A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 190 miles from Lebanon, Oregon to Buxton, Oregon, with a detour to the Oregon Motorcoach Center in Eugene.
Author: David
Travel from Lebanon to Buxton, Oregon
We drove our coach 190 miles, about 4 hours of driving, from Lebanon, Oregon to Buxton, Oregon, with a detour to the Oregon Motorcoach Center in Eugene.
The map route for the first leg, heading south:

And the second leg, heading north:

We hooked up our toad on the way out of Gill’s Landing RV Park:

Heading south on good ol’ I-5:

I watched a travel day video on travel day:

Eugene exits:



Arriving at Oregon Motorcoach Center:


Our coach surrounded by others:

Reception:

We hung out in the waiting area, enjoying the company of one of the two resident dogs; a very well-behaved dog, who liked to play, but wasn’t overly pushy about it:


Our coach:

We went out for a Shari’s breakfast for lunch:

Our coach, with a tech installing SoftStartRV units on the roof ACs:


Other coaches:

Once they were done, they backed up our coach for us, so we could hook up our truck:

A great company to work with; they were responsive via email in scheduling the appointment, and got several things done, including replacing the engine air filter, installing two SoftStartRV units, fixing some interior accent lighting, and investigating a couple of other minor issues. And they were happy for Paladin to stay in the coach while we hung out in the nice waiting room, started work promptly, and wrapped up in time for us to continue our journey. We’ll definitely use them again in the future, probably every year as we head back to Portland.
Back on the road, a diesel fuel stop on the way out of Eugene (our tank is 150 gallons, but we usually don’t let it get below halfway); spendy stuff:

Back on I-5, heading north:

A rest area stop:


Hey #vanlifer, you may be an RV, but you don’t need to be in the truck parking:

My Pokémon buddy brought me a gift:

217 exit:

Typical 217 traffic:

26 exit:

26 westbound:

Vernonia exit:

Arriving at our destination, Stub Stewart State Park:



Our coach backing in to our site:

Lectric XP 2.0 ebikes
For several months, we had been thinking about getting bikes to aid in our RV travels. Another option to get around large campgrounds, and to explore surrounding areas.
We wanted ebikes, i.e. with a pedal assist and/or throttle motor, to make it easier to cope with hills and such.
And we didn’t want to have to deal with a bike rack, if possible, both due to being extra hassle, and more of a security risk if we’re parked somewhere with bikes on the back of our truck.
We (mainly Jenn) spent quite some time researching the options, including a spreadsheet comparing the specs for several candidate models.
Fortunately, we found the perfect bikes for us: the Lectric XP 2.0 ebikes. They are affordable folding bikes, certainly not high-end, but with enough features for our needs and experience levels. They are very popular, perhaps especially with RVers, so you may have seen them riding around.
And importantly, they fold up small enough to fit in the bed of our truck under the tonneau cover. So we can travel around with them securely out-of-sight.
Some stats: the bikes are class 2 ebikes, i.e. include pedal assist and throttle, limited to 20 MPH, though can be changed to class 1 (pedal assist only) or class 3 (up to 28 MPH) via preferences. They have a 500W (850W peak) motor, 5 levels of pedal assist, with a base range of 45 miles per charge. They have 20” wheels with 3” wide tires, front suspension, disc brakes, 7 gears, backlit LCD display, and weigh 64 lb. They are 67 x 25 x 47” when unfolded, and 37 x 18 x 28” when folded.
On with the pictures. The Lectric bikes are only sold online, so we had them shipped to our mailbox, and picked them up when in the Portland area. Here’s the carton for my bike, plus a couple of cargo packages, in the bed of our truck:

Unboxing:


The charger and manual:

Bike with packaging:

Folded bike:

Unfolded bike:


The display:

My bike by our coach. The battery is hidden inside the frame, and can be charged inside or out of the bike. Here it’s charging inside:

A closer view of the charging port:

I installed a Lectric-branded folding lock:

The bike folded, showing the battery in its compartment on the right; it is held in place by a bolt that requires a key to unlock, for security:

The battery:

Here’s the key in the bike, plus the bike lock key and an Apple AirTag:

The bike again:

My first ride on the bike:


My first mile of riding on the odometer:

The folded bike on the truck tailgate:

In the truck bed; on its side isn’t ideal, but I added a bunch of packaging materials from the box as padding to protect it:


It fits under the tonneau cover:

I added mirrors to the handlebars:


And a phone holder:

Also a cargo rack on the back:

It is mounted with thumb screws, so it can be easily removed when folding the bike in the back of the truck:

The cargo rack was useful for taking the trash out at a campground without nearby garbage bins:

To personalize the bike a bit, I added an Apple sticker on the rear fender:

And Dejal stickers on the sides:

Plus Sinclair Trails stickers:

I also added a tool bag:

We bought Sena smart helmets, that include Bluetooth audio and mesh communication, so Jenn and I can easily talk to each other while riding together, without interfering with hearing other noises around us. Very handy:

Jenn’s bike was delivered a couple of weeks after mine. While my bike is a step-over, hers is a step-through model. Here’s her bike’s box:

Unboxing her bike:



Partially folded bike (without the seat):


Her battery:

Like on mine, I taped an Apple AirTag to the end of the battery, so it’s hidden inside the frame and can’t be removed, which will let us locate the bike if it is ever stolen (or we just can’t remember where we parked it):

We got the comfort seats for both bikes (though mine has only just arrived, so not shown in the pics). Here’s the comfort one and the one that came with her bike, still wrapped:


Jenn’s bike:


As hoped (based on the measurements), both bikes do fit in the bed of our truck:



With some room for our screen tent, rug, and other stuff:

Another addition, a compact bell on my bike:

Both bikes at a campground:

Riding our bikes is lots of fun! We’re very happy with them.
Video: three Oregon campgrounds in six minutes
A short timelapse from our stays at three RV parks in Oregon: Fish House Inn & RV Park in Dayville, Thousand Trails Bend-Sunriver RV Campground in Bend, and Gill’s Landing RV Park in Lebanon.
Silver Falls State Park
We visited Silver Falls State Park near Salem, Oregon, and hiked to South Falls and Lower South Falls.

