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By Katrina Kane, on August 1st, 2012 Off to meet my other son and his family up in Seaside. It was a good time to try out one of the best Thousand trails Parks in Oregon that I had been hearing about. Don’t get me wrong. I have truly enjoyed all of the Oregon TT parks. They are great! Seaside RV gets very high marks from everyone. It is a little odd in that it was built on both sides of 12th Ave. I checked in on one side then entered just to turn around to go over to the other side where the pool was. I was very happy to score a a nice flat site out in the open for my satellite dish and very close to the pool and clubhouse. Beware the 5 mile an hour speed limit and gargantuan speed bumps designed to tear up your vehicle and insides no matter how slow you go. The pool is a bit small compared to other parks but it is a perfectly warm temperature and the building is lovely. My favorite things were the hot tub, the showers in the pool area, and the free arcade basketball toss.
Adult swim is from 9-10:30 pm and it sure gets busy. Most nights the large hot tub is near full and we did have it filled to standing room only one night with the water draining out over the sides. That was a great night! We had a couple of new full-time RVers there so everyone was telling their worst RV stories. LOL. It was very educational. The last night I was there, I went up for one last dip but darn it the building was locked with many adults milling around outside wondering why. We heard some kid had crapped in the pool that day so they closed it all for remediation. Dang kids!
The ping pong table, basketball toss, and outside fire pit were pretty popular too. They had movie nights with popcorn, candy bar bingo, dinners, and their café serves breakfast for a fee on Saturdays. Wi-Fi was available in both clubhouses and the pool building. I was also able to ride my scooter a lot there.
The only issue I had was with a new neighbor that moved in next to me. For 2 days I felt like I was living in a bottom apartment again with a constant boom boom boom of kids running around overhead. Trying to talk to the people after the 2 days did no good as their attitude was that it was a kid and nothing they could do about it so everyone else should just have to put up with it. The first reaction of management when told was that I should just move my trailer. Interesting. Someone in the hot tub had the same advice like moving my trailer was the only option I should consider. She was rather nasty about it in fact. First, I was in a prime select spot I wanted. Second, I was not the one causing the issue. Third, they have a rule in place about not annoying others or making them feel uncomfortable. Fourth, it takes a couple hours to move and I only had a few days left there. Lastly, I was not the only one upset by it. Every RV around them had complained. So, are we all supposed to move to non-prime spots and be quite inconvenienced while this rude family is allowed to just pull in at any time, anywhere and get away with violating the rules and and keeping others from coming back to the park? That makes no sense. When pushed, management finally went over to talk to them and moved them to another site. That made all of us happy but it really didn’t solve the issue and I’m sure made several other campers miserable too.
My son came over and stayed at a local motel near the beach district on Broadway. We had a couple dinners together, rode the indoor carousel, salivated all over the kite shop, played air hockey at the arcade where Mom proved she can still whup him, and checked out the beach. According to Facebook, they sneaked back later for a campfire and s’mores on the beach without me. Caught! I had fun harassing him about it the next day. Really people, watch what you post on Facebook and Twitter when you are sneaking around. Like duh.
 
We went up to Astoria to see the Oregon Film Museum which is located in the old county jail. Not much there really and way too noisy and crowded in the small building to try to shoot a movie scene in the layout they provided with equipment. Mostly it was a monument to the movie “The Goonies” with some of the items from it. Across the street is the Flavel House, an old and gorgeous Victorian home one of the Astoria founders lived in. It is open for tours though we didn’t have the time that day. My son and his family toured the Astoria Maritime Museum another day while I was working and tell me that was well worth it.
 
