Travel from Ocean City to Shelton, Washington

We drove our coach 80+ miles, about two hours of driving, from Ocean City, Washington to our home base in Shelton, Washington.

Here’s the map route, heading north (exact destination omitted for privacy):

Route

Interactive map (to Shelton instead of our actual destination):

We had no sewer at the campground, and hadn’t been particularly careful, so our grey and black tanks were both very full, as indicated on the main control panel:

Control panel with full grey and black tanks

We dumped the tanks on the way out (I didn’t get any photos of that, as there was a line).

But before that, here’s our coach preparing to leave; if you look closely, you’ll see the step partway closed; I had just closed the door, as water was dripping from the slide topper:

Our coach preparijng to leave

A closer view of the dripping water; that always happens after it has rained:

Dripping water from slide topper

On our way, with a curvy road (kinda looks like the Sinclair Trails logo!):

Curvy road

Chehalis River delta:

Chehalis River delta

Paladin watching my iPad:

Paladin watching iPad

Hoquiam:

Hoquiam

Hoquiam

A rather narrow bridge; we drove down the center of the two lanes:

Narrow bridge

Narrow bridge

Artwork:

Artwork

International Mermaid Museum:

International Mermaid Museum

Mural:

Mural

More bridges:

Bridge

Bridge

A fiver pulled over after a tire blowout:

Fiver with a tire blowout

The Elma rest area, with four lanes of dump stations:

Rest area with dump stations

A very spacious rest area:

Spacious rest area

Bear artwork:

Bear artwork

Entering Mason County, our home county:

Entering Mason County

Exit to Shelton:

Exit to Shelton

Shelton

We’re not a fan of this narrow bridge, but it’s doable:

Narrow bridge

Rail bridge work:

Rail bridge work

Bay:

Bay

Flagpole for Starlink dish

The Starlink service is a great option when we don’t have cellular service (or when we only have a network with limited data). But not so great when there are trees or other obstacles that block the signal.

RVs with a ladder will often use a FlagPole Buddy kit, that enables mounting a flagpole on the ladder. But our coach doesn’t have a ladder, so I needed a different solution.

Inspired by a post by Rick in my Tiffin Allegro Bus 2016-2018 Owners community on Facebook, I purchased a 20 foot telescoping flagpole and accessories to mount it on our coach, so we can raise the dish above our coach, giving it a better chance of a clear signal.

Another nice benefit of this system is that I can position the pole and dish anywhere around the coach, to have the most clear view of the satellites.

I bought the items Rick suggested:

Flag pole, adapter, velcro, suction cups

Dish

To attach the adapter to the flagpole, I removed the two screws that hold the top of the flagpole on, then the adapter simply slips in. I used the same screws to attach the adapter, only screwing one of them in partway, to avoid intruding into the tube space:

Bushing adapter

The Starlink dish simply slides into the adapter and clicks in place on the pole:

Dish on the pole

On this occasion, I put the Starlink modem in the wet bay, running the cord through the hose space:

Modem in wet bay

The cable and the flagpole sitting on the ground:

Cable

Suction cups and velcro straps holding the flagpole:

Suction cups and velcro straps holding flag pole

The dish has a nice clear view of the sky:

Dish

The dish on the flagpole:

Pole and dish

Later, the flagpole with the Starlink dish and a Mariners flag, mounted at the front of the coach:

Flagpole with Starlink dish and Mariners flag

Flagpole with Starlink dish and Mariners flag

With a US flag:

Flagpole with Starlink dish and US flag

Flagpole with Starlink dish and US flag

At another campground, mounted lower without a flag (more stable that way):

Starlink on flagpole

Second anniversary of buying our motorhome

Today marks the two year anniversary of purchasing our 2017 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40SP motorhome!

Check out the one year anniversary post for a tour of what the coach was like when we bought it. One day I’ll get around to doing an updated tour; much has changed.

Here are some previously unpublished pictures of the exterior of our coach from when we first saw it and paid a downpayment, contingent on an inspection:

Our coach

Our coach

Our coach

Our coach

Our coach

And at our first campground with the coach, on the day we paid the remainder, and took possession — two years ago today:

Our coach

Our coach

We’ve certainly put lots of miles on the coach since then! We’ve explored a lot, and changed a lot of things on the coach. What will the next two years bring? Follow along on our travels!

