Last weekend we went camping out at the coast with the goal of photographing waterfalls and autumn leaves. Since Amber is back in school we needed electrical hookups and wi-fi for homework assignments, so we stayed at an RV park. During the day we went hiking at Sweet Creek Falls and captured some wonderful fall photos.
Amber has been wanting to try the Instant Pot on a camping trip, but I hadn’t wanted to lug it out camping and back home after each trip. The RV’s crock pot broke a couple months ago, and I had been thinking about replacing it with an IP. When I found a larger IP on sale at Fred Meyer I purchased it, so now we have one for home and one for glamping!
Instant Pot
Spaghetti Sauce
Instant Pot Spaghetti
Saute in the Instant Pot
I like using the Instant Pot for soups, chili, dried beans, baked potatoes, and vegetables. Amber suggested making spaghetti, so we gave it a try. The recipe we used can be found at The Salty Marshmallow. The IP is wonderful for making one-pot meals, and we always freeze the leftovers for quick and easy lunches. The hamburger and onions are cooked using the saute mode, and then the dry spaghetti noodles, diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce and water were layered on top of the meat. After locking the lid on the pot, the spaghetti cooked for 8 minutes.
Instant Pot with Lid
Dinner and a Movie
Spaghetti Dinner
Spaghetti in the Instant Pot
The spaghetti was served with my favorite veggie, broccoli, and garlic bread. The spaghetti was okay, and it works for a camp meal, but it was a bit soupy. However, it did get thicker as it sat. Some of the noodles stuck together during cooking. I love my IP, but some things are still better cooked using a conventional method. This spaghetti may not be my favorite, but there is definitely a place for the Instant Pot in my beach house!
Everything!!! I’m a member of Campendium, a site where parks are reviewed and rated on a 1-5 star basis. My goal is to eventually go full-time RVing, and I’ve found their site to be quite helpful. A few posts back I lamented that my beach house doesn’t fit into the tent section at Millersylvania State Park. Lower Falls Campground is the answer! The campground has everything I could have asked for! Well, except for a lake to go kayaking on, but I’ll take this park any day. It is a gorgeous, green, lush campground that RVs can fit into. The sites are huge and spaced far apart giving families the privacy they seek in a camping experience. Campers actually feel like they’re out in the woods. Children have plenty of space to play and won’t be quite as tempted to cross into other’s sites. The trails are easily accessible from the campground and hikers can be down at the river to view the beautiful waterfalls in a short time.
Campground Map
National Forest Map
The Beach House
The Beach House and Tow Vehicle
Site 22 Driveway
Cooking Brunch
Cooking over the Fire
Lower Falls Campground
Campsite at Lower Falls
Lower Falls Campsite
Lower Falls Campsite
Campground Loop Road
Campground Bathroom
Trailer Access
The campground was easy to drive to, however, the National Forest Service website does warn that it might be difficult for trailers to get through a short section of gravel road and that you drive at your own risk. I called the forest service the day before to confirm the warning was still in effect and to determine whether or not we should go. The lady I spoke to said it should be okay if we drive slow. The mile long section of road is passible, but slow going is definitely the key. Fortunately I drove it very late at night and couldn’t see what I was driving over. It didn’t look so bad then! Driving out I put the truck in 4 wheel drive; probably didn’t need it, but it made me feel better. The other obstacle while towing a trailer is dodging the overgrown trees, even on the paved roads. I hit a few branches on the way in, but didn’t damage anything. On the way out I drove down the center of the road as much as possible to avoid them.
The road doesn’t look so bad in the video, but Amber’s having a difficult time holding the camera still due to the road conditions.
Trails & Waterfalls
Sign at the Trailhead
Lower Falls River Access Trail
River Access
Lewis River Lower Falls Trail
Stairs on the Lower Falls Trail
A Warning!
Lower Lewis Falls
Lewis River Lower Falls Trail
Fly Fishing
Red Warning Sign
Lower Lewis Falls Trail
Falls Viewing Point
On the Trail
Lower Lewis River Falls
The crown jewels of this park are the waterfalls! They are photographic heaven!! The only thing I didn’t bring were the right shoes to stand in the middle of the river to photograph the lower falls. It wasn’t possible to stand in the river at the middle falls, and I didn’t see a way, other than swimming, to get across the river to put myself at a better angle for those images. There must be some other way across, but that will have to wait for another day. Most of the trails we hiked were easily accessible with great views of the falls and several points to stop and enjoy the surrounding areas.
