RV week 1 – Vancouver to Eureka!

RV week 1:

We picked up the RV just south of Vancouver and got the lesson and DVD on how to work it. Then this enormous 35ft bus turned up – how were we going to drive it and operate all these functions?? It was quite daunting but shortly we were underway and cruising to our first campsite – luckily only an hour and a half away in Seattle with only the Interstate (Motorway) between the pick-up and the campsite. Our first night was uneventful other than we had no power as I forgot to switch on a voltage button! But we stayed at a KOA that our friends had recommended as the network of KOA’s have playground, laundry, a shop, hot showers, all the connections you need and wireless internet! They are not always pretty but they have facilities.

The first morning of the RV was the moment we have all been waiting for in dread – the day home schooling starts on our schedule! So we dived straight in and the boys were pretty committed – especially as everyone else is still on holiday in the UK. So school in the morning and afternoon activity has been the schedule we have followed in the RV.

Our next 3 nights were spent near a lake and a beach at another KOA near the coast in Lincoln City – 3 nights learning how to use RV, doing schoolwork, getting organised and chilling after a hectic few weeks of travelling and camp for the boys.

We then drove along the Oregon coast highway which was really spectacular – rolling Pacific Ocean waves with jagged rocks in the sea just off the coast and a shoreline that goes from sea level to mountainous peaks. We then drove past the Oregon Dunes – the most enormous sand dunes - We had lunch on the beach in huge sand dunes that the kids enjoyed – jumping off and landing way below. Our only regret was not stopping and doing a Dune buggy trip – which looked awesome – next time maybe! We did stop and see the largest underground Sea Lion cave where the waves crashed underground from 2 different entrances into the cave.

We luckily stumbled across a fabulous state park called Cape Blanco – the western most point of the USA (except Alaska) and off the beaten track – so quite quiet. We spent 3 nights in Cape Blanco – not KOA but electricity only (no internet, phone or laundry etc…)– we walked on an amazing beach each day - long with sand dunes and huge amounts of driftwood – big tree trunks etc… which all looked like surreal Dinosaur bones. We had picnic lunches in the little houses made of wood all along the beach – which were made for refuge from sand storms as the average wind here is 25 mph. There were rocks just out to sea that looked like whales – all very spectacular. The pictures do not really do it justice – and we toured the lighthouse and climbed to the top to find an amazing reflector – which was a piece of design mastery by a Frenchman!

We were sad to move on from this fabulous (almost) desert island and head further down the coast. But our time was up and we drove down the coast on a wet day with a strange sea mist over the coastal area – very eerie!

We arrived in Redwood National Park at lunchtime and saw the oldest and tallest Redwoods and Sequoia trees around. They were 200 years old, 300 ft high and 25 ft in diameter. Some had 12 trees growing off the main tree and the same base. We could walk through them, climb on them and view all shapes and weird carvings from them. After 2 tours and reading lots of signs about trees we were tree’d out and decided to move on to our long trek towards Lake Tahoe. We tayed the first night in Eureka! We still don’t know why it is named that but we stayed in a KOA so got all the washing and emails done!

After schoolwork we set off again and turned off the coast road and the scenery benefits that that had and turned inland. Over the first mountain range it really heated up and we climbed up through mountain roads. Most were very narrow and driving a 35ft RV bus with 1 foot to spare on either side with drops that were either probable or guaranteed death if we fell – our journey time started to slow against the Google maps predictions!! We stopped early and found a campsite next to a reservoir lake…..which, due to a 3 year drought was hardly a lake at all - it took us 20 mins to walk from the campsite to the lake - amazing effect of the weather on the california countryside - actually all the lakes we have seen (including Lake Tahoe) are all 50-150ft down!

Then another long 7 hr drive to Lake Tahoe – very narrow mountain roads for an RV driven by a Brit – many roads were probable or guaranteed death if you came off again – including the worst, a road was so narrow – it was shared by both sets of traffic and had a vertical thousand foot fall from the roadside on both sides – I had vertico and nearly could not go on – terrifying.

But the scenery was stunning around Lake Tahoe - we got to the campsite and had dinner overlooking the lake, next to a sandy beach. It looks as though Camp Richardson is a lucky find via the internet – it has a beach, boat rentals, ice cream parlour and a coffee shop - right on Lake Tahoe - hopefully we will have a great week!!! Although it is a US holiday "Labor day weekend" at the end of the week we are there!). All the Americans have been very polite so far so hopefully lots of Americans will be good! We are at 6,500 ft above sea level - so it is warm by day and colder at night - but it has not rained here for a while........