Prepping for our BIG trip South

Wow...can't believe that our last post was in August.  My apologies for neglecting this poor blog for those of you that are following us!  It has been a bit of a rough 6 months...Paul's dad passed away right before Thanksgiving and some work turmoil has kept me preoccupied fall term and most of this term, along with agreeing to teach an extra class winter term...BUT....we are now back and getting back to our RVing roots!

This weekend we are over at Pacific Shores in Newport giving our rig a shakedown voyage before our trip South on Tuesday.  We had some work down by our friends at Premier RV Services in Junction City, Oregon, this winter so wanted to make sure everything was in order for our long trek to the sun and warm desert climate.  So far so good, other than a washer/dryer unit we had removed where the service tech forgot to cap the water lines...that gave us a nice drippy surprise Friday night, but after $.89 and some good towel drying we are back in business.  So far everything else seems to be ready for travel....today's plan will be clearing our storage bins, checking vital fluids, and checking tire pressures so we are ready to head out.

I have added our travel calendar for the trip south on the blog and will be excited to give you updates along the way.  I will probably be flying back to Oregon for at least one week of the trip to catch up on work meetings.

As always, we are LOVING our stay over here in Newport and enjoying some unseasonably gorgeous sunshine....making this pre-trip work MUCH easier!

Gorgeous day at the coast!

Kasha working hard as usual

Paul in pre-bin cleaning mode

Lewis & Clark RV Park - Astoria, Oregon

This last weekend we revisited one of our favorite cities on the Oregon coast, Astoria.  We packed up the RV, picked up Paul's parents in Portland and headed NW to Astoria.

ROUTE CHOICES FROM PORTLAND:  There are three main routes to get to Astoria from Portland.   The quickest route is actually up I-5 in Washington, cutting over at Longview to Hwy 30 and then continuing west to Astoria.  The second route, arguably the longest, is to take Hwy 30 out of Portland the entire way to Astoria.  The final choice it to take Hwy 26 out of west Portland up through Seaside and then north on 101.  We have taken all of these routes in the past and definitely prefer the more leisurely Hwy 30 route.  You pass through several quaint towns along the way and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous.  Hwy 26 is loaded with weekend travelers trying to get to/from the coast as quickly as possible and can be quite a hair raising adventure so is one we avoid in the RV.

FOOD:  OK...so if you follow this blog you already know food is HUGE focus for us :)  Astoria happens to have some of THE best food on the coast.  You certainly cannot go wrong with the choices over here.  Our absolute favorite is the Bowpicker located downtown across from the maritime museum.  Fresh tuna fish and chips that just cannot be beat.  This place is VERY popular, so plan accordingly and plan on waiting in line as well.  A new find this trip was only 2 minutes away from the park on Young's Bay with a million dollar view....a Mexican restaurant that looks like a shack you would probably never try without several recommendations.  Well let me tell you, La Cabana de Raya is well worth a visit!  The prices are tremendous, the view is breathtaking, and you will eat for at least two days on whatever meal you happen to purchase.  We cooked the remainder of our meals in the coach so those are the only two nuggets I can share on this trip, but promise to fill you in on future trips to Astoria as we have a LONG list of places we are still wanting to try.

Enchiladas for 4...or 1 at this place

Delicious Guacamole!

Do NOT go to Astoria without trying this place...amazing!

LEWIS & CLARK RV PARK:  This is our favorite summer park in Astoria.  Fort Stevens is a nice state park but is not a relaxing place in the summer.  Lewis & Clark is a smaller park with pull-thru and back-in sites that will accommodate any size rig.  It is located off Youngs Bay Road, SE of Astoria by a few minutes.  Almost all of the sites look directly onto the 9-hole golf course and it is a peaceful and quiet setting.  With the craziness of our weekday lives, we both love getting away on weekends to quiet and relaxing.  The owners are THE absolute best!  They are friendly, fun, know all of the good places in town and really work to make your stay enjoyable.  We rented a "super site" they have that has an RV pad along with a park-model cabin attached where Paul's parents stayed.  There is a huge patio attached with a firepit, BBQ, and seating for 20 easily.  The A and C sites are the best choices for Class A and C RVs with a clear view of the golf course and large grassy area.  They have frisbee golf available, Bocce ball, as well as the adjacent golf course....plenty of relaxing fun times.

