Tuesday April 20 2010 John saw a weather report that bad weather is on the way, so we decided to take advantage of one more day of clear skies to drive 285 miles to Fort Nelson. The drive wasn’t too bad – the roads were a bit bumpy in areas with a few steep grades thrown in. But the guys made it through by about 3:30. Along the way we found that our radiator developed a slight leak, and a passing truck threw a big rock that took a chuck out of our window. The windshield didn’t quite break all the way through but the crack is bigger than a “chip”. Randy cleaned it and covered it with clear tape, in hopes of keeping it clean enough to be fixed later, if it doesn’t grow too large. When we got to Fort Nelson he stopped at a radiator repair shop and got an additive that will hopefully fix the radiator leak. So with the problems addressed as much as possible, we parked in the 3 G RV Park. This used to be the West End RV Park, but it’s under new management this year so they changed the name. This park was owned by the same person who owned the Northern Lights RV Park that we used in Dawson Creek, and like that park, it is currently being renovated. According to our research it’s the only RV Park in town that is open before May 1. They have a lot of 30 amp sites but a few of them are not available because the water and/or sewer lines are still frozen. That seems a bit odd because the weather is great – we even have the air conditioner on! The park has a saloon (a combination restaurant and bar), with saddles on the bar stools and stuffed wolves over the door. We split a buffalo burger and fries, which were very good. Here in Canada they usually ask if you want gravy with your fries. This time we said yes, but on the side, so we could try it. The gravy was standard brown gravy – not too bad but it would have been better if the gravy was home-made. All in all, this seems like a nice park.
For the past few days we have noticed an increase in dust. This place is as dusty as Arizona City, but they don’t seem to manage it quite as well. The grocery stores have dust tracked in them – but that may be because this dust is always here, and in Arizona City the dust storms came and went.
Monday April 19, 2010 Alaska or Bust
Monday April 12, 2010 . had the refrigerator repaired at Camping World. All went well. From there on to Twin CedarRV in Lynwood, Wa. Twin Cedars RV was a small park adequate but a little difficult to maneuver around.
Tuesday April 13, 2010 Went to Seattle to see the sites. The first stop was the Pike’s Place Market, known for throwing fish around. The Market was really neat to see and experience. There was a Russian bakery where we got a pastry and it was really good. There were many selling flowers. The bouquets were beautiful. The range of shops was extensive. We ate at Ivans. We had fish and chips and chowder. All was very good.
Wednesday April 14, 2010. Today was reserved for getting everything ready for the trip tomorrow.
Thursday, April 15 - Today we crossed the border into Canada! We met up with John and Diane just north of Seattle and headed for Canada. However, because this was the first day of the Canada/Alaska trek, we had a few stops along the way: a stop for gas, a stop for diesel, a stop for customs, a stop for groceries, and a stop for wine! So we didn’t get too far into Canada today – just to Hope, British Columbia. We are using walkie-talkies to communicate between our 2 RVs. They can be static-y and one of them needs to be held together by a rubber band (even though they are new!) but they are pretty useful so far.
The Canadian customs process was more stressful than it needed to be. Because we are full-time RVers, they know we consider it our home. And because we are Americans, they assume we like to have a gun to protect our home. So they had a hard time believing we didn’t have any guns! Our guns are registered so of course that shows on their database search. We said several times that we left the guns with our cousin in Riverside, California, but I don’t think they believed us because they took the RV keys and searched the whole RV. We had to wait inside the customs building while the search was going on. It’s a bit unnerving to have to let a stranger go through your home, and they took their time and looked everywhere. We could tell, after it was over, that they had looked in the freezer, under the entrance step, in the cabinets, under the bed, in all the bays - everywhere. We travel with our breakables nestled on the bed so they are protected from road bumps and hard stops; after the search we found everything had been moved from the bed to the floor, and the mattress left askew on the bed frame.
While waiting through the process we were sort of worrying because we weren’t sure if there was some law we didn’t know about, and therefore would be violating. But at the end of it all, we were cleared without any issues. John and Diane’s RV was also searched, but that search took less than half the time that ours took. We think it might be because we are traveling together, and since nothing was wrong in our RV, it was assumed that theirs would be OK also.
We ended the day around 5 pm just north of Hope, BC at Othello Tunnels RV Park, after covering 167 miles. Although I had called earlier and was told the price would be $25, it was really $28. Oh well, we were all ready to stop and unwind, so we paid up and hooked-up. The RV Park is not well maintained, the advertised Wi-fi doesn’t work and there are a lot of run-down permanent trailers here, but there is a beautiful mountain view and its quiet tonight, so we will get some rest and be ready to move out tomorrow.
