6 nights at this Thousand Trails “Resort”. We were severely disappointed with this campground. The sites were small and not well-kept. Rubbish and animal feces littered the paths. There were no “resort” amenities yet paid nearly $70 a night for such false promises.

The only thing good about this campground was its location in the Russian River Valley. It provided a great starting point for visiting some of our favorite wineries.

The day we departed is the same day that the Kincade Fire started. It started only a couple of miles from where we were staying. The area was so dry, and the campground was aware that the power was most likely getting cut off that day due to the extreme weather conditions. It’s amazing we were so close to being caught in such a disaster.

This area is so lovely, as is so much of California. However, it is painfully obvious that the entire state is in such a severe drought.

A quick trip over the mountains and down into the valley of Corning. At least we had internet here to complete Marcos’s studies. Sites were small, but well kept.

We managed to get a quick dip in their pool the day before it closed. It was cold, but great!

This area is known for it’s olive oil and we were sure to pick up some quality California olive oil before departing the area.

We stayed for only 3 nights, but enjoyed the olive groves, flowers and warm temperatures.

4 nights in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest campground. We thought we were getting an electric hook-up site but ended up with the only full hook-up site in the campground. The campground was very small with 12 sites only, and we were one of the few camping in this area. It was peaceful and quiet. Unfortunately, there was no internet.

The campground was on Trinity Lake. The lake levels were extremely low, but the lake was still pretty.

We checked out of this campground early due to inaccessibility of internet for schooling.

10 nights on the Pacific Ocean.  Simply amazing.  Golden sandy beaches meet rocky intertidal areas and islands. 

We had lots of fun hiking and exploring tide pools and playing on the beach. 

This was our last park in Oregon.  In general, we loved Oregon!!  Friendly people, no litter, well-kept parks, nothing overcrowded. there were so many lovely areas to explore.  The natural beauty of this state is amazing.  Such diversity, and so much of it feels pristine and unspoiled.      

5 nights at Valley of the Rogue along the banks of the Rogue River. 

This is Oregon wine country and it had some wonderful wineries and towns to explore. 

We visited the towns of Grants Pass, Jacksonville and Ashland.  Each town was quaint and offered a number of amenities.  This area had beautiful rolling hills, with wineries dotting the countryside.  A great place to explore.

5 nights at this Oregon State Park.  This park is nestled between the Williamson River and Spring Creek in the shadow of Crater Lake National Park. 

The sites were large and wooded.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have any internet access at this park.

We spent our time fishing and lounging on the river banks. 

We went to Crater Lake one afternoon and marveled at the crystal blue waters below. 

We went to Klamath Falls for their Oktoberfest.

We cut our stay short because of the internet shortage and because the weather was threatening snow.

8 nights in La Pine State Park with full hook-up. I think this is our favorite park so far.

It was close to some great towns – both Bend and Sunriver impressed us with their small town feel but plethora of activities to enjoy.

The park was also close to some spectacular National Volcanic sites – Newberry National Volcanic Site and Lava River Cave were unworldly.

And, the Park itself was amazing – well kept, located directly on the Deschutes River, and having miles of well maintained trails for mountain biking.

On the weekend, we spent several hours each day exploring the trails that criss-crossed the park.

3 nights on Trillium Lake in the shadow of Mount Hood.  No hook-ups so this was our first time truly roughing it!  We did great though.  The fridge continued to run off propane and our camper heater kicked out lots of heat in the chilly mornings. 

What an amazing location! We had a mix of rain and sun, cold and warm but overall perfect. We enjoyed hiking around the lake, riding the campground roads and paths on our bikes and enjoying the serenity of such an wonderful place.

I could live here, but I think my boys need a bit more civilization! Oh well, we continue on, searching for our perfect spot…

5 nights at Milo McIver State Park with water and electric hookup.  Campsite was private and large.  Moss covered trees draped over our camper adding to the overall beauty.  We stopped at this campground due to its proximity to Portland. We went to explore the city and visit old friends on several days.

Portland is a great city.  Diverse, bike friendly and with a hopping food scene.  One evening we went to a permanent food truck event space.  It seems like every nation’s food was represented here; Japanese, Thai, Mongolian, Peruvian, you name it, it was here.  From here, we went to a nearby school, Chapman Elementary, to witness a natural phenomena of swift birds circling and funneling in perfect harmony into the school smoke stack to roost for the night. Pictures do not do this event justice. It was like an well orchestrated event that can only be flawlessly perfected by nature herself.  We all camped out on the hillside, and the kids slid down the hill on their makeshift cardboard slides. What a blast!

The following day we went back into Portland.  On this day we went to a farmer’s market, followed by a trip up the OHSU tram to get some amazing views of the city.

OHSU has an modern, clean campus and caters to its bike friendly employees that work here.  They have a bike valet where you drop your bike in the morning and pick it up in the evening when you’re ready to head home.  Such a great idea to promote healthy lifestyles and decrease our carbon footprint.

On Friday, we took the day off from school to explore the areas surrounding Portland.  We drove up the Historic Columbia River Highway, through the gorge, stopping at Vista House,

 Latourelle Falls,

Bonneville Fish Hatchery,

 and Gorge White House Farm & Winery.   

The weekend was pretty rainy, so we relaxed back at the camp the majority of the time. 

In general, we loved the Portland Area.  The city is large, but not too large. Accessibility to nearby parks, rivers and mountains make it possible to escape the congestion at a blink of the eye.

We stayed at the Kid Valley Campground for 4 nights with full hook up. We picked this campground because of its proximity to Mount St. Helens.

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We loved the way our site was nestled under the pine trees, but figured out soon enough this was bad for cell and satellite internet service. This was the first time that Marcos’s schooling became difficult. With no internet at camp, it was impossible to do school work in the camper. This meant that each day we had to drive to an area with limited internet service and at least download his lesson plans, or sit in the truck for multiple hours in the parking lot doing school work. It was a headache for sure, but learned that when we know we are going to an isolated spot to download and print all school materials before heading out.

One of the great things about this campground was all of the fresh fruits available to us. Here we had some great apples, plums and pears, picked ripe from the trees!

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One afternoon Jon baked two fantastic apple pies and brought one to our elderly host. The man was pickled pink by Jon’s simple but meaningful gesture. I married one great, and kind man!

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One afternoon, we drove up to Mount St. Helens. The road up was spectacular and the views of Helens impressive. To imagine the sheer destruction caused only 40 short years ago, and to witness the evidence still present today is unshakable.

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This finished up our stay in Washington. Off to Oregon!