Before they left, we had a barbecue outside at my campsite. We got into a little bit of a squirt gun fight then I engaged my granddaughter in a pea fight during dinner. She doesn’t like eating peas so I thought she would like wearing them.  She thought I would also enjoy that. Not sure who won. I think it was a draw. Still finding peas in my trailer and coat pockets!
I got lucky and caught Fort Stevens on a special weekend. Lots of volunteers were dressed in uniforms from America, Germany, and France. They had lots of tents and vehicles set up with displays. For $1, you could buy a chance to fire off a howitzer every hour. They had a small rifle range setup to shoot different military weapons. I crawled all over the concrete bunkers with everyone else and took the tour of the underground one where the really big guns used to be. Their guns hide behind the walls then popup to fire and hide again so the enemy can’t find them. Fascinating. It’s hard to imagine it was really very nicely paneled, dry, and comfortable back when the fort was active. This is the only place on the US mainland that has been shelled by the enemy since 1812. A Japanese submarine fired on them one night during WWII but unfortunately, their commander would not allow them to fire back. What a bummer after all that training!
 
 
Another day I went to see Fort Clatsop where Lewis and Clark spent a miserable winter on the coast. I had seen the replica of it before but it had been awhile and the one I saw burned down and has been replaced. It’s worthwhile seeing if you are in the area. I learned a few things I didn’t know and was shocked to learn that when the Indians would not sell them a canoe, they sneaked back and stole one! Way to keep up relations, guys. Someone also demonstrated starting a fire with a concave glass. The sun came out from behind the clouds for only a few moments but he managed to start the fire in less than 30 seconds. Wow! Later I went back over to Fort Stevens nearby to see the shipwreck of the Peter Iredale on the beach. Not much left anymore compared to when I first saw it. Then back in Seaside I checked out the Lewis and Clark Salt Works where they boiled sea water down for 2 months to extract the salt for curing meat and flavoring on the way home.
  
For more pics click here.
By Katrina Kane, on July 17th, 2012 Time was up so I had to move on. Here’s where I mention one of my goofs. I planned out my stays several months in advance for Thousand Trails parks to cover all the summer holidays since unlike my other memberships, Thousand Trails lets me in to their parks during holidays rather than blocking out those dates. That alone makes my new membership very valuable. Unfortunately, I miscalculated how people handle the 4th of July holiday. Silly me. I thought people actually go home after the 4th. Nope. Some do go home while many others stay or come out just before to camp through the weekend after. I found myself still blocked out of some parks by my other memberships and others were booked full. It took a bit of scrambling but I did find a membership park with an opening. Now why is that important? Discount! Full-timers do not pay full price for campsites. Remember, for us this is the same as apartment rent or a mortgage. We live on the road and can’t afford those $30-$60 a night weekender prices. We have a budget like anyone else.
I headed down just south of Lincoln City to Chinook Bend RV Park. Nice clubhouse at the red barn. Right on the river with a boat launch and lots of dock space. Nice walking trail. Llamas. Not bad as parks go. Working from there was pretty difficult though. My Verizon phone and internet just barely worked and only then when sitting in the amplifier cradle. I had to go up to the clubhouse a couple days to work. The staff were very nice and even patched a trailer tire for me after I picked up a screw in it. I wondered why my trailer was shaking so much more than usual. It was because my tire was going flat! We all nearly had a really bad day when a Class A motorhome pulled out and forgot to put their flag down. With everyone yelling and honking horns at them, they stopped just inches from the main overhead power line. Eek! That was way too close.
Needed some groceries so I headed down to Newport for the day (they have a Wal-Mart). First, I stopped in at Yaquina Head Lighthouse along the way. They have a very good visitor’s center and interesting details about the quarrying of this area to build the coastal highway which had been in demand since cars first appeared. You can see the now closed quarry area. Inside the visitor’s center they have displays about the lighthouse and life there for the keepers and their families. I liked the excerpts from their log books. Interesting that their kids had to walk quite a way down Agate beach to school on their own. No one drove them. Their large library suitcase full of books to pass the lonely time out there was on display. They exchanged it every so often. There is a picture of one keeper fooling around to entertain the family by wearing his wife’s dress. You do what you can when bored. I should also mention that this is the first lighthouse museum I have been to that actually explained what the big deal is about having a Fresnel lens. They displayed the reason very well. It is to bend and point all the light into a straight path which allows it to be seen farther out.
  
