I am incredibly thankful to be fit and strong enough to be able to schedule the majority of our time doing things like hiking, biking, and kayaking, which are not reliant on anything other than our own physical capabilities, and which are completely COVID-compliant regardless of what might be going on in the US at that point.
Here is a map of where we'll be traveling, essentially traveling up via the 5 interstate, and returning via the western coastline. Going up the 5 puts us in the heart of the Great Cascade Mountains, during which we'll be visiting Mt. Rainier NP (a return visit for us) and North Cascades NP (first time for us). We'll then turn west upon reaching the Canada border, circling the Puget Sound in it's entirety, and continue west upon reaching Port Townsend at it's tip. From there we'll travel over to the Pacific Ocean via Olympic NP (also a return visit for us) before turning south for the return trip home via the coastline.
There will be 19 stops in all, over 70 days of traveling, with the majority of our layovers ranging from 4 to 7 days. We are so excited, as are our best friends, who will be traveling alongside us in their own travel trailer. We've done long RV trips of similar duration before, but this will be their first time doing any trip longer than the three weeks we spent together in 2018 RV traveling around the Southwest. I'm actually surprised at their enthusiasm in being gone for so long, and hope it maintains for them as it did for us during our first lengthy RV trip, but if it does not for some reason, the beauty of this trip is that we can easily continue on on our own.
That's actually a lesson I learned painfully many years ago - plan each and every trip the way we want to, without make concessions. If I make concessions, I then set myself up for resentment should things take a turn for the worse. Conversely, if others choose to join in with us on a trip we've planned to our particular liking - fantastic! Plus, there is no law saying our friends have to do each and everything our way. There will be plenty of opportunities for us to each plot out days to our individual preferences, and it will be fun to regroup after doing so in order to hear about each other's daily adventures. Because adventures, both good and bad, are pretty much guaranteed - towing and living in a travel trailer, exploring new locations, moving frequently . . . yep, adventures both good and bad will undoubtedly occur!
Between now and then I am doing a deep dive into each location we'll be staying at in order to identify interesting places to hike, bike and kayak, interesting places to eat outside or get takeout , interesting geological sights to visit and photograph, and interesting COVID-conscious organized activities such as a jet boat ride on the Rogue River in Oregon, a paddle boat ride along the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington, and a guided horseback ride along the beach in southwest Washington.
I'm also jotting down local museums wherever I can find them, but these are of course very volatile in a pandemic environment, so there are on my list as bonus activities should we be so fortunate.
As of now, my husband and our best friends either already are or will soon be fully vaccinated (hubby's second appointment is today!), and I am hopeful to be by then. If not, we'll be our own pod, and as vaccinated co-travelers, anything my three fellow travelers might pick up would expose me minimally per the health and science articles I'm continuing to read as the pandemic moves along.
We still have a few months to go before we kick off our big trip, but with much research remaining to be done, and with three more local RV trips occurring before then, I am optimistic the time will pass quickly.
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Here's the specific areas we'll be visiting. Excepting Sacramento, which is just a one night layover to breakup the otherwise long drive up to Oregon, recommendations on things to see, do, and eat much appreciated!
70 days, 19 locations, 5 national parks, 4 people, and 2 travel trailers . . . it's going to be an amazing trip!
If you like seafood, I highly recommend the salmon dip and tuna dip at the Sportsman's Cannery in Winchester Bay. Don't go to Cruiser's Pizza for breakfast in Packwood even if it's the only place open. Port Townsend has a great walking tour of old houses, the ferry to Whidbey is fun, walk around Fort Worden. I think it was Crescent City where there's a public dock where we watched pelicans diving. Astoria has Fort Stevens Park.
ReplyDeleteSheila, thank you so much for the recommendations! I spend a lot of time researching interesting places to eat, from best coffee to best cheap eats to best fine dine, so I've written these all down. And much appreciate the tips on Fort Townsend as well.
DeleteAnd here are some tips for you from prior trips we've taken along the coastline- In Crescent City, visit the light house at low tide and watch for a plethora of sea star along the way, plus don't miss Rumiano's Cheese Factory for half price wedges of amazing local cheese. In Astoria our favorite activity was the Fort To Sea trail beginning and ending at Ft. Clatsop. Fingers crossed it will be open come summer, as our friends have never been and would, I know, love the period-appropriate costumed volunteers. 😊
Oh how exciting! What a great project to have to do, organising such a wonderful itinerary. After all this time of restrictions, the freedom to come and go as you please will be especially sweet.