Patio Area - A sites in background

Enjoying some ladder ball in front of patio. C sites in background

Paul on golf course adjacent to park

Paul's parents enjoying some summer coastal sun

 

FMCA Virgin Report

So this last weekend was our FIRST ever RV rally....kind of....which really means that we only attended for one day and didn't actually camp on-site.  Since the rally was only 20 minutes from our house it just seemed weird to pack everything up and drive 20 minutes to camp.  We DID however get to spend an entire day at the rally and had a tremendous time....here is why:

1. WE RAN INTO UNEXPECTED FRIENDS.  The biggest surprise of the day was running into Denise and Roger.  Denise worked for me at OSU and I blame her for initiation into the RV lifestyle.  She would describe all of the amazing travels her and Roger would make in their RV and it got Paul and I SO excited that we bought our own RV two years ago and have never looked back.  Denise always brings a smile to my face as she loves people, she gives a great deal back to the community, and she is just fun all around!  We also ran into Doug and Ann, Butch and Jodi and several others that we have met during visits at Pacific Shores in Newport.  Finally, we got to spend time with our favorite salesperson who is now a good friend, Susan Graham from Premier RV Sales in Junction City, Oregon. 

2.  WE GOT TO TRY OUT COMFORT DRIVE.  Newmar was giving test rides in an Essex, Dutch Star, and Ventana.  These were hour-long test drives and included a free jacket at the end of the test drive!  Who can beat that....of course, to keep our slobbering to a minimum, we chose to drive the Ventana.  I do have to admit that the Comfort Drive was quite amazing.  I was most impressed with how you just let the wheel go and the coach would back up in a straight line...something I can never seem to accomplish with my backing abilities.

3.  WE HAD FUN WALKING THE GROUNDS.  We spent time exploring the vendor booths, all of the show coaches there from dealers, and just walking about the 200+ rigs that were camping there to see all of the creative decorating/living that people do.

Needless to say, based upon our experiences here, we will certainly be attending the FMCA rally in Redmond, Oregon, next summer where roughly 2,000 coaches are expected...can't even imagine!

Back at the Feathers

OK. I will admit that we are probably here far too frequently, but THIS time it was to meet up with our friend Marcia who is over here from La Pine for a few days.  We of course made it just in time Friday for the truck stop line-caught blackened salmon special....absolutely delicious.

Perhaps you are wondering if every destination we choose is food related...well...yes, sometimes that is accurate. I am happy to report that after dining on salmon and hitting the casino with Marcia, I am up $100 and Paul is up $40. Today we arose and made a trek down to Heaven on Earth, a restaurant in Azalea that boasts the worlds largest cinnamon rolls...from what I saw this could definitely be accurate. Due to our extravagance this morning we will be skipping lunch and then meeting up with Marcia again tonight to try out a local Italian restaurant. 

We tried a new section of the resort this visit, site 174, and were impressed with privacy and views here on the south side. I have added a few pictures so you can check this out. Many of the back-in only sites on this side are quite private. We will definitely stay on this side again. 

I will report back on the Italian restaurant. Next weekend we will be hitting the FMCA rally in Albany, Oregon with our friends Michele and Cathy. Have never been to one of these so look forward to giving you the virgin's perspective!

View from Site 174

View from Site 174

Site 174

Paul and Kasha enjoying the sun

The LARGEST cinnamon roll ever...

Back in Newport

OK...I will admit, we absolutely love Newport, Oregon.  Beautiful beaches, exquisite eateries, fun shops, and a friendly atmosphere throughout.  It is also just 1 hour from our house making it a perfect quick weekend getaway, thanks to our friends Barb & Linda.  The other motivator this weekend is our good friend Michelle is playing Julia Child in a play at Pacific Shores where Julia Child meets Paula Deen.  Not only is this ripe for disturbing content, but Michelle takes Julia to a WHOLE new level with wine drinking, BON appetite, and her rendition of stuffing a turkey....you can imagine where that goes.  We have met a great group of owners that live over here and absolutely love coming over to say hi, catch up, and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and fun spirit here, particularly in the summer months when the place is packed.  Most of all, we love relaxing on the deck, plowing through some chapters in a good book and just enjoy the sunshine once the fog burns off in the morning.  I hope everyone is having a great weekend...life is good!

Upgrading Dash Stereo

Although we love our 9 year old coach, we were not in love with the technology of 2004 versus today.  Our in-dash receiver (connected to our 10-disk CD changer) is just too old-school for us and we couldn't take it any longer.  We both wanted to be able to stream music (via Bluetooth) through our phones, and I was specifically looking for bluetooth so I could talk hands free as well.  Unfortunately, neither one of us possesses what I would call intuitive electronic abilities.  Yes, we can hook up a receiver and deal with a wireless router, but as soon a there are more than 6 colors of wires our heads start to spin, our faces get more and more clinched, and our language starts approaching what you would find in a truck stop brawl.  Needless to say, we had reached the point where we were willing to even take that risk to move ourselves to new technology in the coach.