The lighthouse can be toured if you can handle a whole lot of steps up. I chose to take pictures of it out on the deck instead and got pictures of the birds nesting on the rocks in the bay. This area is a favorite stop for them. It was icy cold out there that day with a stiff wind blowing. I decided to pass on touring the tidal pools. However, on the way out, I spotted something on the beach below and went to the overflow parking area for a better look. A couple there provided their binoculars to verify the scene. Down below is Agate beach and on the beach is the Japanese pier everyone has been talking about washing up there from the tsunami and are flocking to see. Yes! I got a chance to get a picture of it, maybe not a great picture, but one nonetheless without having to brave the traffic or make the long hike up the beach to it.
  
Now that my spirit was quite satisfied, I opted to satisfy the rest of me with a trip to Sizzlers there in Newport. I haven’t been in one since I left Blythe. As always, the food and service were excellent and plentiful. I love their salad bar and a little steak is good too. Besides, you’re not supposed to go shopping on an empty stomach. Good advice but they need to also add “or on a full stomach”. Nothing looks appealing in a grocery store when you are totally full.
Over to Wal-Mart I happily discovered they have come quite far with their renovation and can now be said to be a Wal-Mart Supercenter. The food is in and aisles of shelves are up. There don’t seem to be many Super Wal-Marts in Oregon so this is a big deal.
I ended up extending my stay by a day when I found out my oldest son was coming over to Newport with his family to camp at South Beach State Park. Had to stay for my grandkids. I met up with them at the state park and we went to tour the lighthouse again. While the youngest ran around and around below followed by Mom, the two oldest and Dad climbed the stairs up to the top of the lighthouse. As my son said, it is much farther to go when you have to get there going around in circles. LOL The grandkids still had plenty of energy so we took them down to Agate Beach to play in the surf and walk down to the Japanese pier. It’s a long walk. Our question is, if it is supposed to be Japanese, why is “no trespassing” painted all over it in English? Wink wink. BTW, nobody is paying any attention to that either. People are climbing all over it.
For more pics click here.
By Katrina Kane, on July 12th, 2012 Off to another Thousand Trails park. This park is proof that every camper has a different idea as to what makes a good camping experience. I had solicited opinions from other TT members I have met along the way and several said they did not particularly like this park due to small spaces. Someone else warned me of it’s hilly nature. While opinions can be useful, don’t decide against going to a park solely based on that. How enjoyable a park is going to be highly depends on your own nature, rig, and lifestyle. I can see where weekend tenters and small rig RVers would absolutely love this place with it’s beautiful treed slopes overlooking the Pacific ocean, spacious heated indoor pool, inviting hot tub, and lovely clubhouse. There are places for larger rigs and though the sites are narrow, they are actually well spaced and surrounded by greenery. If you have an extra car, there are some spaces that can hold it or I found a space right next to visitor parking in the “I” section. There are not as many full hookup spaces as most would like but there were several open while I was there and the park did not get full even over 4th of July. The many trees can be a problem for those of us who travel full-time and want our satellite TV. If you know where southeast is going in, there are spaces where you can get a portable dish out through the trees or over them. Again, “I” section had several good spots as did some of the others. If you use cell internet as I do, the signal is iffy. Most days I was able to work over mine only by using my Wilson amplifying cradle and external antenna. Even then, I ended up working up at the lodge a couple days over their WI-FI which wasn’t too bad given the gorgeous view from there. I very much liked that they label their sites on the electric box so you can tell which sites have 50 amp, which have only 20 amp, which has sewer and cable TV (extra fee for cable), etc. Personally, I had a very enjoyable stay there and would go again any time.
The pool and hot tub are excellent and quite enjoyable. Every day they were busy until closing time at 10pm. They were especially wonderful on boring rainy days. I got to try out my new fins there and boy am I fast in the water now! Down below is a very nice miniature golf course and tennis court. The lodge above has a large screen TV, WI-FI, plenty of tables, a microwave oven, WI-FI, puzzles in a separate area upstairs for adults only, a play room down below with pool tables, and a store below. It is very well laid out though they could use more showers in the restrooms there or perhaps should add some outdoor showers for the pool.
There are bears in this park so be careful. A family of bears is living in the surrounding woods and going through the dumpsters for food. Sometimes they eat in the dumpsters and sometimes they grab a bag of garbage to take with them. Be extra careful when taking out your trash. There were no attacks while I was there and they seem to be happy to ignore us as long as we stay away while they are eating.
Below the park is a very steep and narrow road down to the beach. You can park above in a small parking lot or park on the beach. Many do just that. I prefer going into Pacific City to the dory landing beach. They tell me it is very exciting to watch the fishing dory boats come in at high speed at the end of the day. It’s a good place to climb a steep sand dune, climb rocks, investigate the tide pools, have a picnic, swim, or just be. There is also a state park nearby with dunes and a beach where everyone goes to watch fireworks though they do their fireworks on June 30th rather than July 4th. I don’t know why. I was able to watch fireworks right from my site.
  
