Left Coast Camping: Headed North - Good Bye California, hello Oregon

We left Napa and drove along the foggy Sonoma coast with a coastal town, Fort Bragg, California in view - no particular reason - just looked like a good stopping point based on hours and miles - we had booked a reservation at a commercial campground called Pomo RV park and it turned out to be a nice park. We spent two nights there and did some maintenance and exploring the area along with dinner at a local resort that included an acoustic guitarist - he was pretty good but dinner was just okay.

Sonoma Coast Drive

Dinner view from Restaurant in Mendocino, Ca.

Moving farther north we drive the redwoods highway and see some pretty amazing redwood trees. We exit the highway with trailers in tow and drive a route they call "avenue of the giants" that really had some impressive trees on it. About midway of that scenic drive was a state park (Humboldt Redwoods) and we opted to stay one night there (first come first serve spaces) - we got lucky and nabbed two cool camping spots. We enjoyed a nice long hike before grilling out and just soaking up this unique place.

Avenue of the Giants

Hiking in the redwoods

We first entered California on or about 9 June and on the 17th of July we are making our first entrance into Oregon. California is a beautiful state with much to see and do. We spent a lot of time there and feel as if we've only scratched the surface. We saw some beautiful sights, met some very nice people and yes, drank some good wine 🍷

When we left Humboldt Redwoods we were initially going to go to Crescent City, Ca for the night but discussions with someone along the way suggesting Rogue River Jet Boat tours had us looking towards Grants Pass, Oregon - it is also a little closer to our next stop. We got two camping spots at Valley of the Rogue (river) State Park - first experience with Oregon State Parks - nice!

Valley of the Rogue Campground

Tent Camper with an A/C attached 😕

At this stop we got the chance to look around the Grants Pass area and we ended up on an early morning jetboat ride on the Rogue River through a canyon they call Hellsgate Canyon. The jetboats have three engines and can really move surprisingly fast in what looked at times to be pretty shallow water - we had about 50 people onboard. I'd describe the experience as part nature tour and part amusement ride. The guide was very good with his boat handling skills and also was informative about pointing out animals (eagles, deer, etc) and he also entertained by turning the boat about 270 degrees and getting folks wet....it was a lot of fun.

Here is a link to a short video of the jet boat ride

Hellsgate Jet Boat Ride - We had a blast!

Next up was a national forest campground called Whiskey Springs near the town of Butte Falls Oregon. From there we visited Crater Lake National Park and words can't describe just how beautiful this place is.....the pictures help but you just have to see it. I have never seen water so blue and the lake is almost 2000 feet deep. The park was about 40 miles from where we camped so after a stop at Beckie's (recommended by other campers) on the way in we spent the remainder of the day there.

Crater Lake

After seeing the obligatory visitor center movie and exhibits, we did the drive around the lake with a plan to take one or two of the hikes that seemed to be within our skill level. This included one that the ranger (looking similar to our age) said took 15 minutes out (I should say down) and laughed that it took about 3 hours to get back up. This trail takes you to the lake shore where you can even swim if you want - off we went. As we reached the shore they also had boat rides for sale but were sold out 😡 - As we arrived at a rock outcropping we noticed a bunch of folks (much younger than us) jumping off the rocks into the water. Donald almost immediately began taking off his shoes and shirt (we didn't have bathing suits with us). Yes, he and I both jumped in and that water was so cold it nearly took your breath away. And our videographer (Kathy) said she didn't catch me so I had to do it twice in order to record the event 💪

Slow motion video of Darrell diving into Crater Lake

Group photo at Crater Lake

Back to the southern Oregon coast to begin our drive up the coast. We get back to some cool and very foggy conditions again. The glimpses of the coast we see are really pretty. We make it to a small town called Golds Beach where the Rogue River (we seem to be stuck on this river) empties into the Pacific Ocean and begin looking for camping spots. We had in our minds that we wanted to camp on or very near the beach - the temp had dropped to 58 and the wind was howling so we decided to move inland a bit. Just 6 miles up river (and on the river) we found space at Huntley Park - temp was back at 74 with sun and very little wind. It felt so nice! ☀ In that campground we met some nice neighbors who also provided tips on things to see and do on the coast and we learned a bit about the Salmon fishing that was taking place there. The next day the sun was out - no fog and the coast looked beautiful.

Oregon Coastal Scenes

Headed farther north our next camping spot is in the Jessie M. Honeyman State park which is also a nice park at the Oregon dunes (no beach access in the park) but lots of four wheel drive activity and a nice camping spot. The Oregon dunes was a surprise to me - in my pre-trip research it never came up on the radar but was a fascinating area. 45 miles of sand dunes that provide off road vehicle recreation to many folks and it provided us with a tour of the dunes via Sandland adventures...it was great fun and we learned a lot about the dunes and the hazards associated with playing there.

Oregon Dunes

Posing in front of our ride

On the way to Jessie M. Honeyman park we took a detour to an area that was recommended for viewing elk near the town of Reedsport, Oregon.

Elk near Reedsport

Heceta Head Lighthouse near Florence, Oregon

We left the Florence, Oregon area headed for Astoria which will be the last stop for the four of us together as Don and Deb are turning east from here a day or two earlier than us.....they plan to visit Yellowstone and we did that a couple years back. Kathy and I have also decided to make a slow turn east and save the Washington State exploration for another trip. We will still be doing some touring on the way as we still have many miles to go. We've had a wonderful time with Don and Deb and this entire trip has produced memories we will treasure forever!