring rain and it continued to rain all night long. Funny how wonderful rain on the roof of a motorhome can sound, especially when accompanied by the roar of the ocean. Great for a good night’s sleep!

The next morning was Thanksgiving, and we woke to beautiful clear skies. I had precooked much of our dinner, and simply had to reheat the turkey, bake the sweet potato, mash the potatoes, cook a pot of Stove-Top stuffing, and open a jar of gravy. It wasn’t gourmet, but was completely and totally delicious for the two of us and our socially distanced Thanksgiving dinner.

On our first day in camp I discovered the tsunami evacuation trail. The path is narrow with signs leading to an area high on a heavily timbered hill behind the campground where people are instructed to assemble if the tsunami warning horns go off. It would do no good to attempt to drive out of the campground in that situation since most of the highway is in the tsunami zone.

It was a lovely little trail, with moist moss, and lots of mushrooms in the duff under the trees.

On this beautiful morning it was a perfect time to share the trail with Mo. Mattie loved the trail and we enjoyed walking in a place where there were no dogs or people around. Mattie gets so excited when she sees other dogs and always wants to “play”. That entails lots of energy and training time, trying to get her to sit and calm down. Walking around the campground can be challenging sometimes when all I want is a nice simple walk. The trail was perfect for that.

It was surprising how full the campground was on this holiday weekend. By the time Thursday rolled around, all sites were full and everyone seemed to be having a great time celebrating. We even saw an outdoor TV broadcasting a football game.

After our early afternoon dinner we went for another great beach walk, and were amazed that the weather was so perfect. There was very little wind and the temps must have been in the 50’s. Beautiful day.

Home again to the MoHo where after many years of hearing about it, I actually figured out how to cast the phone to the TV with the included app on my Samsung phone. We turned on Netflix on the phone, and with our unlimited Verizon plan we were able to watch movies and even live television on the big TV with the right apps. My daughter Deanna told me about this capability a long time ago, but I never managed to figure it out until this trip. On a chilly evening having some TV was great entertainment. The Verizon signal in the park was perfectly adequate to stream a movie.

Bullard’s Beach State Park has some beautiful picnic areas

On Friday morning we took our time with a lazy breakfast, a little bit of news, and some reading time before packing up. Checkout time wasn’t until 1PM, and we only had a little over two hours to travel along the coast south toward Brookings and Harris Beach State Park. I didn’t make a reservation for Harris Beach, thinking that winter on the coast would be open without a problem. We planned to arrive around 2 in plenty of time to snag an open site before evening. Things have changed in the camping world! When we arrived the park was completely full except for one site, the only ADA site in the park, number 37 in the B loop.

I must say I was grateful for once to have my little blue disability card to hang from our windshield. We settled in to enjoy our last evening on the beach and Mo built a nice big campfire. Only problem with the campfire is that the ADA site has a very tall metal fire ring, I suppose so that it is safer. It took a very long time to get that metal warm and I spent campfire time in LOTS of clothes and blankets trying to warm up.

One of our favorite holiday treats are the wonderful lights at Azalea Park in Brookings. We knew that this year the big light show wasn’t happening, but the city of Brookings was attempting to do something at least and made arrangements for businesses that usually displayed their lights at Azalea Park to put lights up on both sides of Highway 101 and down into Harbor. We hopped into the Tracker at dusk to go check out the show. I must say that it was a bit of a bust. There were a few nice lights near Fred Meyer, but the rest of them were scattered along the road with lots of space in between displays. Oh well, at least they tried. We heard the next morning that someone had stolen one of the big displays on the very first night of the show, the 4 piece Dragon. So sad. Maybe that is why so many businesses chose not to display their lights in the unprotected lots along the highway. Eventually the dragon was recovered.

Here is a photo of the dragon from the park show last year

The next day we didn’t have to check out until 1PM and with no rush to get back home we enjoyed every last minute of park time. I took Mattie around the campground, and walked out toward the overlook that has such a beautiful view of Harris Beach. I felt no need to climb down to the water.

There were so many people on the beach I was amazed. More people and dogs running around on Harris Beach than we have ever seen even in summer. I guess as many people have said, RVing is the great COVID escape and everyone and their dog or dogs is on the road and filling up the campgrounds.

We left in brilliant sunshine, driving as far as Cave Junction about 30 miles west of Grants Pass before we encountered the fog. Grants Pass is often foggy in winter, sometimes without any lifting in the afternoon. This was one of those days. I always say, if we must have fog, we might as well have it at the beach. It was nice to get home to our cozy house, the steamy hot tub, and TV without having to figure out the casting thing. It was a great four days of ocean time, and a perfect way to handle a quiet Thanksgiving for just the two of us.