One weekend, I went up to Tillamook to tour the Tillamook Cheese factory. I’ve been there before but it is still interesting and free. I got lucky and made it their while the production line was running. Got some great pics, learned lots of cheese history, and enjoyed tasting the various cheese samples. Cheddar is still my favorite. If you are in the mood, you can also buy Tillamook ice cream there. I sent Cheese Mail for $1 from a machine there that shoots video of you in front of the production line and sends it to up to 3 people. I know its cheesy but what the hell. 
 
For more pics click here.
By Katrina Kane, on July 8th, 2012 One reason I am in Oregon for the summer is to see my brother and his wife. When this blog first began back in 2005, I was staying in his motorhome in his driveway to see if I liked the full-time RVing life and get my own RV. 7 years later and over 5 years on the road, I’m back again to bring it full circle. If you happened to read my blog back then, you may have seen us boating on the Willamette River, going through the Portland locks, the Willamette Falls, and heard our chicken story.
We decided to repeat our favorite trip to some degree. Many things have changed so our trip had to change. The locks are now closed due to maintenance issues so we had to haul the boat to a boat ramp past them to start. We launched at Willamette Park. Unfortunately, the motor decided it did not want to work so after a false start, we had to pull the boat back out for my brother to inspect the motor and dry the spark plugs which had been flooded during the drive over. Back in the water again, he got it to start and off we went. It was overcast and looked like it might rain but we took our chances and were rewarded. It was a beautiful day on the water with warm coats on and no sun burning our eyes. We went to the Willamette Falls again and got closer than we ever had to them for pictures. They are flowing wildly right now and an awesome sight to see.
 
We got to go by the many beautiful houseboats tied up along the banks and the fancy houses on shore. I like the aluminum looking houseboat and the Italian villa house best. BTW, the really cool thing about houseboats is no property tax.
 
Next stop was for a picnic on the boat. We tied up at a public dock near where we had lunched years ago and the girls walked up and over to the KFC for a bucket of chicken and extras. It seemed like such a long walk last time but now it is very easy since they built a nice paved trail overlooking the river. We stopped along the way to read the interpretive signs and enjoy the view. Back at the boat, we laid out everything on the ice chest and dived in for a hardy meal.
Now satisfied, we drove the boat under the many bridges in Portland. We gawked at the large ships tied up at the docks, a fancy yacht, the floating seafood restaurant, the submarine docked at OMSI museum, and the waterfront parks. The bike/pedestrian trail is quite interesting with it’s bridges and floating deck. There’s a lot of floating debris around there so be careful. We managed to pick up a tree branch on our motor but it didn’t hurt anything.
  
 
There were plenty of fishermen out on the water too and some water skiers. The kayakers were out and about. We saw a couple of fellows standing on what looked like surfboards with paddles. One had his dog with him. Seemed silly to us.
The sun came out at the end of the day as we were heading in. I don’t know if it was that little bit of sun or rays breaking through the clouds but we got a bit sunburned so don’t forget to use sunscreen no matter what kind of day you boat. Do as I say and not as I do. 
For more pics click here.
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