Friday – Today we planned to put some miles behind us, while the weather is clear and the roads are OK. The roads are a bit bumpy in places but overall they are good. There are a lot of curves and hills, but nothing as bad as that road through the Ana-Borrego Desert State Park (see March 5). We planned on boon-docking tonight. We’d heard and read that RVs could park overnight at most of the rest areas, but every one we stopped at had a sign that said parking was only allowed for 8 hours. We ended up driving 286 miles before we pulled into the Visitor Center in Williams Lake. They are supposed to have Wi-fi there but we couldn’t get it to connect. So we spent a quiet night without phone, TV or computers, which was nice for a change.
Saturday – Today we decided not to drive quite so far. But again, we could not find a place to stop. We drove about 318 miles and eventually stopped at the “Peace Foothills”, 167 miles north of Prince George. No services, but both RVs fit nicely in the roadside gravel lot. In fact there were two other RVs there for the night, too.
Sunday – Taking no chances, we drove 84 miles to Dawson Creek and looked for an RV park with full hook up. The first 2 we checked did not have water or sewer available yet because the ground was still frozen. The 3rd one had full hookup and knew they were the only game in town, so they charged $35. At this point we were all ready to hookup, so we stayed. Drove around town a bit – there is not that much here. I thought Dawson Creek, start of the Alaskan Highway, would have more of a frontier town feel to it, but it just has a small town feel.
Monday- Went to the Mile 0 mile post and did the standard tourist stuff. There is an Alaskan Highway information center that was really interesting. The rest of the day was devoted to getting things ready to go.
Tuesday April 13, 2010 Went to Seattle to see the sites. The first stop was the Pike’s Place Market, known for throwing fish around. The Market was really neat to see and experience. There was a Russian bakery where we got a pastry and it was really good. There were many selling flowers. The bouquets were beautiful. The range of shops was extensive. We ate at Ivans. We had fish and chips and chowder. All was very good.
Wednesday April 14, 2010. Today was reserved for getting everything ready for the trip tomorrow.
Thursday, April 15 - Today we crossed the border into Canada! We met up with John and Diane just north of Seattle and headed for Canada. However, because this was the first day of the Canada/Alaska trek, we had a few stops along the way: a stop for gas, a stop for diesel, a stop for customs, a stop for groceries, and a stop for wine! So we didn’t get too far into Canada today – just to Hope, British Columbia. We are using walkie-talkies to communicate between our 2 RVs. They can be static-y and one of them needs to be held together by a rubber band (even though they are new!) but they are pretty useful so far.
The Canadian customs process was more stressful than it needed to be. Because we are full-time RVers, they know we consider it our home. And because we are Americans, they assume we like to have a gun to protect our home. So they had a hard time believing we didn’t have any guns! Our guns are registered so of course that shows on their database search. We said several times that we left the guns with our cousin in Riverside, California, but I don’t think they believed us because they took the RV keys and searched the whole RV. We had to wait inside the customs building while the search was going on. It’s a bit unnerving to have to let a stranger go through your home, and they took their time and looked everywhere. We could tell, after it was over, that they had looked in the freezer, under the entrance step, in the cabinets, under the bed, in all the bays - everywhere. We travel with our breakables nestled on the bed so they are protected from road bumps and hard stops; after the search we found everything had been moved from the bed to the floor, and the mattress left askew on the bed frame.
While waiting through the process we were sort of worrying because we weren’t sure if there was some law we didn’t know about, and therefore would be violating. But at the end of it all, we were cleared without any issues. John and Diane’s RV was also searched, but that search took less than half the time that ours took. We think it might be because we are traveling together, and since nothing was wrong in our RV, it was assumed that theirs would be OK also.
We ended the day around 5 pm just north of Hope, BC at Othello Tunnels RV Park, after covering 167 miles. Although I had called earlier and was told the price would be $25, it was really $28. Oh well, we were all ready to stop and unwind, so we paid up and hooked-up. The RV Park is not well maintained, the advertised Wi-fi doesn’t work and there are a lot of run-down permanent trailers here, but there is a beautiful mountain view and its quiet tonight, so we will get some rest and be ready to move out tomorrow.
