Oregon and Washington State

[Rand]

Hi,

About a year from now we will be through with my present travel plans...(Nebraska/SD/Wyoming and then Maine and points North and East and then back though Big Bend and the South West in the Fall of '06 or Spring of '07). We will be ready to see the West Coast for the first time!!!

Being from the East we know very little about Washington State, Oregon and California. What do y'all recommend? Time is not an issue.

Randy

[Byron Kinnaman]

Hi,

About a year from now we will be through with my present travel plans...(Nebraska/SD/Wyoming and then Maine and points North and East and then back though Big Bend and the South West in the Fall of '06 or Spring of '07). We will be ready to see the West Coast for the first time!!!

Being from the East we know very little about Washington State, Oregon and California. What do y'all recommend? Time is not an issue.

Randy

It's really hard to pick places in Washington and Oregon. It's been said more than once that you can go to a different place and see different things everyweek end and never run out of new places to go.

Now for things to.
1. Oregon Coast, the whole thing.
2. Timberline Lodge, as the name implies it's right at the timberline on Mt Hood. Built in 30' by the CCC. Fastanstic art, and log construction. Timberline also touts year around skiing. You don't have to ski, but you might want to ride the ski lift up to Silcox hut.
3. Crater Lake, The deepest, clearest water in the country.
4. Olympic National Park. Both the high country and rain forest areas.
5. Painted Hills near John Day.
6. Mary Hill Museum.
7. Columbia River Gorge.
8. Mt Rainer National Park.
9. A drive over McKenzie Pass is a must. A totally differenct experience.

If you like boondocking, there'll be a place to park your trailer on most any Forest Service Road.
I could go on and on and on. But maybe this will give you some places to start thinking about.

[Nancy]

Wow Byron, thanks for those ideas. Did a search on the McKenzie Pass area and see that Hwy 242 does not allow combinations longer than 35'. Our van and 13 is 30' but it also says that trailers are discouraged. This area looks very interesting to this north central resident so we will have to see if we can work that in when we go the the Oregon gathering.

Now I need to search some of the other places you mentioned.

Nancy from MN

[Nancy in Oregon]

Randy,

Here are some things I can add to Byron's list.

Nancy

1. Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (CA)

2. Ashland, Oregon

3. Bandon, Oregon

4. In Portland:

Powell's Bookstore (1 city block & 4 floors)

Japanese Garden

Portland Art Museum

5. Tillicum Village (outside of Seattle)

6. San Juan Islands (WA)

7. Leavenworth, WA

8. Pendleton Underground Tours (OR)

9. Seattle Underground Tours (WA)

10. Wolf Haven (Olympia, WA)

[Rand]

Wow!

Thank You, thank you and thank you...can start my research soon and mark up a bunch of maps!

Randy:-)

[Doug Mager]

Don't forget to check out sunny B.C. Canada in your research

[DaveK]

Randy,
I'm already envious.

First I'd recommend: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/in...howtopic=13185 as a definite plan-around date. Figure that in 2007 it will be July 13-15.

Second: http://egov.oregon.gov/OPRD/PARKS/index.shtml 'Nuf said!

Third: Our favorite: http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_201.php Reservations incredibly important during the summertime

Fourth: http://www.parks.wa.gov/ As a commtted Washingtonian, I love Oregon. But there are some very nice places in Washington too.

California: This is the only place we've been but we enjoyed it: http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=455 Dry camping only, no hookups. Reservations very important during the summertime. A pleasant high forest campground with many large camp sites and a very nice beach area on a freshwater lake. This is a very popular campground, and people reserve just because they MIGHT be camping -- I got this from a ranger when I asked about the many empty sites in spite of the No Vacancy sign at the front gate.

Happy trails.

[Renee K.]

First mention for you is that CA state parks HAVE NO HOOK-UPS and charge as much or more than private RV parks right next door.
OR state parks are numerous and although res. may be needed for some, check out all on your itinerary, as some are never filled. Also a reminder about all Dis. Vets have free use of camping and day use!
Then throughout OR there are campgrounds in every national forest and national park but not always hook-ups. If you meet OR from the south, one beautiful trip is from Medford to Crater Lake, around the rim to Diamond Lake and down the N. Umpqua River to Roseburg and I-5! You can stop over at a multitude of camp spots with or without facilities.
I can guarantee you that over 60 years won't give you too much of OR unless you never leave the beaten path (I-5). I still have a few places to see! I hate mentioning the word r__n but be prepared.
Renee-Old OR Pioneer

[Byron Kinnaman]

Like Renee said, there's lots of Federal camp grounds. If you're over 62 I would suggest getting a Golden Age Pass Port if you haven't already do so. Camping in most Federal camp grounds is discounted 50% with a GA.

[John Lawrence]

If you're going to be near the Hood River area, there's a USFS campground at Lost Lake. It's south and west of the town of Hood River, starting up the side of Mt. Hood. It's on most maps (that's how we found it) and it's at the end of a long road. No reservations, no hookups, beautiful campsites, a lovely mountain lake, and really quiet nights. If you're going to be there over a major holiday, get there early... we were there over Labor Day and it was full on Thursday night before the weekend.