Olympic National Park beaches and rainforests

Last year we visited some eastern parts of Olympic National Park in Washington state. This year, we visited several western parts of the park, including beaches and rainforests.

Quinault River Ranger Station:

Quinault River Ranger Station

Quinault River Ranger Station

Quinault River Ranger Station

Quinault River Ranger Station


Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail:

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail

Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail


Salmon House Restaurant for dinner:

Salmon House Restaurant

Salmon House Restaurant

Salmon House Restaurant


Seabrook, a created town on the coast, aka the hellmouth:

Seabrook

Seabrook

Seabrook

Seabrook

Seabrook

Seabrook

Seabrook


Kalaloch Ranger Station:

Kalaloch Ranger Station

Kalaloch Ranger Station

Kalaloch Ranger Station


Kalaloch Beach:

Kalaloch Beach

Kalaloch Beach

Tree of Life:

Tree of Life

Tree of Life

Tree of Life

Kalaloch Beach

Kalaloch Beach

Kalaloch Beach

Kalaloch Beach

Kalaloch Beach

Kalaloch Beach

Picnic:

Kalaloch Beach


Beach 4 Nature Trail:

Beach 4 Nature Trail

Beach 4 Nature Trail


Big Cedar Nature Trail:

Big Cedar Nature Trail

Big Cedar Nature Trail

Big Cedar Nature Trail

Big Cedar Nature Trail

Big Cedar Nature Trail


Hoh Rain Forest:

Hoh Rain Forest

Hoh Rain Forest

Hoh Rain Forest

Hoh Rain Forest

Hoh Rain Forest

1.5 hours delay?!

1.5 hours delay?!

Delay

After half an hour in the line, and at least another half hour or more still to go, we gave up and turned around. Not worth that wait.


We stopped at Hard Rain Cafe for a snack:

Hard Rain Cafe

Hard Rain Cafe

Hard Rain Cafe


Mora:

Mora

Mora

Mora


Rialto Beach:

Rialto Beach

Rialto Beach

Rialto Beach

Rialto Beach

Rialto Beach

Rialto Beach

Ocean City beach

One thing we really enjoyed about staying at Thousand Trails Oceana RV & Camping Resort in Ocean City, Washington was the proximity to the beach; a five minute walk (and unlike Thousand Trails Whalers Rest in South Beach, no need to cross highway 101). We went for daily walks along the beach.

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Further down the beach, vehicles were more common, but they mostly didn’t make it down this far:

Ocean City beach

Lots of interesting shells:

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Including crab shells:

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

And crab guts:

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

We took a bag on our walks, collecting garbage:

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Ocean City beach

Thousand Trails Oceana RV & Camping Resort

We stayed at Thousand Trails Oceana RV & Camping Resort in Ocean City, Washington. (Campground Reviews listing.)

Another Thousand Trails park, with a path to the beach. Quite nice, other than only being 30 amp and no sewer.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2023-06-04
  • Check out: 2023-06-11
  • 7 nights

Weather:

  • Partly cloudy
  • High temps ranging between 58-66°F, lows around 47-53°F
  • 37 gusts on first day, less on subsequent days

Noise:

  • No road noise
  • No train noise
  • Negligible neighbor noise

Site:

  • #C31, back in, gravel
  • Needed to disconnect toad; parked next to coach
  • A little unlevel, but not too bad
  • Medium site: about 50 feet long by about 40 feet wide
  • Picnic table on gravel
  • Tall trees
  • (This site is planned for a cabin, but they haven’t installed it yet)

Utilities:

  • Only 30 amp power, somewhat conveniently located
  • 40 PSI water, very inconveniently located
  • No sewer

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 5-7 Mbps down, 1-5 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
  • AT&T: 9 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 30-130 ms ping
  • Verizon: 6 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 40 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Dumpsters
  • No pool
  • Path to beach

Our review on Campground Reviews:

30A, no sewer, still loved it

Thousand Trails parks are a study in compromise. We could have had a 30A FHU site at the front of the park by the main road but opted for a larger site without sewer, away from the noise. There are minimal 50A sites, and they were all taken; they also have no sewer. So we watched our power consumption and our tank levels while still thoroughly enjoying our location. The staff were all very friendly and helpful, but the pathway to the beach absolutely made this park a favorite. The mosquitoes do get a bit ravenous, so make sure to pack your repellent. We camped at Thousand Trails Oceana RV Campground in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: There are several units of Olympic National Park nearby that make for excellent day trips. Be prepared for a gnarly wait if you go to Hoh Rainforest.