Friday – Today we planned to put some miles behind us, while the weather is clear and the roads are OK. The roads are a bit bumpy in places but overall they are good. There are a lot of curves and hills, but nothing as bad as that road through the Ana-Borrego Desert State Park (see March 5). We planned on boon-docking tonight. We’d heard and read that RVs could park overnight at most of the rest areas, but every one we stopped at had a sign that said parking was only allowed for 8 hours. We ended up driving 286 miles before we pulled into the Visitor Center in Williams Lake. They are supposed to have Wi-fi there but we couldn’t get it to connect. So we spent a quiet night without phone, TV or computers, which was nice for a change.
Saturday – Today we decided not to drive quite so far. But again, we could not find a place to stop. We drove about 318 miles and eventually stopped at the “Peace Foothills”, 167 miles north of Prince George. No services, but both RVs fit nicely in the roadside gravel lot. In fact there were two other RVs there for the night, too.
Sunday – Taking no chances, we drove 84 miles to Dawson Creek and looked for an RV park with full hook up. The first 2 we checked did not have water or sewer available yet because the ground was still frozen. The 3rd one had full hookup and knew they were the only game in town, so they charged $35. At this point we were all ready to hookup, so we stayed. Drove around town a bit – there is not that much here. I thought Dawson Creek, start of the Alaskan Highway, would have more of a frontier town feel to it, but it just has a small town feel.
Monday- Went to the Mile 0 mile post and did the standard tourist stuff. There is an Alaskan Highway information center that was really interesting. The rest of the day was devoted to getting things ready to go.
April 13, 2010
Friday April 9, 2010 We left Tillamook, Big Spruce Park and drove to the Tacoma, WA area, and settled into the parking lot of the Emerald Queen Casino. No facilities here so we will be boon docking for a couple of nights. We went over to Camping World to be sure that the part for the refrigerator came in and everything was on schedule. We went over to the port to see some of the container ships. There were only 2 ships in port that we could see. It is amazing how large these things are and how fast the crane operators are at loading them. From there we went to a greasy spoon hamburger joint called Quick-Pick. The burgers and fries were fresh and really good. We had a short night - went to bed early.
Saturday April 10, 2010. We went to Sam’s to get new tires on the Jeep and do some last-minute stocking up. We know that food will be more expensive in AK so we are trying to stock up on some of the essentials. So with that in mind, we have now successfully stocked up enough food to keep a family of 10 going for at least 2 years (we will be in Skagway a total of 5 months, do you get the picture?). After getting tires we drove to Mount Rainier National park. Mount Rainier is 14,400 feet tall and quite beautiful. The park is very interesting to explore. It turns out they have naturally occurring Co2 springs that bubble right up to the surface. Apparently at one point in there was a place there where you could go for health treatments with the water.
We hiked through part of the park enjoying the trees and landscape. We learned a little about the cycle of the forest. When a tree dies it becomes a great place for the seedlings to bed and begin their lives. Also the event of fire helps to clean the underbrush out, giving smaller plants a chance to grow and get established.
We drove as far up to the top as we could go, which is the snow play area. They had 14 ½ feet of snow at that point. They have a nice ranger’s station there with snow shoe rentals, souvenirs and food and drink. It would be nice to go all the way to the top but to do that you have to do some real mountain climbing and that isn’t for me!!! On the way back down we stopped at a water fall that was just spectacular. It wasn’t the largest we have seen but it sure was pretty. We took the advice of the park guide and did a short hike to view the falls framed by an arched bridge. One of those little things that is off the beaten path but well worth it.
Sunday April 11, 2010. Drove up to Sequim, WA to see a couple of campgrounds there. The drive up there is really nice. Traveling along the coast is hard to beat for the beauty but it will wear on you after a while making all those turns. Sequim is kind of a small hidden treasure. It is large enough to have some decent services but small enough to still have a small town feel. There is a herd of elk that live in the town and are quite often seen on the roadway. I do believe they have the right-of-way. The park we went to see, Gilgal, was a beautiful place. The sites are reasonable size and the grounds are well taken care of. They say Sequim is in a banana belt which means it stays relatively temperate year round. This would be a lovely place to stay!
We drove the motorhome over to Camping World for one more night of drycamping (it may not be glorious but it sure is cheap camping). Got the refrigerator fixed and on the road by 11:00 am. Drove to a town north of Seattle called Lynwood and parked at Twin Cedars RV Park. It’s tricky to get into and the sites are small, but it will probably be OK for a base to see Seattle.
Getting very excited about going to Canada and Alaska!
