I am compelled to visit a very special person, a life mentor, who lives in Washington. If you’ve been around for a while you may remember my dear friend Darlene, who I traveled with over a couple of winters. So I’m thinking fall road trip.
I do not want to haul my large RV home for various reasons. Instead I want a cab-over camper similar to what I’ve had before, not too old or long but with the basic comforts: toilet, stove/oven, sink, hot water, bed, fridge, table, heat. Been checking on Craigslist for months starting with the nearest option three hours away in Saint George, Utah, then Flagstaff, Arizona at four hours. Doable on my three day weekends. Dang these things sure do hold value, or at least the owners think so. Really, do you think I’d pay $1000 for a 35+ year-old camper? A new one can cost up to $30,000. That’s more than I paid for the 36 foot 5th-wheel with three slides that I live in. I’ll keep looking.
Anyway, back to the road trip idea. My season at Grand Canyon is over October 17th, then it usually takes me a couple days to pack it up and roll with at least a one day layover in Flagstaff on the return to Yarnell. Where I’d like to be for at least a week to visit with friends unseen over summer. But I don’t want to dally too long as winter will be chasing fall out of the Pacific Northwest. I don’t like to be cold.
Working on a tentative plan to take about a week to get to the Columbia River Gorge where Darlene lives. Don’t know how long I’ll stay there. Then, weather permitting, continue north and west before a slow ride south along the coast. All this with visiting people and places along the way.
With that said, I’m open to suggestions. I’ll want to visit parks and forests along the way, national, state and local. Think moderate hiking, hot springs, rockhounding. Plus any unusual places you might know and where to find some good grub. (Bear in mind I can’t eat seafood.) If you’ve been there, tell me more.
Plus I’d love to meet up with you if you’re located near my route.
Tentative route to Washington: Keep in mind I want to do this in 7 days, about. (In Red)
US93 north from Wickenburg, AZ, thru NV to US50 west to Great Basin NP then east to Austin, north NV305 to I80 west, and north on US95, OR78 northwest, Mahleur Cave, Mahleur Lake to Burns; US395 north Mahleur NF, John Day Fossil Beds NM, Umatilla NF, hot springs at Ritter, to Pendleton; I84 west to Biggs, US97 cross Columbia River to WA14 west.
From there: Weather permitting and the money don’t run out. (In Blue)
North into WA, central or eastern, cross Cascades, ferry to Port Townsend, loop Olympic Peninsula, south on US101, side trip to Cave Junction and Oregon Caves if still open, then back to CA south US101, coastal 1, SF, 1 & 101 to Oxnard, or earlier to Death Valley NP then south to Mojave NP, or east to Joshua Tree NP…
Here’s a rough map for folk like me that love maps.
Of course this all hinges on me finding the right camper.
And would someone tell me please how to make a better map than this Scribble thing. Can’t seem to get to Google with my slow connection. Anybody?
Well, darn it, that looks like fun, and I’d ask to join you for at least part of it (humbly) if I were there. I wish you lots and lots of fun. Can’t help with the map-making… 🙁
I’d gladly have you join me.
Good luck on the truck camper. Seems like anything with RV attached to it is hugely expensive. Hope the weather turns out to be OK for that trip to the northwest. Like you I do not like cold either.
I’m just hoping for the best weather possible. Probably have better luck on the RV search once back in Yarnell and closer to civilization.
That is quite a road trip. I love road trips. My family hates them so I have to take them when I can.
Good luck on the camper. I don’t see near as many as I used to.
There seems to be a gap in the camper years, either 1970s junk or 2000s over priced. But I’ll keep looking. Fall is a good time I think as the summer campers want to get rid of them.
Well, I know nothing about pickup trucks and truck campers, but I did have fun last year doing some “van tent camping” in my Sprinter cargo van. I wonder if you could find a hard shell cap for your truck if a truck camper doesn’t appear in time?
I had fun using my tent camping gear inside my Sprinter– a comfy sleeping bag, sleep pad, and army cot, a porta potti, my camp stove & mess kit, and a cooler. A few bungee cords kept stuff stowed beneath the cot and to the van’s anchor points nicely. Maybe something like that might work until you can find a TC? Sure looks like a fabulous itinerary!