ReplyDeleteWe are so thankful to be able to entertain ourselves daily by getting outside and moving in some manner. But doing so in new-to-us locations over the summer will be wonderful. Otherwise, it will still be COVID-life as usual, but that's OK!
DeleteTamara, an epic journey like this is a delightful challenge to those of us who love planning. You must be having the time of your life putting all the jigsaw pieces together - especially after being travel-restricted for so long. Anticipation is a delicious feeling! We have friends on Whidbey Island and we love that entire area of the PNW. During our West Coast National Parks Trip a few years back, we traveled a route similar to the one you have planned. Be sure to check out the North Cascades National Park sign at the small, but lovely, visitor center. It's my favorite NP sign, hands down.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the heads up on the N. Cascades park sign, Mary! So far the most interesting sign we've photographed is at Isle Royale National Park in the middle of Lake Superior. Google it if you like- I won't spoil the surprise here. ☺
DeleteAbout half this route is new, half is a repeat, so we know some of the beauty that awaits, and are looking forward to what will be new.
Tamara, there are giant sand dunes somewhere in the vicinity of Coos Bay where you can take a Dune Buggy tour with an experienced driver. Don't miss it. Sounds like an amazing trip. I know you are having fun planning all the details. The time will pass quickly.
ReplyDeleteHi Suzanne, we are hiking some of those dunes this trip, and have done a giant dune buggy ride on them during a previous trip, which was a blast! In Coos Bay there is this crazy wonderful candy shop called Cranberry Sweets. A must do for sure, as is hunting down fresh oysters in nearby Winchester Bay, where we'll be staying. Yes, I'm definitely having fun!
DeleteIf you get a chance, head to Chimacum Farmer’s Market near Port Townsend. It’s owned by a couple who also owns The Egg and I Farm In Chimacum and Port Townsend area (the farm was the basis Betty McDonal’s New York Best Seller in the. 50’s which in turn was the plot for The TV show Green Acres!). Sequim and the Dungeness Spit are awesome too and a wonderful hike. Excited to have you enjoy our neck of the woods- The Pink Door in Post Alley near Pike Place Market in Seattle is an eclectic wonderful restaurant and I could go on and on. Hope you have wonderful adventures this summer!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the recommendations, Kathleen! I've added Chimacum Farmer's Market to our list of things to do. In Sequim we have walked the Dungeness Spit before, but are doing it again this trip because our friends have not. Hoping the lighthouse will be open once we arrive, but we'll have to wait and see of course.
DeleteWe're not going into Seattle this trip, having visited before, though I would love to return a rent a houseboat for a full month at some point and really dig in to the city!
Love many of these places! We like lunch at Pelican Brewery in Cannon Beach, and love Cannon Beach in general. There are several really great hikes/beaches between Lincoln City (adore) & Seaside. Our vacation house is in Manzanita, which I'm very partial to.
ReplyDeleteIs there a reason you're stopping in Astoria vs some of the smaller beach towns along the way? I'd personally index more on the beach towns leading up to Astoria, vs as much time in Astoria. Also, if you like fish & chips, you'll want to hit up The Bow Picker - amazing food. https://bowpicker.com/
My best friend lives in Gig Harbor, and I love the downtown harbor area.
OK, have added Pelican Brewery and The Bow Picker to my planning list, thank you! And we know Manzanita just a smidge, having stopped into the amazing Manzanita News & Espresso cafe on a prior RV trip - their baked goods were insane!
DeleteWe are actually staying near Ft. Stevens Park, just outside of Astoria. Our primary reason for choosing there to stay is that we want to re-hike the Fort to Sea trail out of Ft. Clatsopp with our friends, who have never done it. Plus, we are going to cross the river and visit new-to-us Cape Disappointment in WA. Plus, the town of Astoria has that terrific Maritime Museum, and lots of funky, terrific eateries.
We've been to lots and lots of Oregon coastal towns on prior visits as well - Astoria, Cannon Beach, Newport, Florence, Winchester Bay, Bandon, Port Orford, Golds Beach . . . we've enjoyed each and every one! 😊
Excellent! And, love Fort Stevens. The kids used to go biking with my dad a lot, before they started mountain biking. There is a lot to sea & do in Astoria, so you won't be disappointed. Glad you have spent time in all of the fun beach towns!
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