Saturday April 10, 2010. We went to Sam’s to get new tires on the Jeep and do some last-minute stocking up. We know that food will be more expensive in AK so we are trying to stock up on some of the essentials. So with that in mind, we have now successfully stocked up enough food to keep a family of 10 going for at least 2 years (we will be in Skagway a total of 5 months, do you get the picture?). After getting tires we drove to Mount Rainier National park. Mount Rainier is 14,400 feet tall and quite beautiful. The park is very interesting to explore. It turns out they have naturally occurring Co2 springs that bubble right up to the surface. Apparently at one point in there was a place there where you could go for health treatments with the water.
We hiked through part of the park enjoying the trees and landscape. We learned a little about the cycle of the forest. When a tree dies it becomes a great place for the seedlings to bed and begin their lives. Also the event of fire helps to clean the underbrush out, giving smaller plants a chance to grow and get established.
We drove as far up to the top as we could go, which is the snow play area. They had 14 ½ feet of snow at that point. They have a nice ranger’s station there with snow shoe rentals, souvenirs and food and drink. It would be nice to go all the way to the top but to do that you have to do some real mountain climbing and that isn’t for me!!! On the way back down we stopped at a water fall that was just spectacular. It wasn’t the largest we have seen but it sure was pretty. We took the advice of the park guide and did a short hike to view the falls framed by an arched bridge. One of those little things that is off the beaten path but well worth it.
Sunday April 11, 2010. Drove up to Sequim, WA to see a couple of campgrounds there. The drive up there is really nice. Traveling along the coast is hard to beat for the beauty but it will wear on you after a while making all those turns. Sequim is kind of a small hidden treasure. It is large enough to have some decent services but small enough to still have a small town feel. There is a herd of elk that live in the town and are quite often seen on the roadway. I do believe they have the right-of-way. The park we went to see, Gilgal, was a beautiful place. The sites are reasonable size and the grounds are well taken care of. They say Sequim is in a banana belt which means it stays relatively temperate year round. This would be a lovely place to stay!
We drove the motorhome over to Camping World for one more night of drycamping (it may not be glorious but it sure is cheap camping). Got the refrigerator fixed and on the road by 11:00 am. Drove to a town north of Seattle called Lynwood and parked at Twin Cedars RV Park. It’s tricky to get into and the sites are small, but it will probably be OK for a base to see Seattle.
Getting very excited about going to Canada and Alaska!
Wednesday April 7, 2010
Wednesday: Today it was a bit overcast but not raining, so we headed to the beach.
So we cruised around that beach, too.
Eventually it started to rain, so we headed back to the car. The rain didn’t stay, though; the sun only came out once but at least the rain stopped! We lunched on a beef stick and Diet Coke from the Tillamook Smoker Outlet as we drove to Garibaldi, a small fishing town a few miles north. There we learned that the local crab boats haven’t been able to get out to sea for a couple of weeks because of the weather, and another storm is expected tomorrow.
But we did find a store on the dock with some cooked crabs so we got a couple of those. We also bought an oyster knife at the local Fred Myers store and some fresh oysters at Pearl’s Point Oyster Company, back in Tillamook. At the end of the day I had wet socks, rained-on hair, and teriyaki-beef-stick breath – but I was so relaxed. We decided to stay one more day.
Back home Randy started opening the oysters, but the knife slipped and cut his knuckle open really bad. It really needed a couple of stitches but he didn’t want to go to the hospital, so we taped it up at home. So for once, I fixed dinner – oysters and crab - a great dinner but not worth the pain he’s in right now. We are definitely staying another night because he can’t drive like this.
And it’s raining again.
It’s rocky and windy, but it’s still a beach! It was low tide when we parked the car and walked down the rocks to the shore below. We wandered along the coast looking for sea dollars and unusual shells, and occasionally running for higher ground when a big wave came in (once I didn’t run fast enough). There was a big outcrop of rocky cliff cutting across the beach, and to our surprise there was a concrete doorway at the bottom of the cliff. We walked through it and through a passage cut through the cliff to another beach on the other side.
Back home Randy started opening the oysters, but the knife slipped and cut his knuckle open really bad. It really needed a couple of stitches but he didn’t want to go to the hospital, so we taped it up at home. So for once, I fixed dinner – oysters and crab - a great dinner but not worth the pain he’s in right now. We are definitely staying another night because he can’t drive like this.
And it’s raining again.
