RV Park at the Bridge, Chinook, WA

 

Yaquina Bay Bridge

We had a good night sleep at South Beach State Park near Newport Oregon.  Had a minor electrical problem, but I think I fixed it.  Got on the road by 10 am, and traveled up to and through Astoria Oregon, and stopped at the RV Park At The Bridge in 158 US-101, Chinook, Washington State.  140 miles seemed to be more like 400 with all the stops we made alongside the ocean.  Tomorrow we are shooting for a campground in Olympic National Park.  OR, we might just head over to Mt. Rainier National Park...I'll make that decision later.

 

Above and what follows are pictures we took along the ocean between Newport and Boiler Bay Viewpoint.

There are a number of pullouts, and a few alternate routes which parallel US 101.  It is so pretty, one could spend hours gazing out at the ocean.  

 

Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint is one of Marcia's favorite views along the coast...especially this northern view.  So much so, I did a complete blog post on this back in 2015, which you can view HERE.

As you get closer to Tillamook, you see lots of farm land, with lots of cows 

We did not even stop in Tillamook...we have done Tillamook many times over the years and neither of us were into doing it again. 

The same with Astoria.  Here is a picture of the Astoria–Megler Bridge, which connects Oregon to Washington over the Columbia River.  Opened in 1966, it is the longest continuous truss bridge in North America, and the second-longest in the world. 

Here is the view out of front.  That is a slice of the front of the van to the left (along with a neighboring RV), the Columbia River, and if you look closely (or open in a separate window and increase the size) you can see the north end of the bridge.  And yes, the road right in the foreground is US-101.  Mostly autos moving along the route, so the noise is not that bad.

Here is the taller section of the bridge, which is closer to Oregon.  The City of Astoria is in the background.  
 

 

I did a search as we got closer to Astoria, and found RV Park at the Bridge to be the lower priced choice.  For $60, cash, we are good to go for the night (most other parks are in the $90 to $120 range).  As for tomorrow, that is another adventure...

 

 

Moved North -- South Beach State Park, Oregon

WHY did it take all day to drive 180 miles???  Well, when you stop to look out over the ocean, when you stop at Fred Meyer to get a few more items (someone forgot to get Coffee at our last Fred Meyer stop in Brookings), and when you Ram Promaster Camper Van by Thor gives you the "Time for an Oil Change" message...well, it is going to take a chunk of time to go 180 miles!  While on the subject, we discovered Kevin's Natural Foods, which carries a number of Paleo items including Mashed Cauliflower...which is also low carb.  We have now tried two of the meat dishes, Roasted Garlic Chicken and Cilantro Lime Chicken...both were good, although Marcia liked the Roasted Garlic more than the Cilantro Lime...I liked them both equally.  Any, the oil change went well, the trip was good, we did not make it to Tillamook as I had hoped.  

 

The bridge over the Rogue River.  Huntley Park is up the river about 7 miles.

Headed north on US-101

Fishing Boat...maybe looking for Halibut??

Someone forgot to tell these Rocks that COVID is over...no need to distance

Fred Meyer in Coos Bay, there are 132 in operation today

Three of the bridges designed by Conde McCullough

   

More Ocean Pictures

   

We enjoyed the drive...but by 4:30 I knew I could not make it another 2 hours to Tillamook.  So I found a State Park, South Beach, which had some openings.  Water and electric, and being from "Out of State", it cost us $70+.  But it is a family friendly, quiet park.  

What it looks like out our back side.

Now I need to find a place in Southern Washington for a night or two.

 

The Big Escape

 

Heading into the Redwoods, Northern Cal

Yes, we have temporarily left the Sacramento area.  We are currently at Huntley Park, Gold Beach Oregon...one of our favorite places to just kickback and camp, enjoying the peacefulness and friendly atmosphere that we enjoy here.  Thursday we left the upcoming 100 degree weather, drove to Bear River Casino near Eureka where we stayed the night, and continued on to Huntley Park Friday.  We will be here until Monday when we continue up the coast.  

Ferndale is known as the "Victorian Village" because its entire downtown resides on the National Register of Historic Places.  

It has been a comfortable ride.  Drove through the Clear Lake area, through the Redwoods, and a side trip to Ferndale, a quaint little town near the Bear River Casino.  Got gas at the Casino gas station paying $5.65 a gallon, way less than the $6+ offered at regular stations.

Bear River Casino

The Bear River Casino Resort is owned and operated by the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria.The Bear River Band is a federally recognized Native American tribe composed primarily of Mattole, Bear River, and Wiyot people.

 

Friday we enjoyed a nice drive along the Newton B Drury - Redwood Scenic Parkway, in the Redwood National and State Parks.  Traffic along Highway 101 was not too bad, a few ongoing construction zones, but no long waits.  In Brookings Oregon we stopped at Fred Meyers for some gas, low $5 range, and groceries. 

Camp at Huntley Park

Arriving at Huntley Park around 2 pm, we were greeted by the park manager Shawn, who after 6 years still remembers us.  We have not moved the van since parking.  The only slight downside was needing the generator running to operate our AC yesterday for 3-4 hours due to the 90 degree weather.  FYI: when we first started coming to Huntley Park in 2017.  In 2019 we were going to be here for most of the summer...but Dad went into the hospital, then rehab.  He survived that scare, but not the one in November...we all sure miss him.  Then COVID hit, and as the years went by, we just never made it back to Huntley Park until this year.  Part of me wants to stay the remaining 3 weeks of our planned trip sitting right here...but there are other places we want to return to...and one new National Park to visit...so tomorrow we will continue up the coast.

One of my favorite Cooper Pics from Nancy's Blog

 Our hearts go out to our blogging friend Nancy who lost her BEST BUDDY Cooper to heart failure a couple days ago.  We know how hard it is to lose a dog, especially a great companion that Cooper was.  So sorry for your loss...and your hurting Nancy  Read her blog about Cooper HERE:   

 

We also heard a couple of weeks ago that Gerry, Marcia's oldest friends, passed away with Gerry's daughter Ruth holding her in bed.  A quick and peaceful passing, but it leaves a huge hole in Marcia's heart.  We just saw Gerry back on March 29th.  You can read about that visit HERE:    Above is one of my favorite pictures of Marcia and Gerry, taken back in January of 2016, Amelia Island, Florida.  YES, that is Skruffy on Marcia's lap.