We’re looking forward to fall travel season
Sure, there’s still a chunk of summer to enjoy and we plan to savor every sun-drenched moment.
But the calendar says it’s nearly our favorite time of year, so let’s lean into the shoulder season.
What’s not to love about fall travel? As fuel prices continue to move in the right direction, here are some of our goals this autumn:
Confluence State Park is at a dramatic spot where the Columbia River and the Wenatchee meet. It’s now a go-to spot for Leslie’s sister, Laurel, who has moved back to the PNW after many years living and working in Southern California. The other day, Sissy sent us a map of the campground and hookup sites (No. 13-19) highly recommended by the camp host. Very cool. We’re looking forward to a reunion in early September.
Vancouver, British Columbia, is so close to our home base in Bellingham and we’ve been wanting to get back to that beautiful city for some time. Back in the summer of 2019, we stayed at the wonderful Capilano River RV Park just across the Lion’s Gate bridge in West Van. Its central location seems like the perfect spot to try some two-wheel exploring with Leslie’s new ebike.
A couple of autumns ago, we spent the month of October soaking up the sweet, salty scents and sights on the Oregon Coast. Some of our top spots to camp include Fort Stevens State Park near Astoria, Beachside State Park in between Waldport and Yachats as well as Harris Beach State Park in Brookings. That destination in the southern part of the state makes for a perfect gateway into northern California, a region we always enjoy exploring.
Before we head off on our southbound snowbird journey, though, we’re excited about the opportunity to spend the month of October volunteering at Fort Worden State Park. We had such good experiences working at Spencer Spit State Park on Lopez and in the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment that we signed on for another stint.
From that beautiful Port Townsend location, we plan to spend days off getting out to the Olympic National Park, this time returning to some destinations we haven’t visited in many years. Sol duc Hot Springs is at the top of the list, as well as the remote and wild Hobuck Beach Resort on the Makah Reservation. Because it’s such a trek out there, it’s worth noting that beachside RV sites are first-come, first-served.
What’s on your fall wish list? We’d love to hear from you at goingmobile@spokesman.com.
Help wanted
As mentioned above, we’ve been shopping for an ebike for Leslie. Wow, there are so many options, which is wonderful and slightly overwhelming. So far, she’s taken test rides on a Rad, an Aventon, the Kona and a no-frills model from Sun-E-Land Bikes, the later two based in Bellingham.
A huge part of this purchase is motivated by our intention to leave our second vehicle, an aging Toyota Camry, at home base this time around. It was nice to have the flexibility offered by a second vehicle last year, but that “chase car” was also a huge pain and expense. So, weighing all those pros and cons, we’re switching it up and adding the ebike for getting around once we’re parked.
That means we’re also shopping for a bike rack for the back of our Thor Gemini. Can anyone recommend a good trailer hitch-mounted bike rack that’s beefy enough to carry an ebike? Send your recommendations to goingmobile@spokesman.com, and thanks in advance for any advice.
