Stop Eight - Beverly Beach State Park

We have moved on to Beverly Beach State Park just outside of Newport, Oregon.  The weather was nice the first couple of days but then rain showed up for the last few days of our stay.

We’ve been spending a lot of time going to various lighthouses and strolling the many beaches here.  Oregon passed the Public Beach Bill back in the 60’s which made all beaches open to the public.  This makes it nice to take long walks along the beach without trespassing on someone else’s property. Oregon also has a large number of state parks making parking and beach access much easier.     During our beach time, we have spotted several tide pools, sea lions, and two bald eagles. 

 As some people know I am on a lifetime search of the perfect Rueben and Fish & Chips, so I have been keeping that research going while I am on the coast. Yum!  

Next we are on to the Tillamook area.

Stop Seven - Sunset Bay State Park

We have moved on to Sunset Bay State Park just outside Coos Bay, Oregon.  These Oregon state parks are well run and managed.  

One day we took a day trip to Bandon.  Bandon is well known for the golf courses on the north side of town.  We found a list of the top ten Fish and Chips restaurants that included a fish market in Bandon so we had to give it a run.  We hung out on the beach looking for sea glass and shells.  

On Friday, we took a trip to the Golden and Silver Falls State Park which is east of Coos Bay. We took a short hike to the Silver Falls and then to the Golden Falls overlook.  We stayed at the park for our picnic lunch.  

On Saturday, we took a day hike that starts at our campground and goes to the Shore Acres and Cape Arago State Parks.  This is about a 5 mile round trip hike.  Shore Acres was donated by a lumberman and shipbuilder that includes a beautiful garden.  Cape Arago has a series of rock islands which is a hanging out point for five different breeds of seals.  We also had our first gray whale mother and baby sightings but could not get a picture.  They entertained us for about an hour.  We were able to see the mom whale skim the water and then dive with her tale out of the water.  It was very cool.  Gray whales are the only bottom feeding whale.  It scoops and filters its food from the mud, which is why they are comfortable in the shallow coastal waters.  

 On to Beverly Beach State Park just north of Newport Oregon.  We are not getting cell phone service at these state parks so we are do our best to stay connected,

Stop Six - Redwood National Park

We left Reno today and headed down to Interstate 80 to State Highway 101 just north of San Francisco.  Driving up and over Donner Pass is a two hands on the steering wheel experience.  Even after we get on 101 the traffic is very heavy the entire day.  The next stop is an RV park along 101 that is the final resting place the famous race horse, Seabiscuit..  This location usually gets a lot of wildlife but all we ran into were some wild turkeys.  

The next day we drove to our next RV park just outside of Redwood National and State Parks.  The RV park is known for the herd of Roosevelt Elk that hang out in their open meadows. 

Our next adventure, we took the Newton Drury Scenic Parkway through Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.  This is an original old-growth redwood forest that our pictures below can’t do any justice.  We did a couple short hikes to see the beautiful forest.  Just being in the presence of these trees left us in awe - Wow.  

We then drove down to Gold Bluffs Beach and Fern Canyon.  Fern Canyon was used for some scenes in the Jurassic Park franchise and it truly a unique place. There are five different types of fern plants on the walls and you can forgot about not getting your feet wet.

Then on to Lady Bird Johnson Grove.  The grove has these giant old growth redwoods that really have to be seen to experience their grandeur.  We even managed to see a bear on the drive out.

Next stop, on to Sunset Bay State Park on the Oregon coastline.

Stop Five - Reno NV

Next we are on the road to Reno, NV. We took two days to get there.  We had a stopover at an RV park just outside Austin TX.  We then stayed three nights at an RV park a few miles west of Reno.  This RV park is run by a casino.

First day in Reno was spent doing some shopping and other chores.  It was nice to find a Costco in town. The layout was so different than the one in our hometown it felt like a different store.  We have to be careful about what we could take over the California border. You can't take certain fruits and vegetables.  We have a few oranges to eat by tomorrow ;). 

Next day we took a drive over the mountains outside Reno and headed to Lake Tahoe for a picnic lunch. The area is beautiful.  The lake is so huge.  A sign indicated that it's 12 miles wide and  22 miles long.   

Next up is a two-day drive to Redwood National Park in Northern California. We can't wait to visit the park again.  

Stop Four - Baker NV

Next stop, we are on our way to Baker, NV,  just outside Great Basin National Park,  The Great Basin is an area that includes almost all of Nevada, Eastern Oregon, and Western Utah.  All the rain and snow that falls within the basin stays within the basin and does not run off in to any of the oceans. I was sadden by the amount of snow still on top of the mountain as that ended any hope I had of hiking around the top.

Our first day here we toured Lehman Caves which is inside the park.  We took the 90 minute  ranger guided tour which visits all the rooms available to the public.  Lehman Cave does not have the large rooms that you will find at Carlsbad Caverns but we still had an enjoyable experience.

On Saturday we took a day hike in the park on the Baker Creek trail.  As with most of the trails here, they are all uphill but it was nice to be in this environment and take the legs for a spin. On the way down the trail, we spotted a white wild turkey.  It was looking for food and squawking.

Next on the itinerary, we head to an RV park outside Reno, Nevada for some Costco time and a visit to Lake Tahoe. 

Stop Three - Torrey UT

Stop number three is at Torrey Utah just outside Capitol Reef National Park.  The temperatures are supposed to be in the mid 70’s during the day and the mid 40’s at night and a very low chance of rain for the four days we are here.  We drove on highway 95 from Blanding to Hanksville which is one of my top five scenic drives.  This highway goes by the top section of Glen Canyon and has some amazing views. Day one we hiked up to the Hickman Bridge, which is a natural water created bridge.  We then had a picnic lunch in the Fruita area.  We returned to the trailer a little early to watch the final round of The Memorial Golf Tournament. 

The next day we drove over to Goblin Valley State Park which is about a one hour drive from Torrey.  The valley is covered in short hoodoos they call goblins.  Were were allowed to walk around the valley and climb some of the goblins.   They are really amazing.  They look like a pile of mud but when they are rocks.  After dinner we hiked to Goosenecks and Sunset Point overlooks.  We saw some amazing views of an enormous canyon on one side and the valley and cliffs on the other.  This was a nice way to end our day.

On Tuesday, we hiked the Grand Wash trail which was 4 mile round trip.  This wash goes down a narrow step canyon with a very gradual elevation gain.  The trail was rugged but well worth it! The canyon walls are very beautiful.  Our next stop, Baker, Nevada.