But first, a picnic lunch:

South Falls Historic District:

Top of South Falls:


A switchback path:

Falls selfie:

South Falls; yes, those are people; there is a path behind the falls:

GIF:

Low ceiling:

Behind the falls:








We used our hiking poles, since there were steep portions; not essential, but they do help:



Mossy trees:

Exposed tree roots:


Steps:

Lower South Falls:













Steep switchback path:

Mossy trees:

An historic shelter that is being restored:





Gift store:


Cafe:

McMenamins Roadhouse, Corvallis Meat Pie Shop, 2 Towns Ciderhouse
A few food and beverage highlights.
We took a trip to Portland to take some stuff to our storage unit, and pick up packages from our mailbox. While there, we went to a favorite restaurant, McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse in Hillsboro, Oregon:

Like most McMenamins restaurants, it is housed in a historic structure, with interesting decor:

A tasty burger and tots:

Another day, we went to the Corvallis Meat Pie Shop, an Australian food shop:



The owner was a bit of a character, a very talkative Aussie. Of course, he had some comments about Kiwis vs Aussies once we mentioned I’m from NZ:

Very tasty meat pies and sausage rolls; such a rare treat for me in the US:

Lastly, a couple of days later we went to 2 Towns Ciderhouse, our favorite cider maker:

We got a couple of sampler flights (and some snacks as an ad hoc lunch) to try various flavors:


Of course, we had to stock up while there, with a case of our all-time favorite flavor, Pacific Pineapple, and some others:

We stored them in the cooler in our RV basement:

Gill’s Landing RV Park
We stayed at Gill’s Landing RV Park in Lebanon, Oregon. (Campground Reviews listing.)
This is a small city park, and quite nice.
Dates:
- Check in: 2022-07-05
- Check out: 2022-07-11
- 6 nights
Weather:
- Mostly sunny, some drizzle
- High temps ranging between 74-82°F, lows around 52-60°F
- No significant wind
Noise:
- No road noise; occasional train noise
- Some neighbor noise (kids and dogs)
Site:
- #6, back in, cement
- Needed to disconnect toad; parked in front of coach
- Level
- Large site: about 60 feet long by about 40 feet wide
- Full hookups:
- 50 amp power somewhat conveniently located
- 25-60 PSI water pressure (pressure drops with usage, so we boosted from our tank); conveniently located
- Non-threaded sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10 foot hoses used)
- Picnic table, fire pit
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 14-24 Mbps down, 25 Mbps up, 45 ms ping
- AT&T: 8 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 32 ms ping
- Verizon: 1-17 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 45-75 ms ping
- Starlink: not used
- Campground Wi-Fi: not used
Amenities:
- Garbage bins
- No pool
- River
Here’s our review on Campground Reviews:
Beautiful city park on the river
This is a small, lovely RV park right on the Santiam River. All the sites are back-in and pretty large, arranged around a central circle. Our site backed up against trees so it felt nice and private. There’s a nice multi-purpose path that runs along the river for biking or walking. Hardly any traffic or train noise, so it was a very pleasant, quiet stay. We camped at Gills Landing RV Park in a Motorhome.
The RV park map:

The sites are all back-in, so we needed to disconnect our truck from our coach on arrival:


Our site:




Utilities:

The water pressure is inconsistent; a nice 60 PSI, but drops to 25 PSI when in use. So we filled our fresh water tank and used that to boost the pressure:


Info notices:

Rail bridge over the entrance:

RV sites:


Parking:

Rail bridge:

Road bridge:



Bridges over the South Santiam River:

Picnic shelters:

South Santiam River and boat ramp:




Life jacket loaner station:

There are extensive trails around the city:


More RV sites:




Bathrooms:

The river boat ramp is a popular place:

Video: Bend, Oregon to Lebanon, Oregon motorhome travel timelapse
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 131 miles from Bend, Oregon to Lebanon, Oregon.
I forgot to start the dash cam for a few minutes, so the video starts with a few photos of departing the campground, including the sewer dump.
Travel from Bend to Lebanon, Oregon
We drove our coach 131 miles, about 3 hours of driving, from Bend, Oregon to Lebanon, Oregon.
The map route, heading northwest:

Jenn had lunch while waiting for the dump station at the Thousand Trails park, and I had mine on the way out of the park:

Paladin sitting on the step cover:

Passing through Bend, Oregon:

An old van:

Sisters, Oregon:




Rainy forest:



Third warning sign of 11 miles of 6% downgrade:

Curves:

Roadworks:

Rough road:

River:

Rain:

After getting out of the hills, we pulled over to let people past:

Foster Lake:

Sweet Home, Oregon:


Water tower:

Some people consider it a sign of civilization if there is a Walmart present (though that is not our metric):

Our destination, Gill’s Landing RV Park:

Rail bridge:

Newberry National Volcanic Monument
We did a couple of hikes in Newberry National Volcanic Monument.
The visitor center:

Relief map:



A short one-mile hike through the lava field behind the visitor center, “Trail of the Molten Land”:

















A picnic lunch:

Sign:

Another short hike down to Paulina Falls:










Paulina lake:



Paulina visitor center:

Relief map:

Sign:
