Travel from Eugene to South Beach, Oregon

We drove our coach just 90 miles, about two hours of driving, from Eugene, Oregon to South Beach, Oregon.

As mentioned last week, we had an appointment at Oregon Motorcoach Center for some servicing, so we drove from our overnight county park stay to the motorcoach center, and killed a few hours in their waiting room and going out to lunch, then we were on our way to our next stop, back at the coast.

Here’s the map route, heading north then west:

Route

An interactive map, with potential stops marked; we didn’t need to stop:

After our service appointment at Oregon Motorcoach Center, we headed north on 99W:

Heading north on 99W

Barns:

Barns

Hazelnut trees:

Hazelnut trees

A bridge over the Willamette River in Corvallis:

Corvallis bridge over Willamette River

Corvallis county court house:

Corvallis county court house

The Corvallis Meat Pie Shop, featuring Aussie-style meat pies; we enjoyed sampling their wares the last time we were in town. Alas, just passing through this time (and no parking for a 60-foot coach and toad!):

The Corvallis Meat Pie Shop

Bigfoot:

Bigfoot

Historical society building:

Historical society building

Trees:

Trees

Newport bridge:

Newport bridge

Newport bay:

Newport bay

Our destination, Thousand Trails Whaler’s Rest:

Our destination, Thousand Trails Whaler's Rest

As is common with Thousand Trails, we parked our coach by the entrance, unhooked our truck, and drove around to find a suitable site (which was a major challenge here; see tomorrow’s post):

Our coach by the entrance

Security gate:

Security gate

A very tight curve; this park isn’t particularly big rig friendly:

Tight curve

Armitage Park Campground

We stayed at Armitage Park Campground in Eugene, Oregon. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A nice county park, amazingly with availability for a last-minute booking, as we decided to get closer to Oregon Motorcoach for an appointment the following day.

Dates:

Check in: 2023-05-21
Check out: 2023-05-22
1 night

Weather:

Partly cloudy
High temp of 68°F, low around 43°F
Negligible wind

Noise:

A little freeway noise
No train noise
Negligible neighbor noise

Site:

#8, pull-through, asphalt
Didn’t disconnect toad
Level
Large site: about 130 feet long by about 45 feet wide
Picnic table & fire pit on grass
Tall trees

Utilities:

50 amp power, conveniently located
50 PSI water, conveniently located
Good sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

T-Mobile: 13 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up, 26 ms ping
AT&T: 4 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
Verizon: 8 Mbps down, 0.5 Mbps up, 36 ms ping
Campground Wi-Fi: not used
Starlink: not used

Amenities:

Garbage dumpsters

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Nice park by the river

We booked a one-night stay here as an interim stop on our way to Oregon Motorcoach for some service and would have loved to stay longer and explore a bit more. The campground was close to the highway but still pretty quiet. The walk down to and around the river, under the big leaf maples, was very pleasant after a day of driving. The only potential negative was that our pull-through site (site 8) had the living area on the “island” between the site and the road, which means it wasn’t very private. The site was perfectly level with good hookups. We camped at Armitage Park in a Motorhome.

Interactive map:

No paper map, but here’s a screenshot from the booking site:

Armitage Park Campground

Our site:

Our site

Utilities:

Utilities

Bees!

Other sites:

Other sites

Travel from Florence to Eugene, Oregon

We drove our coach just 68 miles, about one hour of driving, from Florence, Oregon to Eugene, Oregon.

We had an appointment at Oregon Motorcoach Center for some servicing, and had originally planned to drive from the coast to Eugene, but decided to make it easier on ourselves by doing that drive the day before, staying one night in a county park. Very fortunate that we were able to snag a reservation at the last minute.

