The last three weeks have been very busy and very productive. Despite what seemed like 2 straight weeks of rain, we still managed to get some exploring done, even if we got a little waterlogged.
Here are a few quick shots of some of the other places we got to poke around in.
Harrison Hot Springs




And those of you familiar with the TV show “Timber Kings” might recognize this fellow. This is the Sasquatch statue carved by Pete Ryan and installed by Beat and his crew. You can watch the episode here.

Sasquatch Provincial Park




Peace Arch Park



Othello Tunnels
A beautiful hiking trail on old train tracks. The tunnels were an incredible feat of engineering and took several years to build. They were created to connect the Fraser River Valley with commercial centers to the east. It took a bit of screwing up my courage to enter the tunnels (just little bit claustrophobic), but I surprised Mike and did it anyway.





Hope
Hope is a small town located at the end of the Coquihalla Pass. The entire town is populated by these wonderful chainsaw carvings.



Hope was also renowned for being the filming location for the original “Rambo” movie. This year marks the 35th anniversary of that event, and the town featured a walking tour with an explanation of which scenes were filmed on what spots. We came across this filming harness being towed through town. Not sure if it was connected somehow, but we thought the harness was really cool anyway.

We also got some improvements done to Lonestar while we were waiting out the weather. This included a new set of taps and a larger kitchen sink, solar panels mounted on the trailer roof, and a newly designed pull out bed frame that collapses down into a couch in the daytime, and folds flat against the wall for travel. Much nicer to be sleeping up off of the floor.
New Friends
In the meantime, we were happy to make some new friends. We spent a great evening with Marj and Jeff, a couple of full-timers from Alberta. They are a wonderful, friendly couple who were welcoming and incredibly easy to talk to. They kindly (and patiently) taught us a couple of new card games, and will hopefully be joining us in Arizona after Christmas. We had so much fun! Can’t wait to see you again guys!
We also had a breakfast date with Theresa and Claude whom we met through RVillage. They’ve recently sold their house and have become full-timers. We were amazed at how many things we had in common, right down to dealing with real estate agents. It’s so nice when you meet people like them and immediately feel a connection. They hope to be hitting the road full time in the spring, and we hope our paths cross again in the future.
Back At ‘Er
With our month in Chilliwack now behind us it was time to hit the road once more. We entered Washington at the Abbotsford/Sumas crossing with absolutely no difficulty and made our way to Bellingham, WA and the nearest Costco to stock up on the things we knew we couldn’t bring across the border.
We traveled on down I5 through Seattle, caught a beautiful view of the Space Needle lit up after dark, and finally settled in Tacoma for the night. In the morning we crossed the Tacoma Narrows and got a good look at Galloping Gertie, the famous bridge that twisted itself right into the water in 1940. She’s much sturdier now, and features a fabulous view of the water below.

We swung north and began our coastline tour, stopping for a beautiful beach hike in Dungeness


before cutting across to Forks and finally down to Ruby Beach, where I got my first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean proper. It was love at first sight. I had poor Mike pulling over at every lookout for photos and videos, which he patiently did. He just shakes his head and calls me “his five-year-old” when I get this excited.
Our second night in Washington was at the Quinault Casino in Ocean City. It offers free RV parking, as a lot of the casinos do, and they’re much quieter and have far better security than Wal-Marts. We had a very restful night there, and then crossed the state line in the morning.
Oregon or Bust!

And as pretty as Washington was, I have to admit, Oregon is now my favorite by far. The highway follows the coastline much closer, and the terrain changes at every turn. Rocky shoals, long sweeping beaches, tide pools and sand dunes. It’s never a dull moment,and always something new to look at. We even stopped for lunch right on the beach just past Astoria.

Our first night in Oregon found us in Tillamook at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company, a beautiful little spot featuring a renovated barn full of fine cheeses and wines, gourmet food items, upper end kitchen gadgets and souvenirs. There was a petting zoo outside, and a field in the back where they allowed RV overnight parking. A very quiet and restful sleep that was greatly appreciated. And so was the incredible brie cheese that I left with.
Driving the Coast
The rest of that day was spent exploring the 3 Capes Scenic Loop, starting with the lighthouse at Cape Meares.






This spot also starred the Octopus Tree, estimated to be somewhere between 200-300 years old.


