We’ve been tenting for over 28 years now. No fancy schmancy motorhomes. No fifth wheels. Okay, we had an itty bitty tent trailer for a year or so until it decided to do a double flip on the highway coming home from holidays one day (thankfully, no injuries for us or other travellers!). But other than that, we are truly experienced Tenters. We have it pretty well down to a science now. Especially this holiday. Between the three of us – me, Dave, and Youngest Son – we set our tent up in less than 3 minutes, and organized our bedding, blew up mattresses, etc, probably in less than 10. Take down was the same. It was a thing of beauty, for sure.
Because we tent, the quality of and amenities offered by campsites are important to us. Here’s a rundown of a few of our experiences..
Day 1 KOA campground near Osoyoos - $40 a night!!!! CRAZY! What we got was a little patch of gravel amongst some skinny trees. Wall- to -Wall motorhomes the size of small houses with tents dotted here and there. Bathroom was decent. There was a small beach and a small lake, but nothing too memorable. We went to bed early and got up early, anxious to get onto the road and across the border.
Day 2 On the way to Portland and it’s getting dark. Need. to find. a campsite..soon! The first two we drove through were totally full. Then we followed the signs to a quaint little campground. Alas, it too was full..but wait, what does that sign say? Overflow camping in the field area. But wait, what does that other sign mean…no potable water?? But wait, does that sign say overflow camping $5 a night? The PRICE IS RIGHT! We have a little water with us, so we’ll survive. We strike up a conversation with a young man, who is also staying in the overflow site. He says he has extra water we can have. Sweet. His wife brings it over, introduces herself as Molly (from Seattle). They have a sweet little 9 month old baby boy named Finn. Molly is very friendly and talkative. “I’ll bet they’re Christians”, Dave says to me later. I say they are probably just a friendly couple.
The field fills up as the evening progresses. Turns out a snorer moved in next door (in the middle of the night), his tent walls being as thin as ours, unfortunately. And Dave snored, too. Two part harmony -- just my luck.
The next morning we go over and chat with the young couple, return their water container (we didn’t actually use much) and give them a bag of Reiser chocolate/caramel wrapped candies as a thank you. We notice tattoos on Molly’s husband’s arms… Bible verses. Sweet. We left them our email address and an invitation to come visit us up in Canada. Who knows, maybe they will!
Our sweet little $5 campsite (lacking in water and picnic tables):
Day 3 We drive to the ocean!! Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach – oh, so beautiful! A bit cool and windy, a little misty, the water is freezing, but the sights…so splendid! We spend about an hour or two in Cannon Beach walking the beach and buying some Clam Chowder at one of the neat little shops there.
We head to Cape Lookout State Park near Tillamook. Arrive at about 3:30. The sky is now pure blue! Our site is small, but pleasing! A cement driveway to fit 2 cars, one in front of the other, and patch of grass with a firepit and picnic table surrounded by a high hedge (no trees), which separates us from the campsite road and our neighbours. The grassy area is uneven, though, so we opt to set up our tent on the driveway. Works out perfectly. My sister and her family, and my nephew and his girlfriend arrive a few hours later, their sites 30 seconds away from ours. The bathrooms are clean, water is close by, and the showers are FREE and HOT!! The cost is $19 a night, which is very good considering we now pay $30 a night for tenting in BC Parks – highway robbery, I say!!
“Hand me my towel, pleeeeeaaaaassssssseee!”
more pics to come..
Your trip is very reminiscent of our 2 recent trips down the Oregon coast. I don't know why but I always expect it to be warmer than it is too. The scenery always more than makes up for the lack of heat though.
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