In April we took our very first family RV road trip! It was more than exhilarating to decide on a whim to take off for 10 days. We did very little planning. Rented an RV online from CruiseAmerica.com (GREAT experience) and read the "how-to" manual as we drove out of the lot! We were blessed with a rainbow the day we left.
The kids kept complaining that they were cold while we were driving from Seattle to Portland. I kept telling them to put on their coats until we realized the rig had a HEATER! I was surprised to learn that RVs have air conditioners AND heaters! We were so grateful to use the heater in this cold spring we've been having.
RVs are interesting (for several reasons). There are several systems that supply power and it is important to know which system relies on which power source. There's the main battery, the generator, the propane and water supply. I actually took pictures when we filled the propane tank in Oregon on the way home because the mechanism was like one of those old style gasoline pumps where the numbers click by!
One super important thing that helped us in planning our first road trip was to identify OUR VISION for our trip. It really made a difference when it came to deciding what we wanted to do and spend money on. We decided the purpose for our trip was 1) to get out of town and do something adventurous (for us) in the fresh air 2) be together as a family 3) see the majestic Redwoods-that was the extent of our expectations. We ended up purchasing a netbook and took advantage of wi-fi down the coast. In fact, while south of Portland while filling the tank at a gas station, I was able to get online and find that night's "lodging" while using the free wi-fi connection offered by McDonald's which was across the street! I suppose if you have an iPhone, that's not a big deal, but it was to me!
Here's how our itinerary turned out:
Day 0 Wednesday: picked up the RV, parked in our driveway and loaded it with our stuff
Day 1 Thursday: Seattle, WA to Portland, OR on I5, stayed at Columbia River RV Park, got there late and did our first hookup in the dark (oh, and the POURING rain)! Serious delay due to a terrible traffic accident.
Day 2 Friday: Portland to Grants Pass, OR on I5, stayed at Moon Mountain RV Park
Day 3 Saturday: Grants Pass through Crescent City, CA (twisty, winding road along steep cliffs!) and south to the Arcata Airport (McKinleyville, CA) where we rented a car and then south onto Eureka, CA, stayed at KOA in Eureka for 3 days
Day 4 Sunday: Drove rental car south to Leggett, CA to see the Chandlier Tree, visited the kitchy (but TOTALLY FUN!) Confusion Hill's Gravity House, drove back "home" northbound through the Avenue of Giants and Weott, CA to see the campsite we DIDN'T occupy (so glad!)
Day 5 Monday: Drove south to Myers Flat, CA to see the Shrine Tree and the "treehouses" in the POURING rain (did I say it was WET?) We could have spent the entire afternoon playing in the treehouses, the kids especially loved it! Headed north again through Avenue of Giants stopping at various points of interest in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, loved the Visitor's Center and wished we had made more time for this trail: Drury-Chaney Loop I think, returned rental car at 10pm
Day 6 Tuesday: packed up from Eureka and headed north to the Trees of Mystery (so glad we took the time-and money-to ride the Sky Trail gondola, tremendous experience, gorgeous walk to the Sky Trail and fabulous ride, excellent family memory for us!), saw Grandfather Tree (amazing!) even though we were too late for the Log House, stayed at KOA in Crescent City, CA
Day 7 Wednesday: said goodbye to the Crescent City KOA and drove north, stayed at KOA, Oregon Dunes/Coos Bay
Day 8 Thursday: said goodbye to the Oregon Dunes KOA and drove north on Highway 101, GORGEOUS drive along the Siuslaw National Park and wished we had more time to explore the beaches along the Oregon Coast but we enjoyed a quick stop at the Cape Perpetua Visitor's Center (awesome view!!) and a nice short hike down to the Devil's Churn (great trails and adjacent beach), we also visited the Sea Lion Caves where we could see the Heceta Lighthouse but didn't have time to stop at the lighthouse
Day 9 Friday: we should have just made this a travel day but we stopped for some beach time at Kelowna State Park, , drove north through Tillamook (gorgeous drive through farmhouses and green grass) and Highway 6 to Banks, a surprise because it was a gorgeous, gorgeous drive!
In the original discussion we wanted to sleep in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, so I had reserved a campsite online in Weott, CA. By the time we reached Eureka, CA, we discovered we really liked our electricity and water! This campsite deep in the Redwoods had NO hookups. When we embarked on our trip, we didn't know what a hookup or a pull-through even was!! So we cancelled our reservation and stayed in Eureka instead. THANKFULLY because when we eventually went to Weott and saw the spot we didn't know how we would have even made the tight turns in the campground. We were able to "shuttle" from Eureka in our rental car down to where we wanted to do the drive through trees and Avenue of Giants.
Discovering KOA was a blessing. When we left Cruise America, they gave us a KOA directory. This was so helpful and we actually used their map of the coast more than any other!
Since we have been to Cannon Beach, OR many times, we didn't take the time to go there on this trip. But if you are planning an Oregon/California Coast trip, Cannon Beach is a MUST.
Helpful RV Road Trip Links:
RV Park Reviews
Road Trip America
Trip Advisor
KOA
Reserve America
Cruise America
It was challenging to find an itinerary from Seattle to the Redwoods online that suited us, so please let me know if this post helped you with your trip by leaving a comment! Happy trails!
photo:
Kelowna State Park, amazing beach and mini-Haystack Rock
Where do YOU take family vacations?
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