April 6, 2010
Tuesday: The weather was significantly better today. Not tons of sunshine, but the sun did shine occasionally and the rain was limited to a few sprinkles – so it was great! Randy has been driving a lot of miles on difficult roads in bad weather, so it’s time to relax a bit. We headed out to see what the town of Tillamook has to offer.
First stop – the Tillamook Cheese Factory. This is a pretty facility with a large visitor section. They don’t allow visitors in the whole factory, but there is a viewing area over the packing line. In the store they offer samples of several of their cheeses, and Randy bought a few for us. We also had lunch there - grilled cheese and fries, chased by an ice cream for me and a shake for Randy. They make good dairy products and we would buy their label again.
We also visited the Blue Heron Cheese Factory, but it is less factory and more gift shop. They did have some nice samples of Brie cheese.
A bit south on 101 is the turnoff to Munson Creek Falls. It’s supposed to be the tallest falls in Northern Oregon, about 266 feet tall. It was a couple mile drive down a side road followed by a bit of a walk, but it was, indeed, a beautiful falls, slipping off the edge of a cliff far above our heads.
The Air Museum was our last stop of the day. It’s a huge, huge hanger that originally was used to house up to 8 blimps for the US Navy. In 1942 the Navy started constructing a total of 17 wooden hangars, due to the scarcity of metal during the war, all US coastlines to house the K-class blimps that were used to protect ships against submarines. Two of these hangars were built in Tillamook. Hangar “B” was the first to be built it was 1,072’ in length, 192’ high and had a width of 236’. That gave it over 7 acres of covered floor space. The doors, at each end are 120’ high, 6 sections with each section weighing 30 tons for a total of 180 tons with an opening of 220’. The second hangar “A” was built in a total of 27 days, unfortunately it was destroyed by fire in 1992. Hangar “B” is now home to several old but restored planes, from WW2, the Vietnam war, etc. The collection is extensive and well worth seeing. They say they have the only flying J2F-6 Duck in the world. The remaining empty space is rented out as RV and Boat storage to help offset the costs.
At the end of the day we dined on leftovers – but those leftovers were home-made lasagna and carrot cake – the perfect end to a relaxing day.
First stop – the Tillamook Cheese Factory. This is a pretty facility with a large visitor section. They don’t allow visitors in the whole factory, but there is a viewing area over the packing line. In the store they offer samples of several of their cheeses, and Randy bought a few for us. We also had lunch there - grilled cheese and fries, chased by an ice cream for me and a shake for Randy. They make good dairy products and we would buy their label again.
We also visited the Blue Heron Cheese Factory, but it is less factory and more gift shop. They did have some nice samples of Brie cheese.
A bit south on 101 is the turnoff to Munson Creek Falls. It’s supposed to be the tallest falls in Northern Oregon, about 266 feet tall. It was a couple mile drive down a side road followed by a bit of a walk, but it was, indeed, a beautiful falls, slipping off the edge of a cliff far above our heads.
The Air Museum was our last stop of the day. It’s a huge, huge hanger that originally was used to house up to 8 blimps for the US Navy. In 1942 the Navy started constructing a total of 17 wooden hangars, due to the scarcity of metal during the war, all US coastlines to house the K-class blimps that were used to protect ships against submarines. Two of these hangars were built in Tillamook. Hangar “B” was the first to be built it was 1,072’ in length, 192’ high and had a width of 236’. That gave it over 7 acres of covered floor space. The doors, at each end are 120’ high, 6 sections with each section weighing 30 tons for a total of 180 tons with an opening of 220’. The second hangar “A” was built in a total of 27 days, unfortunately it was destroyed by fire in 1992. Hangar “B” is now home to several old but restored planes, from WW2, the Vietnam war, etc. The collection is extensive and well worth seeing. They say they have the only flying J2F-6 Duck in the world. The remaining empty space is rented out as RV and Boat storage to help offset the costs.
At the end of the day we dined on leftovers – but those leftovers were home-made lasagna and carrot cake – the perfect end to a relaxing day.
April 5, 2010
We spent a quiet Easter in Coos Bay. Randy baked a chicken and made a scrumptious carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, while I researched where and how to go from here. In the afternoon we took another drive out to the bay. The wind and rain was still going strong, but we could hear the sea lions out on the rocks in the middle of the bay. They were too far out for my camera but binoculars helped; Randy was able to confirm that there were elephant seals out there. I saw them too, and heard them. Their call is different from the others – it’s a very deep sound. It’s a shame the rain doesn’t let up – this looks like a cute town that would be fun to explore. It’s obviously a working fishing town; we passed several stacks of empty oyster shells that were over 5 feet tall.
