West Coast RV Adventure

Road Trip!

It’s time for another adventure and this time, Laurel and I are flying to Vancouver where we will rent an RV and then head south into the US. We plan to travel down the West Coast and eventually into the Grand Canyon and Moab areas, hitting as many national and state parks as possible. To decompress at the end of our journey, we will spend some time on Vancouver Island. Let the adventures begin!

Vancouver

Another adventure has begun! We arrived in Vancouver very late on Friday night for a short stay to visit family and friends before we begin a major road trip. This Left Coast city did not disappoint us as the weather was perfect for the couple of days we were here. We were grateful to spend time visiting Laurel's son Jonathan and his partner Emily as well as our very good friends Doug and Denise. Throw in some walkabouts amongst the beautiful blooms of cherry blossom trees and tulips, and you have a jam-packed weekend. It was a great start to this West Coast road trip. Next stop...south of the border!

  • The city view from the Kitsilano Beach area.

  • A local guy getting a feel for his paraglider on a "perfect training day."

  • False Creek

  • The trees were in full bloom.

  • New List Item

  • It was wonderful to spend time with Emily and Jonathan on Saturday. After a delicious meal of sushi at Miku, the Improv comedy club on Granville Island kept us entertained.

  • Sockeye salmon sashimi and a beautiful view.

  • The pressed salmon aburi tasted incredible!

  • It was a beautiful night for a walk along the harbour.

  • We were able to get caught up with newlyweds Doug and Denise. It's always a pleasure to spend time with this couple.

Into Oregon

To begin our journey south, we picked up our wheels - a 24-foot rental RV. Neither Laurel nor I have driven one before so this will truly be exciting. Surprisingly, given my history with US Customs, our stop at the US border lasted about 23 seconds and we were on our way!

After stopping for provisions at Costco and Trader Joe's (of course), we headed to Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island. The first order of business was to unpack our gear into the RV and sort out all of the vehicle's amenities. Compared to our roof-top tent, this is luxury! The campground was very quiet which we enjoyed. We expect things to get much busier as we head south.

We had a long drive on day two as we wanted to make it to the Oregon coast. Just before we arrived at Fort Stevens State Park, we stopped in Astoria for a walkabout. It is a beautiful town with a rich history in shipping and is located at the mouth of the Columbia River. The 2,000 km long Columbia forms in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and winds through Washington to Astoria, Oregon. After supper, a long post-sunset walk took us to the ocean where we saw a shipwreck from 1906.

Our third day on the road had us driving a short 60 km however we enjoyed several stops along the way. A morning walk along Cannon Beach was beautiful with Haystack Rock just off shore. The highlight of the day was a hike to Cape Falcon Lookout through a magnificent rainforest. The views of the coast were stunning! After a short drive, we arrived at our campsite in Nehalem Bay State Park where we enjoyed a beautiful sunset to end a special day.

So far, we are thoroughly impressed with what we've seen of Oregon's coast and we are looking forward to the next few days as we continue south.

  • Our sweet ride for the next four weeks!

  • The first night was spent at Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island, WA.

  • At the mouth of the Columbia River in Astoria, cargo ships were lined up.

  • A former lighthouse ship and light buoy were at the Marine Museum in Astoria.

  • Laurel had no luck at lifting the chain.

  • This reminded me of my former wheels.

  • The Peter Iredale was wrecked in 1906.

  • Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach.

  • These signs can be seen all along the coast.

  • I'm always looking for a good picture.

  • The forest hike was beautiful.

  • There were lots of roots on this trail.

  • Stunning views!

  • We've seen absolutely incredible views along the Oregon coast.

Beaches, cheese and hiking

Life on the road with lots of adventure and intermittent wifi connectivity makes it difficult to keep up with these posts. However, I will endeavor to get caught over the next few days. Real-time reporting will NOT occur. 🙂

In a word, the Oregon coast is spectacular! With incredible beaches and geological formations, we have been thoroughly impressed by what we've seen and experienced. Additionally, this state knows how to do things right for travelers. The main coastal highway (# 101) has a multitude of pullouts so you can stop and enjoy the view or pull your rig over to let faster vehicles pass. And for the most part, the highway is in great condition.

Our first stop on day..... whatever it was, was the Tillamook cheese factory. We expected to stay for just a short time however between watching the entire cheese-making process from observation windows above the factory floor, indulging in free samples and enjoying some delicious ice cream, we spent over an hour there. A visit is highly recommended!

We then took a short hike on Cape Lookout to find more amazing vistas of the shoreline as well as a memorial to the crew of a B17 bomber that crashed in 1943 on the cape. More stops along the way turned a two hour drive into a nine hour day. We are finding it extremely challenging to pass by the various sites on this journey, both natural and man-made.

From Oregon's beautiful beaches and rugged volcanic coast, we entered California and the magnificent redwood forests. Stay tuned....

  • The Tillamook cheese factory is a must-see place if you are ever in the area.

  • Those are 40 pound blocks of cheese!

  • Cape Lookout State Park

  • Memorial to a B-17 crew.

  • The rugged Oregon coast.

  • Devil's punchbowl.

  • Yaquina Bay lighthouse and our wheels.

  • South Beach State Park

More shoreline

Our last full day in Oregon had us continuing down the rugged coastline from South Beach State Park to Cape Blanco State Park. Volcanic formations dominated the coastline and unlike northern Oregon, suitable harbours for fishing fleets were less frequent. Hecceta Head lighthouse, first illuminated in 1894, is one of several along the coast that provided position and safety information for mariners before modern navigation equipment. The view from the hill above the light was, you guessed it, magnificent. We saw our first real view of a herd of seals (or sea lions) at a turnout a short distance past the lighthouse.

Sand dunes dominated a long stretch of the coast as we traveled south and because they are in a protected area, the highway moved inland for a while. Back along the shore, Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint gave us a wonderful opportunity to wander along and explore the sandy beaches at low tide. Loved the experience! A couple hundred kilometers, at least 10 stops, and a long day brought us to our campsite under darkness.

One thing that I have neglected to mention - almost all of the Oregon coastline has been deemed public land thanks to an initiative by a Governor early in the 1900s. This means that the public can have access to all of the coastline from the existing line of vegetation seaward. Fantastic!

We headed into California the next day after a few more morning stops in Oregon. The redwoods were waiting for us! I will let the pictures speak for themselves but suffice to say, we were gobsmacked. Camping and walking amongst these giants was a special experience. To get back to the coast, we traveled on a very exciting to drive on serpentine road through the Northern Coast Range. Black sand volcanic beaches and more rugged coastline greeted us. Our final stop for the day was Sugarloaf Ridge State Park where clear skies, a near full moon, and a shooting star made for a memorable evening.

  • Heceta Lighthouse

  • Looking north from above the lighthouse.

  • Looking south.

  • This young guy was using a hearse as his wheels and his sleeping abode.

  • Harbour seals or sea lions? Ears or no ears? Too far to tell.

  • The dunes.

  • As the main photographer while driving, Laurel had to contend with this monstrosity of a mirror.

  • Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint

  • Down below the viewpoint.

  • New List Item

  • Natural Bridges State Viewpoint

  • Humbolts Redwood State Park

  • Hug a tree!

  • Camping amongst the redwood giants.

  • Laurel is dwarfed by this massive root system.

  • Full moon shadow.