Inland Oregon and Trip End
Part 4 of our Pacific Coast travel up Highway 1 having started in Las Vegas nearly 3 months ago.
Sadly we have decide the best place to sell our RV will be in Portland Oregon and we need to speak to a dealer there 2 or 3 weeks before the trip ends. BUT FIRST we had to complete our American adventure:)
We moved on from Cape Lookout and went into the forest where there was a Trask River City Park for one night and then on to look for designated spots afterwards in the morning. The city park charged 11 dollars to register as well as the night fee – we were not amused! There were several designated camping sites further on, including one called Hollywood! It was an area for off-road vehicles so we went to what we though was a dead end and should not be anyone going past. After a couple of nights we spotted a tent erected in the next spot and but still no one. The locals bagging a place for the weekend which they are not supposed to do.
We had a family with small boys riding really noisy off–road motocross bikes turn up and the smallest just went up and down past us to turning around at dead all weekend. C Then on the Sunday morning masses of people turned up and parked on top of us revving bikes and fumes blasting out, not nice. We went to sit by the river till they went – fortunately by the end of the day. Stayed here for 7 nights.
Went up the coast a bit past Tillamook and stayed 2 nights in the lovely Nethalem State Park right next to the beach.
Next we went inland to a designated camping spot again 4 miles up a maintained track on the Wednesday before Memorial Day (when everything suddenly opens up and people start taking breaks) . Watch out for logging lorries on the track and the “main“ road!
We got the last designated spot and all week there was people going up past looking.
As you can see the spot was big, but most of the time there was no sun for solar so we parked in the entrance part where it was sunniest then set up the mozzie tent, bbq etc. Alan paced out the spot and felt there was not enough room to turn with the supplied fire pit being in a bad place and also muddy flooded ground on the far side of it. Also found that one side of the turn in was too high to simply back out the way we came in.
Thereby hangs another story of the turning … coffee and cake required for the telling of …
We had a great spot but also non-stop rain, drizzle for nearly all week.
Went down to Cook Creek next to us …… some of us were unlucky not to have legs long enough to reach the boulders to cross over easily.
GOING
GOING
No photo of the action – this is when i should have been using a video of the crossing and done a true newspaper cameraman and kept it running whatever happened around me!
GONE
So Alan who was on the middle “beach” had to leap back into the river, slipped on a mossy rock onto his back holding the camera up high out the water. Got to Colleen who was in the river holding her Ipad up above the water. Yes he managed to rescue the Ipad only thinking of the cost rather than his poor wife …!
One badly shaken and soaking wet Colleen. Hmm she still has to cross to get back again!
Next we went to Portland Oregon to Camping World to sort out about putting the RV on consignment for sale. After such a horrible day we went up the Columbia River gorge for our last 2 weeks.
This spectacular Multnomah Falls are used as a wedding venue. There is an amazing photo on a board there: A wedding party were on the bridge when a 33T rock fell into the water and there were totally submerged by the huge splash!
Alan says “The wedding went with a splash – Bit of a dampener on the ceremony but not washed out.” …
Ainsley State Park where we stayed for 4 nights looking around the waterfalls and bottom are of the gorge. Also cleaning up and sorting the RV before showing to camping world:(
Columbia river view
Yep we fit in amongst the “big boys” (Rowdy is the red bike)
John Dam and the some of the tribal fishing platforms on the Columbia River which divides Oregon and Washington States. These were agreed for tribal fishing in 1860 when the US stole the land. At the moment fishing for sturgeon is banned during the spawning season. The dam has a fish ladder (for salmon) and also a lock for the river barges.
Giles French Park which is free and operated by the Army Corps who maintain this dam and several others. They have quite a few camping areas on the river available. There is also a free boat ramp and pontoon here.
The wind has been high at times and lots of waves on the river with wind against current. With the temps being in the 30’s it has been good though!
Sunset on our American adventure.
We have never regretted the decision to have brought a ex Cruise America Rental RV and we have had wonderfull times over the last 4 years. Now we intend to buy a motohome or caravan and travel Europe.
Looking back on our American adventures in 2020 during the Covid -19 pandemic we feel so lucky to have sold our RV last year. When the crisis broke out in America we would have been there travelling.