Monday we keft Coos Bay to continue north again. Originally we planned to stay in Coos Bay a couple more days, but the cold rain continued and it hardly seemed worth it. When Randy came in from unhooking the RV, there were small hailstones caught in his hair. No sense in sticking around in that! He stayed on Highway 101 north to Tillamook. Highway 101 is an older road that runs right on the coastline most of the way. This is the first road we’ve been on with “Tsunami zone warning” signs. The coastal view is beautiful but the road curves like a snake. When you add steep grades and driving rain to the mix, the view is less enticing.
We decided to stay at Big Spruce RV Park in Tillamook for a couple of nights. It only costs $12.12 a night, which is their off-season plus a discount for Travel America. We don’t belong to Travel America, but they gave us the discount anyway. They have full hook-up with 50 amps and cable TV, but the gravel sites are drowning in the rain and there are a lot of older rigs that have obviously been here a very long time. Hopefully it will be OK as a base for some sight-seeing.
For a start, we took the Jeep up the coast for a quick look at the local bays. One of them had a couple of waterfalls that fell from a cliff straight down into the bay, but it was so windy that the water just blew back up as spray and never reached the ocean. A bit further down the road is a small lighthouse. We were able to walk around it and I was surprised how small it was, but it was located high on the cliff so it didn't need a tall structure to do its job. And the Octopus tree is nearby – it’s really unusual. It looks like several trees joined together at the base.
It's still raining...the guy at the RV Park said that the weather should get better tomorrow, but we noticed that all the trees are covered in moss; so this might be their normal weather. Hope not - some sunny weather would be welcome.
Monday we keft Coos Bay to continue north again. Originally we planned to stay in Coos Bay a couple more days, but the cold rain continued and it hardly seemed worth it. When Randy came in from unhooking the RV, there were small hailstones caught in his hair. No sense in sticking around in that! He stayed on Highway 101 north to Tillamook. Highway 101 is an older road that runs right on the coastline most of the way. This is the first road we’ve been on with “Tsunami zone warning” signs. The coastal view is beautiful but the road curves like a snake. When you add steep grades and driving rain to the mix, the view is less enticing.
We decided to stay at Big Spruce RV Park in Tillamook for a couple of nights. It only costs $12.12 a night, which is their off-season plus a discount for Travel America. We don’t belong to Travel America, but they gave us the discount anyway. They have full hook-up with 50 amps and cable TV, but the gravel sites are drowning in the rain and there are a lot of older rigs that have obviously been here a very long time. Hopefully it will be OK as a base for some sight-seeing.
For a start, we took the Jeep up the coast for a quick look at the local bays. One of them had a couple of waterfalls that fell from a cliff straight down into the bay, but it was so windy that the water just blew back up as spray and never reached the ocean. A bit further down the road is a small lighthouse. We were able to walk around it and I was surprised how small it was, but it was located high on the cliff so it didn't need a tall structure to do its job. And the Octopus tree is nearby – it’s really unusual. It looks like several trees joined together at the base.
It's still raining...the guy at the RV Park said that the weather should get better tomorrow, but we noticed that all the trees are covered in moss; so this might be their normal weather. Hope not - some sunny weather would be welcome.
San Franscico, the Redwoods and Oregon
San Francisco: We parked the RV in Antioch, Ca at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds. With our Escapee discount, the $20 fee was only $17. The site was a full hook up, but unfortunately the sewer was located too far away for our hose to reach. The location was just a plain lot in a chain link fence, but it was perfect for our purpose. We drove to the local BART station (Bay Area Rapid Transit), paid $1 to park all day, and rode the train into San Francisco. The cost for 2 round-trip tickets was $23.80 which was more than we hoped, but it was much better than driving into San Fran, trying to find a place to park, and paying whatever they wanted to charge. Plus the streets really do run almost straight up and down, and who wants to deal with that?
We went to China town and found the main street of it (Grant Street) was also nothing but tourist shops; it looked like a Chinese version of Tijuana. But just one street over was quite different. That street, Grant, was lined with small shops selling mostly food. They don’t cut the heads off the chickens or ducks before they sell them, they sell tea leaves in small balls, and they don’t translate their store signs into English. It was really pretty interesting to wander along with the crowds who were, apparently, doing their daily shopping. We couldn’t understand what was for sale, how much it costs or what it would be used for, because all the signs were in Chinese, but it was a lot of fun!