Interactive map (zoom out a bit to see how close it is to the beach):

Campground map; the three circled sites were apparently the only 50 amp ones:

Map

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

The water tap wasn’t very close; technically in a tent site that isn’t on the map:

Water

Only 30 amp power available:

30 amp power

So I used a “dogbone” plug adapter to connect our 50 amp surge protector and cord:

Power

The power, water softener, and water filter:

Power and water

Entrance:

Entrance

Dump station:

Dump station

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Long-term sites:

Long-term sites

Tent sites:

Tent sites

Bridge:

Bridge

Bridge

Bridge

Games:

Games

Playground:

Playground

Path to the beach:

Path to the beach

Path to the beach

Path to the beach

Path to the beach

Travel from Seaside, Oregon to Ocean City, Washington

We drove our coach 119 miles, about three hours of driving, from Seaside, Oregon to Ocean City, Washington.

Here’s the map route, heading north:

Route

Interactive map, with potential stops marked; we didn’t stop at any:

We drove to an open area to hook up our truck to our coach:

Leaving campground

Toading up

Another RV toading up; they started before us, and finished after us; with our weekly practice, it doesn’t take us long to do:

Another RV toading up

Leaving the campground:

Leaving campground

Crossing the Astoria-Megler Bridge from Oregon to Washington; a little nerve-wracking, with a curved approach and high bridge, but it was fine:

Astoria-Megler Bridge

Astoria-Megler Bridge

Astoria-Megler Bridge

Astoria-Megler Bridge

Astoria-Megler Bridge

Astoria

Astoria-Megler Bridge

Low tide exposing the sandbar:

Low tide

Entering Washington state:

Entering Washington

We could have gone left or right, but I had decided on left to avoid some roadworks (planning the route pays off):

Turning left

Lighthouse:

Lighthouse

Tunnel:

Tunnel

Tunnel

Another bridge:

Another bridge

Aaaargh! COFFEE!

Aaaargh! COFFEE!

Artwork in Raymond:

Artwork

Artwork

An advantage of a motorhome is I can get up and use the bathroom while Jenn is driving — a very rare occurrence, since there is some risk in moving about while in motion, and we prefer to take rest stops so we can both take a pee break, but on this occasion Jenn didn’t need to stop:

Inside while driving

Pilings:

Pilings

Rusty building and structures in Aberdeen (a rather ugly city):

Rusty building and structures

A mural helps a little:

Mural

Rusty bridge:

Rusty bridge

We paused in a slow vehicle turnout to let other vehicles pass:

Slow vehicle turnout

Slow vehicle turnout

Bridge:

Bridge

Our destination, Thousand Trails Oceana:

Our destination

Checking in:

Checking in

Our coach in front of our site, preparing to back in:

Our coach in front of our site

Dryer vent padding

Our coach includes a washer and dryer, which is very convenient when we’re living in it full-time. But in strong winds at certain angles, the flap that covers the dryer vent would bang in the wind. It is sheltered with a hood, but that doesn’t always help:

Dryer vent

The flap under the hood, that covers the vent outlet:

Dryer vent

To avoid that annoying banging, which would disturb us at night, I added some strips of self-adhesive felt around the flap, to muffle the sound:

Dryer vent

Dryer vent

That solved that little annoyance quite satisfactorily.

Pacific coast food

For most of my life, I’ve disliked and avoided seafood. But as part of our traveling lifestyle, we’ve been stretching our comfort zones. For myself, one of those efforts is to try new foods, and especially to eat more seafood.