Here’s the map route, heading east:

Route

An interactive map:

Since were were parking under trees, I used my 360 camera to examine the slide toppers for debris:

Preparing to leave:

Preparing to leave

Pulling out of our site:

Pulling out of our site

Driving through the campground:

Leaving campground

Preparing to toad up; I had driven our truck to the toading area by the pool, then walked back to help guide our coach:

Preparing to toad up

Approaching the exit:

Approaching exit

Since we didn’t have a sewer connection, we used the dump station on the way out:

Dump station

People waiting for the Memorial Day parade in Florence:

Waiting for Memorial Day parade

Siuslaw River:

Siuslaw River

A tunnel; always a little nerve-wracking in our coach:

Tunnel

Trees

Jenn driving:

Jenn driving

She has back and side cameras (with our truck visible), a built-in RV-safe GPS, and a GPS on her phone:

Cameras, GPS, phone

Paladin on the steps:

Paladin on the steps

Joining I-5 North:

Joining I-5 North

A fuel stop:

Fuel stop

The 150-gallon diesel tank was only quarter full; we usually don’t let it get below half, but there weren’t a lot of suitable fuel options on the coast:

Quarter tank

Fuel stop

100 gallons of fuel, so I guess it was actually a third full:

Fuel stop

Bridge:

Bridge

Our destination, Armitage County Park:

Armitage County Park

Checking in:

Checking in

Our site:

Our site

Thousand Trails South Jetty RV & Camping Resort

We stayed at Thousand Trails South Jetty RV & Camping Resort in Florence, Oregon. (Campground Reviews listing.)

We were concerned about this RV park, but it turned out to be quite nice. No sewer, but that’s fine for four nights.

Dates:

Check in: 2023-05-17
Check out: 2023-05-21
4 nights

Weather:

Mostly cloudy
High temps ranging between 60-61°F, lows around 52-54°F
A little wind, but sheltered by trees

Noise:

No road noise
No train noise
Negligible neighbor noise weekdays, more noise on the weekend
Frequent noise from a nearby go-kart racetrack

Site:

#E124, back in, gravel
Needed to disconnect toad; parked in front of coach
Surprisingly level (many sites here are not)
Medium site: about 50 feet long by about 30 feet wide
Picnic table, fire pit on gravel
Tall trees

Utilities:

50 amp power, conveniently located
60 PSI water, conveniently located
No sewer

Internet (in usage priority order):

T-Mobile: 10-36 Mbps down, 1-3 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
AT&T: 26-38 Mbps down, 6 Mbps up, 64 ms ping
Verizon: 1 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up,138-249 ms ping
Starlink: not used
Campground Wi-Fi: none

Amenities:

Garbage dumpsters
Pool

Our review on Campground Reviews:

In the thick of the trees

As is typical for Thousand Trails, this campground was first come, first served. They have limited FHU sites, so good luck getting a sewer connection, as they seem to mostly be taken by seasonal/annual users, but we were still able to get a 50 amp site that was long enough for us. We really enjoyed the ambience of being surrounded by trees, however, the Go Kart track up the road was quite noisy and went late into the evening. Despite that and the lack of sewer connection, we wish we’d been able to stay longer. We camped at Thousand Trails South Jetty in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Check out the nearby Oregon Dunes Rec Area, Umpqua River lighthouse, and Heceta Head lighthouse. Chowder at Mo’s is always a “must do” at the Oregon Coast.

Interactive map:

Campground map:

Map

Our site, tucked away in the trees:

Our site

Utilities; convenient power and water, no sewer:

Utilities

Other empty sites, some rather short and unlevel:

Other empty sites

More sites, with ours visible at the end of the road:

Other empty sites

Other sites

Dumpster:

Dumpster

One of several restrooms:

Restroom

Grey water disposal:

Grey water disposal

A pleasant pathway through the woods to the pool:

Pathway to pool

Playground:

Playground

Pool; yes, people were actually swimming in it, despite the cold:

Pool

Activity center:

Activity center

Travel from Crescent City, California to Florence, Oregon

We drove our coach 174 miles, about three hours of driving, from Crescent City, California to Florence, Oregon.