We walked along Fisherman’s Warf, which was almost all tourist shops. There is an area where they have a series of different types of ships that is very interesting. We didn’t have time to explore the boats but I think it would have been a lot of fun and educational. There was one that is an old ferry and it has a series of old cars and trucks on it.
But the real reason we went to San Fran was to see Alcatraz.
First lesson: There are several agencies that sell Alcatraz tours, but there is only one tour, Alcatraz Cruises. So all the others are selling that one tour plus their own add-ons, and charging for the add-ons. The actual tour is booked through Alcatraz Cruise and booking through them is the best value. (Note: Food and Drink is cheaper on the ferry than it is at the dock.) The ferry to the island was a short trip, and you can leave the island on any outgoing ferry you like, so you determine the length of your stay (the previous inmates would have loved that!). We watched a short moving that the Discovery Channel had made about the Island history and listened to Ranger John Cantwell talk about the escape attempts. He was very good and had a lot of background information. According to the Government, there was no successful escapes from Alcatraz but there are a few, 4 or 5, inmates who are not accounted for. Apparently there is an annual Alumni Reunion of guards and ex-prisoners who get together every year. It seems a bit odd, but on the other hand, the number of people who lived on Alcatraz when it was a prison, either voluntarily or not, is a small group and there is apparently some feeling of fellowship among them.
Afterwards we took an audio tour through the actual prison. We saw the old jail cells and warden office, as well as the recreation yard. Very few people died at Alcatraz, but to me it felt like it should be haunted. And the clash of those steel doors shutting stays with you…. (Be sure to hear the cell doors shut. If you must find a ranger and ask when they will be demonstrating the shutting mechanism.)
After we left the San Fran area, we spend one night at the Redwood Acres Fairgrounds in Eureka, California. Eureka is a really charming town. It is full of huge, old buildings and homes that have been carefully restored and painted in the Victorian “Painted Lady” style. This is some of the best paintwork we have seen, and it’s impressive to see street after street of these beauties.
Redwoods: We decided to stay in Klamath, which is about the halfway point in the large Redwood Forrest National Park. Several RV parks are in Klamath so we thought it would be a fair sized town. However, it’s a very, very small town – not much here besides RV parks. The one gas station didn’t have a grocery store or even a working tire pump, both of which we needed, so we had to drive 15 miles north to Crescent City. However, that wasn’t too much of an inconvenience.
We drove highway 101 into town, and after awhile I remembered what it reminded me of – the old Route 66 era. There are kitschy tourist stops all along the way, such as drive-through trees and the “Trees of Mystery”. Still, if we weren’t in a big RV with a towed Jeep that takes so much room to maneuver, it might be fun to stop at some of these spots, just for grins.
It alternated between rain, sun and fog all day, but we only had one day here so we set out on the Newman Parkway drive. It is the old highway 101 and it goes right through the forest. We parked a couple of spots and walked up some hiking trails into the forest.
This forest if very different from the Sequoia area. Here the forest has very thick undergrowth and many of the trees are covered in moss, up to an inch thick. Everything was so green that when we were walking through the forest, the air almost had a green glow. This forest has a slightly dangerous feel to it – like you could get lost and never be found. The redwoods have that stately majesty that is the birthright of huge things, but the forest below them is wild and overgrown. That, of course, is one of its main beauties.
We also drove along the Costal drive a bit, against the advice of our camp host. He described it as having potholes “bigger than your Jeep” but Randy was able to drive on the road just fine. The reward was some spectacular views of the rocky shoreline and the endless ocean.
Oregon: Saturday we parked in Midway RV park in Coos Bay. It’s a very pretty park, with privacy hedges between the sites. The coastline is so amazing – it’s so different from the calm beaches in the south. Here the shore is rocky and big waves crash in endlessly.
It’s so beautiful that we stood out in the cold rain to see it – for a few minutes, anyway. The rain is staying with us, unfortunately. But this area has great coastlines and some interesting things. We may stay here a couple of extra days. We do have to be in Seattle by next weekend – we have to get tires for the Jeep at Sam’s, and there aren’t many Sam’s Clubs on the West Coast.