While we traveled up the Pacific coast this year, I took the opportunity to sample several seafood options, and especially a lot of clam chowder.

Due West Tavern in Olema, California:

Due West in Olema, California

Due West in Olema, California

Due West in Olema, California

Menu:

Menu

Menu

The first time I ordered clam chowder; fortunately, it was a very good one:

Clam chowder

Jenn’s fish and chips:

Jenn's fish and chips

My burger and fries (sticking with a more safe option at this stage):

My burger and fries


Chart Room, Crescent City, California:

Chart Room, Crescent City, California

Crab pots snowmen:

Crab pots snowmen

Chart Room

Sea lions:

Sea lions

Menu:

Menu

Menu

Jenn:

Jenn

Jenn’s clam chowder:

Jenn's clam chowder

My salad:

My salad

Jenn’s clam strips, coleslaw, fries:

Jenn's clam strips, coleslaw, fries

My clam chowder bread bowl; based on the previous success, I decided to dive in:

My clam chowder bread bowl


The Boat House, Coos Bay, Oregon, a travel day stop:

The Boat House, Coos Bay, Oregon

Menu:

Menu

Clam chowder appetizers:

Clam chowder

My burger and fries (playing safe on a travel day):

My burger and fries

Jenn’s fish and shrimp:

Jenn's fish and shrimp


Mo’s in Florence, Oregon:

Mo's in Florence, Oregon

Menu:

Menu

Menu

Mo's in Florence, Oregon

Jenn’s shrimp noodles:

Jenn's shrimp noodles

My clam chowder bread bowl:

My clam chowder bread bowl

My clam chowder bread bowl

Pressed penny:

Pressed penny


Griff’s on the Bay, Reedsport, Oregon:

Griff's on the Bay, Reedsport, Oregon

Menu:

Menu

Menu

My clam chowder bread bowl (I liked the toasted edge):

My clam chowder bread bowl


Clearwater, Newport, Oregon; we went there for my birthday:

Clearwater, Newport, Oregon

Menu:

Menu

Menu

Bridge view:

Bridge view

David and beverage:

David and beverage

Clam chowder:

Clam chowder

Fancy deviled eggs:

Fancy deviled eggs

Beverages:

Beverages

Jenn’s thing:

Jenn's thing

My steak:

My steak

Seagulls and sea lion:

Seagulls and sea lion

Seagulls and sea lion

Seagulls

Dessert menu:

Dessert menu

Waffles:

Waffles

Brownie:

Brownie


Mo’s in Newport, Oregon:

Mo's in Newport, Oregon

Mo's in Newport, Oregon

Menu:

Menu

Clam chowder:

Clam chowder

My clam strips and mashed spuds:

My clam strips and mashed spuds

Jenn’s clam chowder bread bowl:

Jenn's clam chowder bread bowl


Mo’s in Otter Rock, Oregon:

Mo's in Otter Rock, Oregon

Menu:

Menu

Mo's in Otter Rock, Oregon

Different kinds of fish and chips:

Different kinds of fish and chips


Lakeside Hideaway in Rockaway Beach, Oregon, another travel day stop:

Lakeside Hideaway in Rockaway Beach, Oregon

Menu:

Menu

Menu

Clam chowder:

Clam chowder

Club sandwiches and tots:

Club sandwiches and tots


Mo’s in Seaside, Oregon:

Mo's in Seaside, Oregon

Mo's in Seaside, Oregon

Menu:

Menu

Menu

Clam chowder:

Clam chowder

Fish, clam strips, shrimp:

Fish, clam strips, shrimp

Platter with a view


Pig’n Pancake in Seaside, Oregon:

Pig'n Pancake in Seaside, Oregon

Menu:

Menu

Clam chowder:

Clam chowder

Jenn’s breakfast:

Breakfast

My baked spud and razor clams:

My baked spud, razor clams


Grizzly Tuna in Seaside, Oregon:

Grizzly Tuna in Seaside, Oregon

Grizzly Tuna in Seaside, Oregon

Tuna and chips:

Tuna and chips

That’s it for the coast, but I’ve had seafood several times since then too. So, it’s probably fair to say that it’s now a regular part of my diet. Mission accomplished!