From Truckee to the California coast.

We’ve had a wonderful  drive from Truckee to the California coast. Landscapes were so incredible! 

We spent four nights in the Fort Bragg area. Great bike trails along the coast and beach walking. Lovely views of the coastline from our van. I wanted some good fresh seafood, so we drove into Fort Bragg and went to the wharf. We were driving down the winding hill, and I had a déjà vu moment! It turns out we had stopped there in 2023. Ended up eating at the same place!

We headed to Crescent City for a night, driving through the Avenue of Giants. You can’t ever get too much of the incredible Redwoods. We stayed in a state park campground right in the Redwoods.

Next, we decided to drive as much of the Oregon coast as we could before heading to Mt. Hood to visit our cousins, Gary and Kathy Goe. We ran into five days of rainy weather, but even through the dreariest of days, the coast was awesome. We found several stealth camping spots that were not crowded and close to, or right by, the dunes and beach. We stopped in Tillamook and toured the cheese factory. Had a cheesy pizza and cheese curds. So yummy! We also toured the largest surviving wooden blimp hangar, built in 1943 to house dirigibles used for anti-submarine patrols during World War II.

From Tillamook, we headed inland toward Hood River. We couldn’t find a campground, but there were several pull-offs for trucks and campers to use, so we spent the night there, then headed into Hood River. We had a great time staying at Kathy and Gary’s in Hood River. The view of Mt. Hood is spectacular from their deck. They have such a lovely property. We enjoyed celebrating Kathy’s 60th birthday and playing 5 Crowns. Hoping to stop back by later in the summer.

From Mt. Hood, we traveled to Portland. There were no campsites available around Portland, so we decided to stay at a Walmart parking lot. We have never had a problem staying there. This one was our choice for its location, just five miles from an Airstream dealer where we needed to be the next morning. We found our spot, and when we were finished with dinner, a security guy stopped by and told us we couldn’t park overnight. That was unusual for a Walmart, but he directed us to the next lot over at Joann Fabrics. He said that would work. We pulled into the next lot and settled in for the night.

We were both sound asleep when, around 11:30, someone started pounding on the door. Scared the heck out of us. Another security person said we couldn’t park overnight there and we’d need to move. He said the Applebee’s parking lot would be good. So we moved over to that lot. We both had a restless night, waiting for someone else to start pounding on the door, but we didn’t have any more issues. The next morning, we headed out to get to the dealership when it opened.

We have had issues with the furnace in our little home since we bought the van in October 2023. We don’t use the heat very much, but there are times we absolutely need it. The heater also heats the water tank, and that has been a pain, not having hot water whenever we need it. I have had to heat water in the microwave to do dishes. We have had it at the dealership where we purchased it in Troy, Ohio, five times. Every time they say it’s fixed, but it isn’t.

We have also had it at Lazy Days RV repair in Tucson six times. Between the two places, we have had every part of the heater replaced, and some parts replaced twice. Thank goodness it is still under warranty. The last time at Lazy Days, the repair was actually done in Tucson by one of the owners of the Washington-based company that manufactures the Timberline unit. Josh Elwell was in Tucson for a meeting and said he’d like to see it himself. I had started directly contacting Josh last summer when neither of the RV repair places could fix it. Josh worked on it for half a day and decided we needed a larger fuel pump. He ordered parts to be sent to Lazy Days to install. It was installed the day before I left to pick Curmudgeon up in Phoenix back in April.

It worked... kind of... sort of. There were several mornings that it was 40 degrees in the camper when we woke up, so we’d turn it on, and yay, it worked. Until it didn’t. We had it set for 75. When it felt like maybe 55, the sensors said it was 120 degrees in the back and 107 up front, so it would shut down. So again, no hot water, no heat, and the screen said our fluid levels were too low. And of course, it can’t be fluid that you can buy just anywhere. So we went to Portland to the closest Airstream dealer in the Northwest. They didn’t have any. So frustrating.

I called Josh Elwell and said I was fed up. Eighteen months of no heat or hot water. We are living in this full-time. He had to do something. As luck would have it, his company was located an hour and a half from Mt. Hood. It was a Friday. He said he’d be able to take a look at it on Tuesday at 10.

Josh took it all apart and found some defective parts. He replaced several things again, and now, hallelujah, it works. Hot water and heat. So happy.

Next, we moved on to the Washington coast and traveled up the 101 through the Olympic Peninsula. We stayed at Illini Casino in Ridgeview, Washington, then went to Forks and found a spot with a view of the coast at the Quileute Reservation for three nights. We finally had a day of sunshine and sat on the beach. We saw a couple of whales playing off in the distance. We met Laurie and Jeff Martin when walking through a campground close to the casino we stayed at before arriving at the reservation. They were also at Quileute. Wish we had met them sooner. Such nice folks.

We spent the past three days enjoying the Olympic Peninsula. Stayed near Crescent Lake. The Lake is one of the most beautiful we’ve ever seen. We passed it on the way to Port Angeles. We turned around and went back, hoping to find a place to camp. No luck, but totally enjoyed the drive again!  We did find a sign to Marymere Falls in the Rain Forest. So drove in and had a beautiful hike to the falls.   

Yesterday we spent the day in Cascades National Park. It was a bit slippery due to the snowy conditions, but we took a short hike to a waterfall! Needed our winter coats.  It was cold! Headed through eastern WA today following the Lewis & Clark Trail. The landscape was all huge rolling hills of farmland. It didn’t disappoint! WA is a beautiful state! 

Crossing into Idaho tomorrow and going to find some hot springs along the way.  Beth Monroe is south of where we are headed. Hoping to find her again!  It’s becoming a challenge to see how many different states we can run into her!

Time is flying by! We feel so fortunate that we can enjoy seeing family, old friends, meet new friends, and just enjoy being together on our adventures!! On to the Hot Springs! Hope you all have a great week!