Short spring break road trip report

[thatbaldwinlife]

We were getting a little bit of cabin fever here in Portland and needed to get out and do some road trippin. With spring break around the corner we decided to plan a short 5 day road trip down south. We booked two days at Harris Beach State Park with our good friends and neighbors who own a Sprinter. They were only able to do the two day trip but we then headed south after Brookings. Here is the route:

We left Portland early on Saturday morning to make the long drive to Brookings. We normally only do around 150 miles per day on our trips but this was a long 330 mile push to get to camp. It was a nice drive that put us into camp around 3:00.

Right after setting up camp, we all took the kids down to the beach. It was a beautiful sunny day with almost no wind.

We spent some time letting the kids burn off some energy before hiking back and making dinner. A nice evening with a fire, drinks and conversation.
The next morning we went for a hike to another part of the beach and let the kids do some tide pool exploring. We found lots of star fish, hermit crabs, and sea anemones.

Back to camp for lunch and to let the kids play on the play structure that was in the campground. We then went for a hike up to the top of the bluff to take in the view.

Back for dinner and drinks and to prepare to leave the next morning. It was supposed to rain that night so we put away what we could. It indeed was raining hard the next morning and we were thankful for our awning to keep some items dry(ish). We packed up and said goodbye to our friends and headed south under rainy skies. The inside of the Westy was a bit foggy due to a wet tent and humidity from camping and it took a while to see clearly from the windshield!
Into Cali!

We only had about 90 miles to cover today as we booked a hotel for the night due to the torrential rains along the coast. Plus the twins wanted a swim and my wife and I were looking forward to a hot tub soak. We took our time bumming around the redwoods and checking out the area. One of our favorite places is Howland Rd outside of Crescent City and it was neat to do it in the rain. The road was a mess of mud and puddles and it was fun driving the Westy through it. I am still very impressed with the new Rancho 9000's up front and Bilstein 6100 rear shocks. Solid setup with GoWesty springs.

From there we headed to the Newton B. Druy Scenic Byway for some hiking since the rain let up a bit.

We then saw a sign for a drive through tree. Not sure if Westy would make it through but it was worth the $5 to see. The elderly lady at the booth said she thought we would be fine. With mirrors fully tucked, we just fit.

From there it was just a slow drive to Eureka where our Holiday Inn Express welcomed us with hot showers and a pool. We got an early start the next day due to a longish drive up Hwy 299 to Hwy 96 back into Oregon. Hwy 299 was a beautiful steep climb over the mountains. I am very glad I installed the external oil cooler recently. Temps never got above 220F on the climb up on the Rocky Jennings 2.2L. Stop near the top.

We had a plan to take a gravel road from Hwy 96 all the way to Applegate Or but after talking with a Caltrans worker he mentioned that the snow level was still at 4K feet and the pass we were going to take was at 4800 feet. We stuck to Hwy 96 to I5 to Oregon.
In Willow Creek for a rest.

Lunch stop along 96

We stopped for the night at a KOA near Medford as the long day tired us out.

Next morning was a long slog back on I5 to Portland.
It was a short but fun trip covering just over 1000 miles which is a lot for us in 5 days. This is a warm up for our summer trip to Canada for two weeks!
thanks
nate
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[sanchius]

Wow, nice trip and beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing them with us!
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[jimf909]

Lovely trip report. Thanks for the inspiration to get out.
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- Jim

[joetiger]

Great report, thanks for sharing. We took the Howland Hill road on our trip last summer on a bright, sunny day. I'd love to see it in the rain. It's stories like this that sometimes make me wish I could teleport my Vanagon to a cool location and do 300 miles or so then teleport it back home...

I like your ladder. Is that Gary Lee or something different?
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Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
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[vanagonjr]

I know I'm echoing others, but nice trip report and thanks for sharing. You got some awesome kid pictures on those trees. Get one (or more) printed and hang on your wall!
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[dabaron]

thanks for adding to my want to move out there. looks like the kids had a great time too!
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[joetiger]

[dhaavers]

Love it! I did my grad school work in Ashland and over three summers managed to run out to many
of the areas you hit. Beautiful pics, beautiful country, beautiful memories...thanks so much for posting!



- Dave

PS: Any potential plans for some class 4-5 rafting next time...???!!!???
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[thatbaldwinlife]

[thatbaldwinlife]

[mikemtnbike]

I already thought I was stoked for our first more-than-one-night trip of the year coming up in a couple of weeks- now I'm thinking about spontaneously heading out tonight because I can't wait that long. Great report!
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[Alaskaberrys]

Great trip report. Those pics of the redwoods makes me want to hop a plane and unwrap the Westy!
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[Abscate]

That pic of young lady in blue on that redwood is a Classic.
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[djkeev]

Nice trip report!

I lived in Ashland for many years, my kids were born there.
I still have family there and a Brother in Crescent City.

Your photos made me home sick!

The Redwoods are fun and that road to the Applegate? Great pathway!

Dave
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[thatbaldwinlife]

[Silverghost500]

Great adventure report! Always good to see folks getting out there and enjoying life. Beautiful photos too.

I like the wheels you have. What kind are they, and what modifications did you need to make to use them?
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[owokie]

Great post! When do you head to Canada?

[thatbaldwinlife]

[chachi]

thumbs up, nate. good to see the ladder fit through the drive in tree. very important stress test.
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[thatbaldwinlife]