For those of you how have not traveled to the north west, a great place to go, play with your toys camp out right on the water, and enjoy fresh crab and salmon For Brad and his buddies there are 30 miles of beautiful sand dunes right on the ocean. ATV heaven. For those that want to see scenic spots the next 40 miles north on the edge of the Pacific nothing but great sites. I have included three photos of last years trip.
That looks like a great spot. What campground was that? Washington and Oregon are on our bucket list. Hopefully some day we will get there.
Ben and Bonnie
1999 U320
Winchester , yep been there , done that 5 years ago . The North West Foretravel owners club had a rally at Florence and the whole bunch rode from Coos Bay to the Florance Campground . Liked it a lot . That event is what got the Foretravel Off Road Club started . Brad Metzger
Brad when We saw the dunes and how they followed the shore line for miles, I said to my wife I knew two people who would love the area, My friend Leo who has many toys like yours and You. Glad you have been there. the actual campground is called Winchester Bay RV Resort. Fairly reasonable for what you get and splendid people to work with. Would advise all who may want to go get reservations. There is a light house right on the grounds of the bay that is beautiful and they allow horse back riding on the sand along the coast.
Brad and other ATV folks here are the dunes I was talking about. These go for miles in each direction.
I have to go there one time. Love the pictures.
It is a great place to visit. The entire coast line of Oregon is full of nice places to stop. We are heading our there next week for two weeks at Nehalem Bay SP not too far north of Winchester Bay. On another trip a few years back we left the Portland area heading to San Francisco. It took a month to get there. Lots of interesting things to do.
Roger
So is the entire length of Hwy 101 from Portland south to the Cali border accessible in a 40' coach + towd? We're going out that way in mid-Sept and would like to see as much of the Oregon coast as possible. Any tips greatly appreciated!
Related question: At Oregon truck stops, do they let you pump your own fuel? I know Oregon
gas stations are not "self-serve".
101 is good all the way to the Mexican border. Might read other forums if you decide to go from Monterey to San Luis Obispo on the coastal Highway 1. Really pretty but very windy with lots of tight turns and hundreds of feet down to the ocean if you go off. Heading north, I didn't see any tour buses past San Simeon. I had to go into the oncoming lane on ultra tight blind corners quite a few times once we got a few miles north of San Simeon. PCH is a breeze from Oxnard to Malibu/Santa Monica.
Pierce
If you stay in Oregon and Washington you will have no problem traveling along the coast highways. When you get to the Red Wood section of US1 I would not follow 1 but take 101 as it is far ,more motorhome friendly.
I drove my 40 foot Foretravel northward on the CA#1 from Santa Maria to Monterey but would never do it again. I was told that a 40 foot motorhome on the CA#1 south of San Francisco is OK, but I disagree after having done it. The drive is more difficult when north bound because, sometimes on right corners, the rock face on the right is at the edge of the road (with no shoulder), necessitating putting the driver side front into the oncoming lane so that the rear passenger side does not contact the rock face. This was done without being able to see around the corner. The drive was mostly wonderful scenery with occasional short bursts of "stark terror". I was told that north of San Francisco is worse.
Thanks for the replies - we're just looking mostly at Oregon, not California. Might jump on 101 around Eureka and head north as far as time permits. Or we might approach 101 from the Portland end and go south. Just in the planning stages, at the moment. We have a "date" at AM Solar in Springfield, OR (near Eugene) and thought we'd do some sightseeing on the way to and from...
By the way, a Google search answered my question about refueling RV's at truck stops in Oregon. It seems the legal prohibition against drivers pumping their own fuel only applies to GASOLINE-fueled vehicles. (Non-volatile) diesel fuels are exempted by state regulation - therefore truck drivers and RV owners ARE allowed to fill their own tanks. Good news to me!
Not sure if you know of the Samoa Cookhouse near Eureka, but it was always one of my favorite stops on our RV trips from Southern California up to the Oregon Dunes or Victoria, Canada when I was a kid. Their homemade bread and blackberry jam is so good!
Welcome to the Historic Samoa Cookhouse - Since 1890 on California's North Coast (http://www.samoacookhouse.net/)
Of interest, seems most of the Cal. and Ore. State campgrounds have a 36ft limit.
Not true I have been to may and a 40ft motorhome is no problem. Biggist issue for me has been the height of my coach and the tree limbs. All the spots on the coast were built for campers of years past but most if not all have been upgraded to accommodate bigger rigs. What could be a problem for some is in Ca many parks have no power or water and only a dump station. Others 30 amp power.
Chuck,
101 is no problem in California, Orgeon and Washington. 1 in California is a different story altogether! We were headed south on 101 and took 1 starting at Leggett, CA and headed over the Coastal Range to Rockport on the coast. Luckily it was mid November and very little traffic or we wouldn't have made it. Had to drive way out in the other lane on some of the curves to make it around. Came out on the coast and there were a bunch of construction workers that stopped what they were doing to watch in disbelief as we drove by. Made it down to Fort Bragg and took 20 back to 101. That was pretty hairy too! Don't think I'll be doing that again.
We are in Eugene, OR now getting some work done at Oregon Motorcoach Center. They fixed the dash air and we are waiting for parts for the Splendide. They are an authorized Foretravel repair center, honor the Motorcade discount, do great work and are really great to work with. They have electric hookups in the parking lot and great wifi. I'm surrounded by Country Coaches but by and large they are very nice people. :) I'm thinking of heading over to AM Solar tomorrow just to check them out.
see ya
ken
We picked up the 101 a Petaluma, Ca and went all the way to Port Towensend, Or. On it. What a beautiful drive! Had no problems with our 38 footer. Stayed at Elks lodges all the way up.