Our time here at Sparks Marina RV Park has come to an end and it is time to move on. The weather blew through here the last few days where the winds gusted as high as 40 mph and the temperatures dropped from the record high 94 F we had a few days ago to the lower 40’s overnight. Although we find the 40’s cold it still wasn’t anywhere as near cold as where we were headed where temperatures dipped into the 20’s and the white stuff fell from the sky. However, It did snow a lot nearby in the Sierra Nevada mountains as can be seen in the header photo.
The last few days were productive as we started making some camp reservations up to July 4th. With July 4th falling on a Wednesday there are two weekends that are going to be difficult to find campgrounds at, especially at State Parks! We were fortunate enough to get a weeklong reservation at Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon near Astoria. We will get there June 27th and leave on July 4th. We still haven’t found where we will stay the second July 4th weekend but we still have time to do that…
We will play it by ear today and either stay at the park we were planning to be at the last few days in Likely, California or we will move on to Tulelake Fairground in northeastern California.. So we will drive either 158 miles today or a bit longer and go the longer route of 240 miles. With today still being on the chilly side we may just drive to Tulelake. We will make calls during the drive to ensure we have a spot to camp at either spot.
Our biggest dilemma now is trying to decide where would like to spend more time in Oregon as we want to visit either the city of Portland or the city of Eugene for an extended stay. We want to stay more coastal but allow for drives into the city.We are hoping to hear from our readers who know these two cities and are willing to offer their suggestions and recommendations for places to stay and what to see in each city. This will help us better decide where to go. Well time to put on the coffee and start to pack up for the drive north…
Come on to Eugene!
ReplyDeleteWe live in Eugene and know both areas very well. Email me with your questions and I will provide all the information you can handle LOL!! grandma_kr at yahoo dot com. You are indeed lucky to get a spot at Fort Stevens, one of Oregon's most popular parks. It's a great place to visit, lots of history and many scenic areas.
ReplyDeleteCome on to Eugene, you won't regret it.
ReplyDeleteWhere to start? Portland area favorites: Japanese Garden, Chinese Garden, Zoo concerts, breakfast at Byways Cafe in Pearl District, Saturday Market, Farmer's Market at PSU, food carts, Waterfront Blues Festival, McMenamin's Brewhouses, biking at Sauvie Island, hiking Multnomah Falls, seeing Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood, visiting the Gorge.
ReplyDeleteWillamette Valley: Travel on Hwy 99 vs I-5; WINE TASTING MECCA, get a brochure with map-Dundee and McMinnville are notable areas (McMenamin's has a great rooftop bar in McMinnville), hiking at Silver Falls State Park (Salem area) whitewater rafting on McKenzie (east of Eugene), biiking McKenzie River Trail around Eugene, hiking to Cougar hot springs hike near Eugene, DaVinci Days in Corvallis, farmer's markets in Corvallis and Eugene, wildflower hike on Mary's Peak (near Corvallis)
Coast: favorite towns Manzanita near Nehalem State Park, Pacific City, Newport's Beverly Beach State Park.
Heading east to the Wallowas is another must!
We are less experienced when it comes to campgrounds other than state parks on the coast and at the Wallowas which are all great but busy in the summer. We are choosing to stay one month at Riverbend in Harrisburg between Eugene and Corvallis. There is a PA park in Eugene, a Harvest Host place we know is Emerson Winery-great people run it and you could probably stay more than one night. Heard Olde Stone Village Park in Mc Minnville is good. In Portland area, we were going to try the Sandy Riverfront RV Resort in Troutdale. I think Sauvie Island has a small RV park too. Salem has a Premiere RV Resort that looks great but is a little spendy.
Lastly, here is a link to an article listing someone's idea of the 10 best campgrounds in Oregon which may be useful.
http://www.travel-to-oregon-tips.com/oregon-campground.html
Flip a coin??
ReplyDeleteMy niece owns a coffee shop in Portland called "Three Friends Coffee House" 201 Southeast 12th Avenue just in case you are in the area!
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Karen and Steve
(Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com
Wow, you sure asked the right people! :)
ReplyDeleteWe lived in the Portland area over 30 years.
ReplyDeleteIf you're into wineries, history, and rivers, try Champoeg (pronounced Sham-poo-ee)State Park on the Willamette (pronounced Will-AM-it, dammit) River. See: http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_113.php. They have a nice campground, bike trails (some of them paved), hiking trails, fishing, camping cabins, and a wonderful history center.
I second Silver Falls State Park for waterfall hiking and camping. The Columbia River Gorge is also stunning...be sure to take a towed or car on the scenic route. RV is too big for the narrow road and you WANT to take the scenic route to stop at every turnout.
If you want a campground in a city, try Pheasant Ridge RV Park in Wilsonville. The setting is treed, they have an indoor swimming pool and hot tub. This campground is very close to Costco, Target, restaurants and there is a Camping World on the other side of the freeway (though we don't care for that Camping World--they quoted us double to install a 5th wheel hitch over what the Wood Village Camping World quoted us). This all depends if you don't mind being in the city...even though you can't see a city from the park.
Oh jeez, ask a local and see what happens. I could go on and on.
Susan
travelbug-susan.blogspot.com
You might want to check the ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation) website and find out about the construction work at the Salt Creek Tunnel on Hwy 58. If you plan on going that way, you should probably find out about possible delays.
ReplyDeleteWOW!!! Thanks for all the tips and with the unsettled weather here today I may have time to sort through them all and figure out what we might do!!! If I have more questions about Oregon now I know who to ask...
ReplyDelete