Here’s the map route, heading north:

Route

An interactive map, with possible stops marked:

Leaving the KOA campground; the road was a little tight:

Leaving campground

We passed Last Chance Liquors just before the border to Oregon (on the other side of the sign, it is called First Chance Liquors!):

Last Chance Liquors

A strange place to park a boat:

Boat on land

California entry inspection station:

California entry inspection station

Chetco River:

Chetco River

A rest area stop:

Rest area

Jenn driving:

Jenn driving

Misty coast:

Misty coast

Rocky coast:

Rocky coast

Bridge:

Bridge

Another stop, at a large gravel area:

Roadside stop

Rocky coast:

Rocky coast

Sunken grade:

Sunken grade

Coast

Welcome to Bandon:

Welcome to Bandon

Another bridge:

Bridge

Somewhat low overpass:

Somewhat low overpass

A parking area:

Parking area

We parked our coach there, and walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch:

Our coach

The Boat Fish and Chips:

The Boat Fish and Chips

Menu:

We both had clam chowder as an appetizer — notable as the first time I’ve had clam chowder (other than a taste), and the start of my seafood experiments; a separate post about that in due course:

Clam chowder

I had my usual burger and fries (about the last time I had non-seafood for a main while traveling up the coast):

Burger and fries

Jenn had fish and shrimp:

Fish and shrimp

North Bend:

North Bend

Another fancy bridge:

Bridge

A glimpse of Oregon Dunes:

A glimpse of Oregon Dunes

Lighthouse mural:

Lighthouse mural

Another mural:

Mural

Yet another bridge:

Bridge

Our destination, Thousand Trails South Jetty:

Our destination

As we often do at Thousand Trails campgrounds, we parked our coach and untoaded, so we could drive our truck around to look for a site:

Untoading

Unfortunately the few full-hookup sites were all taken, so we chose this site, which lacked a sewer hookup; we marked it with our tag:

Chosen site

Driving our coach to our site:

Driving our coach to our site

Our site before backing in; rather tucked into the trees:

Our site before backing in

Tomorrow, our review of this campground.

Crescent City / Redwoods KOA Holiday

We stayed at Crescent City / Redwoods KOA Holiday in Crescent City, California. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A KOA amongst the redwoods.

Dates:

Check in: 2023-05-10
Check out: 2023-05-17
7 nights

Weather:

A mix of sunny and cloudy days
High temps ranging between 60-82°F, lows around 48-57°F
Negligible wind

Noise:

A little highway noise
No train noise
Negligible neighbor noise weekdays, more noise on the weekend
Chainsaws cutting trees during the day

Site:

#B5, pull-through, gravel
Didn’t need to disconnect toad; parked behind coach
Fairly level
Large site: about 77 feet long by about 55 feet wide
Swing seat, table & chairs, fire pit on concrete patio
Tall trees; big hedge between sites

Utilities:

50 amp power, conveniently located
45 PSI water, conveniently located
Good sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

AT&T: 8-12 Mbps down, 4-10 Mbps up, 85 ms ping
Campground Wi-Fi: 75 Mbps down, 1-3 Mbps up, 75 ms ping, a little unreliable
T-Mobile: 2-5 Mbps down, 3-7 Mbps up, 70 ms ping, unreliable
Verizon: 13 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up, 45 ms ping
Starlink: not used

Amenities:

Garbage dumpsters
Goats and chicken coop
Package delivery

Our review on Campground Reviews:

The forest is alive with the sound of…chainsaws

We had a pull-through patio site and enjoyed the semi-private space provided by the large hedges between sites. Our site was long enough for our 40′ motorhome and tow vehicle, which we disconnected and parked behind. The patio had a nice table and chairs, a fire pit, and a swing seat. This was a good campground for heading to various units of Redwood National & State Parks. The main downside was the extensive clearing of some additional land, presumably to expand the campground, so there were chainsaws and construction equipment going all day. There’s not a lot of signage to guide you to the park, and it would be pretty easy to miss it if you weren’t paying attention. We camped at Crescent City / Redwoods KOA Holiday in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Stop by the Redwoods NP info center in Crescent City for info on the best hikes and drives in the area. Check out Grove of Titans, if nothing else. Battery Point Lighthouse was also cool.

Interactive map:

Campground map:

Map

Our site, a large deluxe site:

Our site

Amused by Banana Slug Lane:

Banana Slug Lane

Our site

Patio:

Patio

David and lap desk

Other sites:

Other sites

Cabins:

Cabins

They have lots of tent sites:

Tent sites

Office:

Office

Rec hall, bathrooms, etc:

Rec hall, bathrooms, etc

Dump station:

Dump station

Kinda sad playground:

Playground

Dog park:

Dog park

Goat:

Goat

Goats

They have a chicken run, but only one chicken; apparently they used to have more, but something got them. Rather sad — chickens are social animals. They said they’ll get more soon:

Chicken

They are expanding the campground, cutting lots of trees:

Cutting trees

A nice campground; we’d stay here again.