We went to China town and found the main street of it (Grant Street) was also nothing but tourist shops; it looked like a Chinese version of Tijuana. But just one street over was quite different. That street, Grant, was lined with small shops selling mostly food. They don’t cut the heads off the chickens or ducks before they sell them, they sell tea leaves in small balls, and they don’t translate their store signs into English. It was really pretty interesting to wander along with the crowds who were, apparently, doing their daily shopping. We couldn’t understand what was for sale, how much it costs or what it would be used for, because all the signs were in Chinese, but it was a lot of fun!
We walked along Fisherman’s Warf, which was almost all tourist shops. There is an area where they have a series of different types of ships that is very interesting. We didn’t have time to explore the boats but I think it would have been a lot of fun and educational. There was one that is an old ferry and it has a series of old cars and trucks on it.
But the real reason we went to San Fran was to see Alcatraz.
First lesson: There are several agencies that sell Alcatraz tours, but there is only one tour, Alcatraz Cruises. So all the others are selling that one tour plus their own add-ons, and charging for the add-ons. The actual tour is booked through Alcatraz Cruise and booking through them is the best value. (Note: Food and Drink is cheaper on the ferry than it is at the dock.) The ferry to the island was a short trip, and you can leave the island on any outgoing ferry you like, so you determine the length of your stay (the previous inmates would have loved that!). We watched a short moving that the Discovery Channel had made about the Island history and listened to Ranger John Cantwell talk about the escape attempts. He was very good and had a lot of background information. According to the Government, there was no successful escapes from Alcatraz but there are a few, 4 or 5, inmates who are not accounted for. Apparently there is an annual Alumni Reunion of guards and ex-prisoners who get together every year. It seems a bit odd, but on the other hand, the number of people who lived on Alcatraz when it was a prison, either voluntarily or not, is a small group and there is apparently some feeling of fellowship among them.
Afterwards we took an audio tour through the actual prison. We saw the old jail cells and warden office, as well as the recreation yard. Very few people died at Alcatraz, but to me it felt like it should be haunted. And the clash of those steel doors shutting stays with you…. (Be sure to hear the cell doors shut. If you must find a ranger and ask when they will be demonstrating the shutting mechanism.)
After we left the San Fran area, we spend one night at the Redwood Acres Fairgrounds in Eureka, California. Eureka is a really charming town. It is full of huge, old buildings and homes that have been carefully restored and painted in the Victorian “Painted Lady” style. This is some of the best paintwork we have seen, and it’s impressive to see street after street of these beauties.
Redwoods: We decided to stay in Klamath, which is about the halfway point in the large Redwood Forrest National Park. Several RV parks are in Klamath so we thought it would be a fair sized town. However, it’s a very, very small town – not much here besides RV parks. The one gas station didn’t have a grocery store or even a working tire pump, both of which we needed, so we had to drive 15 miles north to Crescent City. However, that wasn’t too much of an inconvenience.
We drove highway 101 into town, and after awhile I remembered what it reminded me of – the old Route 66 era. There are kitschy tourist stops all along the way, such as drive-through trees and the “Trees of Mystery”. Still, if we weren’t in a big RV with a towed Jeep that takes so much room to maneuver, it might be fun to stop at some of these spots, just for grins.
It alternated between rain, sun and fog all day, but we only had one day here so we set out on the Newman Parkway drive. It is the old highway 101 and it goes right through the forest. We parked a couple of spots and walked up some hiking trails into the forest.
This forest if very different from the Sequoia area. Here the forest has very thick undergrowth and many of the trees are covered in moss, up to an inch thick. Everything was so green that when we were walking through the forest, the air almost had a green glow. This forest has a slightly dangerous feel to it – like you could get lost and never be found. The redwoods have that stately majesty that is the birthright of huge things, but the forest below them is wild and overgrown. That, of course, is one of its main beauties.
We also drove along the Costal drive a bit, against the advice of our camp host. He described it as having potholes “bigger than your Jeep” but Randy was able to drive on the road just fine. The reward was some spectacular views of the rocky shoreline and the endless ocean.
Oregon: Saturday we parked in Midway RV park in Coos Bay. It’s a very pretty park, with privacy hedges between the sites. The coastline is so amazing – it’s so different from the calm beaches in the south. Here the shore is rocky and big waves crash in endlessly.
It’s so beautiful that we stood out in the cold rain to see it – for a few minutes, anyway. The rain is staying with us, unfortunately. But this area has great coastlines and some interesting things. We may stay here a couple of extra days. We do have to be in Seattle by next weekend – we have to get tires for the Jeep at Sam’s, and there aren’t many Sam’s Clubs on the West Coast.
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