Sea stacks, redwood trees, glorious sunsets, vast beaches…the (slightly) harrowing road to get here was worth it!

Route Planning Challenges

RV route planning can be a challenge…I am the official navigator on travel days. This sometimes causes me stress, because there is no one, single RV route planner that meets all our needs. And I feel great responsibility for the safety of our rig and its inhabitants, Greg’s sanity and fuel costs. We, like so many other RVers, juggle both our RV-specific GPS device AND Google Maps while we travel.

An interesting tidbit about Google Maps is that there is currently no RV-safe or truck-safe route option. You can choose to walk, ride public transportation, bike, avoid tolls and ferries and highways, but they have not taken the time to provide safe routes for large vehicles. It seems that Google would have the capacity to allow drivers to enter the height, width, weight of their rig and then provide an appropriate route based on those dimensions. Those yellow maximum height signs as you approach a tunnel or overpass should not be a last-minute surprise!

The route from Rogue River, OR out to Brookings, OR goes south through CA and then back up the 101 into Oregon again. Route 199 has some pretty narrow, curvy spots sprinkled in and a fun tunnel. (Like so many other times) Google Maps and our RV GPS each told us to take a different route when it was time to head north again. I assumed that the Google Maps route was going to send us through one of the tunnels carved out of a redwood tree. So I selected the route suggested by the RV GPS. Guess what? It was actually the opposite.

We ended up staying on Route 199 all the way through the Redwood National Forest with all its curves, narrow roads and frighteningly large trees right along the road. Sometimes it felt like we were going to scrape the side of the trailer on a tree or rock wall! In fact, some of the huge redwood trees had been purposely shaved off to allow large rigs to more safely traverse this wild, beautiful road!

Side Note: Each time we have entered California we have had to pass through the produce inspection point. Each time they ask something different, but I have read that their main concern is that you don’t bring in citrus. On this trip when we were towing the camper the agent asked if we had any produce. We said no. And he looked at the outside of the trailer and said, “Looks clean to me.” Huh?

Harris Beach State Park

Oh, wow! We pulled into Harris Beach State Park and were greeted by sweeping views of the ocean, amazing rock formations and sea stacks all down the beach! Our first few days here have been sunny…soon to give way to buckets o’ rain.

This park is immaculate and the campground is thoughtfully laid out with a mix of RV spots and tent sites. The bathrooms are clean and they have individual, private showers so you don’t have to try to hide your nakedness behind a wet curtain that keeps sticking to your skin. Not that I’ve ever experienced that myself…It is a short walk to the trails down to the beach with awesome views all the way down.

I appreciate that on the west coast you can casually head to the toasty beach and enjoy the most amazing sunsets without bedhead! There is no need to set an alarm to get up literally at the crack of dawn, put on whatever shirt you find in the dark and freeze in the predawn chill to enjoy the similar colors of sunrise over the Atlantic.

Redwoods/Trillium Falls

The Redwood National and State Parks cover a pretty large area. So we found ourselves surrounded by redwoods when we were on our way to see the redwoods. We drove about 1.5 hours south past Crescent City along the beautiful Pacific Coast to check out Trillium Falls which is down a moderate trail through towering redwoods. It was breathtaking and very silent! I’m sure we looked like slow-walking tourists in New York City seeing skyscrapers for the first time. “Hey! We’re walkin,’ heah!”

I like to read the rules and warning signs before I start down a trail. Call it survival instinct? On this trail there was a sign about cougars, recent bear sightings and how to handle encounters with wild elk. On such a quiet trail I felt a little concerned, so I suggested to Greg that we talk or sing to announce ourselves to any curious/hungry/easily startled critters. Surprisingly, we lived to tell the story. Whew!

Boardman State Scenic Corridor

Just north of us, along the 101, is a section of amazing overlooks, vistas, turnoffs, trails and picnic areas that provide access to parts of the Oregon Coast that you normally only see on postcards and screensavers. Amazing! We visited three of those iconic areas and saw natural bridges, arches, sea stacks and the famous Whaleshead rock formation.

We also hiked in an area that had scary warning signs yet again about people falling to their deaths and animals that might make you wish you had fallen. Even so, in the interest of adventure, we pressed on.

Sometimes we hang back and wait to see what kind of hikers emerge before we head down a trail. If they are wearing helmets, backpacks and have lots of equipment, that’s a clue. If they look fresh and pressed wearing fashionable boots with no water or food, that’s another clue. Also, selfie sticks.

Catio Corner

We are quite pleased that this new campground provides a great dose of sunshine in the afternoon and a daily visit by a juicy group of California Quail. We did not approve the silly Halloween decoration on our catio, so we will both work on dismantling it until it is a tattered mess.