Travel from Meyers Flat to Crescent City, California

We drove our coach 140 miles, about three hours of driving, from Meyers Flat, California to Crescent City, California.

Here’s the map route, heading north:

Route

An interactive map, with potential and actual stops:

Ready to depart:

Ready to depart

Not the most successful departure, though; it was a rather tight corner getting out of the site, between a couple of signs, so we had to disconnect the truck so we could back up and try again:

A tight corner

Toading up

Another sharp corner at the exit:

Another sharp corner

Outside the RV park was a rather sketchy road:

Sketchy road

7% downgrade:

7% downgrade

Eel River:

Eel River

Bridge:

Bridge

For the first time ever, we stopped at a casino for lunch. We parked behind another coach in the parking lot of Bear River Casino in Loleta, California:

Parked at Bear River Casino

Bear River Casino

Restaurant

Food

Back on the road:

Bear River Casino

Interesting murals in Eureka:

Mural

A rest area stop:

Rest area

Inside the coach with slides in:

Inside the coach with slides in

Low clouds:

Low clouds

Entering Redwood National and State Parks:

Entering Redwood National and State Parks

Damaged building:

Damaged building

Klamath River bridge:

Klamath River bridge

Roadworks with a temporary bridge:

Roadworks

Trees of Mystery:

Trees of Mystery

Ocean:

Ocean

More one-way roadworks:

Roadworks

Redwoods:

Redwoods

We tried a Pacific Pride fuel station, to see if it’d work, but it didn’t (which was fine, we didn’t need it, just wanted to try it, since our Open Roads fuel card is the same network, but Pacific Pride is more picky):

Pacific Pride

Arriving at our destination:

Destination

Giant Redwoods RV & Cabin Destination

We stayed at Giant Redwoods RV & Cabin Destination in Myers Flat, California. (Campground Reviews listing.)

Camping next to a river amongst the big redwoods.

Dates:

Check in: 2023-05-07
Check out: 2023-05-10
3 nights

Weather:

Cloudy and drizzle
High temps ranging between 56-63°F, lows around 39-42°F
A little wind in the shelter of redwood trees

Noise:

No freeway noise
No road noise
No train noise
Negligible neighbor noise

Site:

#35, pull-through, grass
Didn’t need to disconnect toad; parked behind coach
Level
Large site: about 80 feet long by about 45 feet wide
Fire pit & picnic table on grass
Tall trees

Utilities:

50 amp power, conveniently located
20 PSI water, conveniently located
No sewer

Internet (in usage priority order):

Campground Wi-Fi: 7 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up 55 ms ping
AT&T: 40-48 Mbps down, 8 Mbps up, 28 ms ping
Verizon: 48-56 Mbps down, 2-9 Mbps up, 36-55 ms ping
T-Mobile: 41 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up, 50 ms ping, unreliable
Starlink: 10 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up, 70 ms ping, obstructed and unreliable

Amenities:

Garbage dumpsters

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Beautiful along the river

Do not let the sketchy road to the park deter you; this is an idyllic campground amongst trees and along the river. We had a “big rig” site with power & water only. Even though we were on a grassy surface, our site was wonderfully level. None of our cell carriers worked particularly well, and Starlink was a no-go under the trees, but the campground Wifi was decent enough to work during our stay.

I put “big rig” in quotes because, although our site was plenty long and wide, it was a tricky corner to get out of when we left, requiring a lot of finesse to dodge the trees and signposts on either side of the road. We camped at Giant Redwoods RV & Cabin Destination in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Avenue of the Giants is a must-do. One of the best trails to see huge trees is just across the road from the Humboldt State Park Visitor Center. Don’t bother with the coffee shop in Myers Flat; I’m not bitter, their coffee is.

Interactive map:

Things to do booklet and campground map:

Map