The rest of the loop featured beautiful beaches, sea caves and even sand dunes.
After a night at the Casa Del Wal-Mart in Newport, we started the morning with breakfast at the Boiler Bay State Park, which is a small spit of land that looks out over the most amazing surf and shoals.





We moved on from there to spend the afternoon at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. This place is incredible! They have so many hands-on exhibits and fascinating animals, including the Passages of the Deep, a series of underwater walkways that lead you symbolically from the Oregon Coast out into the open sea.














By the time we left the aquarium, it was getting late and we needed to find a place to spend the night. We ended up in Florence, and as I write this, we are finally all caught up. Let’s go see what today will bring.
See you down the road. 🙂
We’d love to hear from you!
Your ideas, your questions, your thoughts, your suggestions. What topics would you like to see us post about? C’mon guys, I know we’re not alone out here. Let your voice be heard!! Comment below or message us here!
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We love the Oregon coast. The scenery is gorgeous and there is so many great spots to stop and enjoy the ocean.
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Absolutely. All the beach is public. Where I come from, that’s a real rarity. Thanks for stopping by.
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Did you see any whales at Boiler Bay? A pretty faithful spot for side of the road whale watching is at Depoe Bay. Just park right on main-street which is oceanside, whales hang out in the bay. We saw whales from many of the road side view points in that area. We highly recommend doing the sand dunes buggy tours near Florence, we’ve done both the smaller and big buggy one, they’re both fun.
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We didn’t see any whales at Boiler Bay, but it wasn’t for lack of looking. I’ve seen a few spouts a way off shore at different look outs, but haven’t seen the actual thing. Depoe Bay was extremely busy when we went by, and with the trailer in tow, it was next to impossible to find a parking spot. We seem to be in between migrations right now, so sightings are low. But I’m still trying! Leaving Florence this morning, so no dune buggy, but we’re heading toward Port Orford, so still hoping on the whales. Wish me luck!
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Too bad Depoe Bay was busy, because locals pretty much guarantee that whales will be in the bay all year, but yes we’ve experienced the hard to find parking when pulling an RV.
My fingers are crossed for you to see whales. 🙂
We were on Vancouver Island middle October and were whale watching at a beach near Port Renfrew, so maybe they’re not all gone yet. Best of luck and safe travels.
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Did you miss Heceta Head Lighthouse? That coast is definitely beautiful! 🙂
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I have a nice shot of it from the highway lookout, but we didn’t make the trek out to it. It looks beautiful. Is that where you were giving tours? Nice office view, lol. We had stopped at the lookout up the road and got lucky. An entire colony of California Sea Lions on the rocks below. More on this next post.
We’re eventually trying to end up in the Arizona area for the winter, just as soon as poor Mike can drag me away from the coast. Any chance we’ll cross paths sometime this year? Would love a meet-up. As always, thanks for stopping by. Safe travels.
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Yep…that was our office! You definitely saw the million dollar view from that overlook, Kelley. 😎 We would love to meet up sometime!
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I’m not sure when we’ll make our way to the Oregon coast, but whenever we do, I expect we’ll be there for a good long while. It just seems like one of those places that you can spend months exploring and never see everything. And it’s just so darn pretty! Anyway, great pics and thanks for all the travel ideas which we are always filing away for future use.
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Wow, stunning pictures and so much to see and do! Maybe one day we will make it to the west coast. Not looking good though, so really appreciate your posts!
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And we’re mostly following the coast. Our few short ventures inland have shown us some beautiful spots as well, but we’re leaving the rest for another trip. My fault, I’m afraid I’m a water baby, lol. Thanks for stopping by!
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We love the ocean/gulf coast! But we also love mountains….but Bill’s not a big fan of driving in them.
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Then better prepare him. Rte 101 can be white knuckle at times. Sudden elevation changes, narrow roads and very twisty. Our rig is quite small (half ton and a 16 foot trailer) and poor Mike was challenged at times. But worth every minute. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
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That’s why I said I doubt it if we make it there in our motor home. We’ll probably fly out one day and wander around in a small rented RV!
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Wonderful pics. Seems like you’re truly enjoying yourselves. We love being full timers. We’re headed north up the coast in February ( in SoCal right now) so you’ve given me some great ideas on places to see!! I know…..there’s so much! Take care! Safe travels!
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We are truly living our dream, and enjoying every minute of it. Thanks so much for dropping by, and hope our paths cross on the road somewhere. Safe travels!
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