Out with the Old Kenwood

We took the information on our old Kenwood received model to a local stereo store and explained our situation.  As soon as the conversation moved towards the words "wiring harness" and involved the requisite 'more than 6 colors' we knew we were screwed.  A task analogous to making toast for this shop installer was enough to raise our level of anxiety to one that was painfully obvious.  Thankfully, this shop installer saw the grimaces on our faces and pointed us to another Kenwood product that he said "may just fit" into the same bracket and wiring harness as the last one....if we were lucky.  If we were not lucky, it would mean a trip to the installation bay and 2-3 hours labor at a minimum....something we were hoping to avoid.

Our new in-dash receiver

Our new found friend connected us with the Kenwood KDC-X597 receiver which includes a USB input, bluetooth audio as well as bluetooth phone connectivity.  He said to "give it a try" with a friendly grin....one we didn't know how to interpret as "I just saved your ass" or "good luck...I will see you in the morning suckers".  It was 5 p.m. and we thought....let's give it a try!  We knew this was either one of the worst decisions of our lives, or one that would build our self-esteem to unprecedented levels.  We got to the rig, scanned the manual and then proceeded to remove the old receiver with the removal tongs that the old owner faithfully left for us.  Upon removal we found 3 inputs (wiring harness, antenna, and disk changer connector).  We unplugged all three and proceeded to see if the new receiver would fit in the bracket.  Surprise!  Not only did it fit in the bracket, but the wiring harness snapped in and brought the unit to life immediately!  It appears the friendly grin from our salesperson was one of....OK....I am going to save you guys from some serious misery.  Clearly he knew this install would be a piece of cake and was taking pity on us by steering us to the same brand.

Installed and fully operational!

The final step was to attach the bluetooth microphone, which fit perfectly under the dash and clipped right below our backup camera screen.  The bluetooth works like a charm, both with audio streaming AND via the phone.  We discovered an added bonus....as long as we are in cell coverage....no need to use radios when parking the coach as I can be on the bluetooth with hands free while Paul can direct and be on his cell phone as needed.  Awesome!

Microphone placement

LESSON:  If you are looking to replace your old dash receiver with a new one, use an expert, and stick with same brand, as you may end up, like us, with a wiring harness that simply plugs in and boom...done.  If you have a Monaco with the same old Kenwood CD-changer receiver, I would highly recommend the brand we chose....works like a charm and a piece of cake to install!

Winchester Bay - Oregon

Best laid plans right?  So our week exploring Southern Oregon has now turned into our week on the Oregon Coast thanks to a heat wave that hit the valley this week.  We decided that 4 more days with near 100 temps might just be our sign to head west.  Don't get me wrong, I of all people LOVE the heat, and if we were near a pool I would be all over it...but we aren't.  Luck dropped us at Winchester Bay in what may be one of the best sites at the campground overlooking the marina with a HUGE private grassy area just outside our door.

View out of our front window

Looking out the left side of the window

 There are three main camping areas here at Winchester Bay. (1) Dry camping on the marina $14, (2) Overnight camping with full hookups at Windy Cove A or Windy Cove B for $23, and (3) Larger sites at the Winchester Bay RV Resort with all amenities including cable and the best views of the Bay and ocean inlet for $42 a night.  The marina dry camping sites are on a first come basis, but all have nice marina views and could be a very good option for a couple of nights.  The Windy Cove campground is well...just not our type of place...full of ATV riders, flooded with kids, fires burning everywhere, and loads of random crap piled on everyone's lot.  Of course, if you are into that scene every seat has a......  Winchester Bay is a major recreational gateway to the sand dunes as well as a fishing and crabbing community.  Tourism clearly represents a large portion of the economy.  This is one of our favorite parks on the coast for just relaxing and enjoying the scenery.  We will be here for two nights and then will be heading north towards Pacific Shores in Newport where we will be spending the 4th with friends and enjoying the cooler, but still sunny weather.

View from our site #109 - nobody to the right

Another ocean view lot

Windy Cove Campground B - Popular ATV spot

View of bay from end of dry camping area

Dry Camping Area - Great views!

Ocean facing lot at Winchester Bay RV Resort

Dry Camping spot facing marina

View from Ocean facing lot