I think the smaller the “rv” the more it costs. LOL. The 24′ class A’s cost nearly as much as the 38′ ones. Hope you score with your search. You just have to find one so good luck. That sure looks like a long distance to travel in 7 days. I’m such a slow wanderer. 150 miles and stay a week is my preferred mode or 200 miles “maybe” if I can stay two weeks or a month. 🙂 How to get nowhere fast is what I’ve been told I do.
I would typically travel very slowly and it’s the trip north that I’d like to do in about a week. Mostly because winter will come on and then I want to be heading slowly back south. Your speed of travel is perfect.
Looks like a great route! Road trips are my favorite – love them! You can’t go wrong traveling through the Pacific Northwest. If you haven’t been – don’t miss Crater Lake, it’s just spectacular and your red route looks to be taking you right near it. If you do make it to Crater Lake – absolutely must stop at Beckie’s Cafe at Union Creek. Yummy burgers, fries and salad, but they are infamous for their pies – even if you’re not hungry for a meal, stop and get yourself some pie. You won’t be sorry. And right near Union Creek is the Rogue River Natural Bridge and the Rogue Gorge Overview, both are beautiful. You’ll be in our neck of the woods, but we’ll be gone. We’ll have to connect on another day at a another time. Safe travels.
I’ve lived and worked in the PNW and love Beckie’s pies. Had almost forgotten about them so should put that on my list. Sorry I’ll miss you.
Hi Gaelyn – I don’t know much about RVs or campers, but if you somehow end up going on this trip a little later, I should be in the Seattle area around November 20 and might be taking a trip down to AZ in January sometime. I’d love to see you again and catch up!
Seems like you just left but glad to hear you’ll be returning. Hard to say what the timing on this trip will be so we’ll keep in touch about a meet up. Would love to see you again.
I’m so excited about your road trip and getting a small camper to do more traveling. You know, we’ve spent the last month or so in WA, and absolutely love it. Now over on the east side at a COE park at Ice Harbor Dam. Only problem is many of these facilities will be closed when you get here. Port Townsend may be cold, but always beautiful! Looking forward to this…
I’m excited too. Been a while since I did an American road trip. Am a little concerned about what weather I’ll meet, but….
I’m very excited about reading about your travels in the U.S. So much to see here too. Hope you find what you want to travel in.
I’m excited too as it’s been way too long since I road tripped in America. Still searching for a cabover.
I envy you Gaelyn ans wish I could pay that here. One like that would cost me in the region of R250,000 new and about half that for an old one. I could easily make this my home! Sounds like a lovely trip you have planned and I am so sad you will not make it over here again!! 🙁
Certainly an adequate space to live in with the basic necessities. Don’t give up on my visiting again.
I hope you find the perfect camper and can make the trip. A used camper van might be an option, but , oh you probably want to use the pickup you already have, so never mind. We will be at the Lake between Florence and Eugene Oregon , but that’s out of your area. And you don’t have much time for detours there, but if you do … let me know. Actually if I read correctly that you were planning to do this all in a week I can’t even believe you could drive that far that fast and still see anybody or anything, but we are the pokiest travelers in the world.
October and even November are usually still pretty nice in Washington and Oregon. usually.
Yea, I want to use the truck. A week will be the trip north and then I can lollygag the way back south. I’ll keep you in mind.
Boy, you have a longggg trip scheduled for you next drive. You’ll be going by some places that I’ve lived at before. Oregon Caves is still open, I just read something about that today 🙂 Looks like you’ll be in the Klamath Falls area in Oregon. I’ve wanted to photograph Bad Eagles there, when I lived and worked at Fishlake Resort on Hwy 140, about 32 miles west of KF. I’ve lived in Oxnard. I hope to get to meet you while you are here in the Nevada area. Have a safe trip, whenever you take this one 🙂
Rick (cuz) 🙂
Unfortunately, this was a plan that didn’t go through.