This year Amber and I decided to go camping at a park we had never been to for Memorial Day weekend and ultimately chose Tugman State Park. Reservations were made in January, but neither of us can remember why we chose this park, except that it has a lake and maybe we thought we would go kayaking there. I believed the campground was near the beach; it’s not. Driving is necessary if a beach outing is in the plans. In any case the park is very small and was quiet. It was easy backing the 5th wheel into our very spacious site. And as with all Oregon State parks, the campground is clean and well maintained. The only drawback is the proximity to highway 101. However, it wasn’t too bad as most of the time we blocked out the noise.
We had a wonderful weekend exploring Coos Bay and the surrounding areas in more depth than we have in the past when we only had time to make short stops on our way to other destinations.
Winchester Bay
Sailboats on the bay using a Lensbaby.
Thursday I decided to use only the Lensbaby Composer Pro with the Sweet 35 optic. I’ve had the lens for a few years, but was frustrated with it so never used it much. I watched a couple videos before going camping and decided it was time to figure it out. Actually I came away with some great images. I took photos at Shore Acres State Park and Sunset Beach as well as the one above of the sailboats at Winchester Bay. Next time I get to take sailboat photos I’ll try a smaller aperture.
Sea Lions
Sea Lions at Simpson Reef on the Oregon Coast
Sea Lions at Simpson Reef on the Oregon Coast.
Sea Lions at Simpson Reef on the Oregon Coast
I visited Simpson Reef on Friday, but the weather was overcast and the sea lions weren’t visible. Amber and I went back the next day and were able to observe hundreds or thousands of them. They are a ways back, so binoculars are needed. Last summer before visiting the Tetons I bought Zeiss Terra ED 10 x 42 binoculars at Cabela’s. Those were greatly appreciated many times and were perfect for watching the sea lions as well. While in the Tetons I realized I didn’t have the right lens to get photos of the wildlife, and I was drooling over the lenses I saw other visitors using. One very nice gentleman from England let me hold and try out his long lens. When I arrived home I did some research and found some affordable consumer zoom lenses. It didn’t take me long to purchase the Sigma 150-600mm lens! The lens is perfect for catching sea lions! I believe Nikon, Canon and Tamron also make this or a similar lens.
As I was zooming in to edit the third photo I noticed one of the sea lions was branded with a number. So I did some research and found that some animals are being branded to be studied and eventually to prevent some of them from consuming the salmon that are swimming upstream. You can read more about this at OPB and at The Spokesman Review.
Elk
Dean Creek Sign
Hinsdale Interpretive Center Sign
Closeup of Elk Facial Profile
Elk Interpretive Sign
Elk at the Dean Creek Viewing Area
Lush Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area
When I went to pick up Amber on Friday afternoon hundreds of elk were grazing at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area! Another opportunity to practice using my 150-600mm lens! The elk were just gorgeous in the setting sun. The Hinsdale Interpretive Center is also located at the viewing area and provides several educational plaques about the elk and other wildlife in the area.
Coos Bay
Fishermen’s Seafood Market in Coos Bay
Fish & Chips Lunch on the Coos Bay Boardwalk
The Koos No 2 Tugboat in Coos Bay
Koos No 2 Sign
Sailboats in Coos Bay, Oregon
Amber and I spent a morning exploring Coos Bay. While there we shopped in antique stores looking for items that could be used in a cupcakes and cookies photo shoot we want to do with the children at Little Pandas Playschool. We found a cute hand cranked beater for mixing whipped cream and cake batters. I’m pretty sure my grandmother owned these when I was growing up. Then one of the stores was selling the same desk used at my first elementary school. I had to keep reminding Amber that if the store was selling something I’ve used in my lifetime, it’s not an antique! It might be vintage, but certainly not antique.
We ate butter clams and fish for lunch, from the Fisherman’s Seafood Market, on the boardwalk. I highly recommend stopping in for a meal. After lunch we explored the tugboat display on the boardwalk and took pictures of the sailboats captured with my favorite lens; the Sigma 35 Art.
Over the weekend Amber and I also visited Shore Acres State Park, Sunset Beach, the Umpqua Lighthouse and the beach near Heceta Head Lighthouse. However, those images will have to wait for another post.
The girls and I went camping at Millersylvania State Park near Olympia, Washington last weekend. It’s a beautiful campground that hasn’t lost its charm due to modern updating. The campsites in the tenting area look like they’re in the original condition; although I’m sure there have been changes over the years. The sites are heavily wooded and the roads narrow, so RVs can’t get into that section. There is an RV loop in an open field that is not very desirable. However, there are two rows for RVs that are under the trees. The campground was very peaceful, and our trailer was squeezed in between the trees in site 205. All the sites in these two rows are pull-throughs, although I would be cautious about taking my 5th wheel through some of them.
Our Steak and Veggie Dinner
Fresh Strawberry Lemonade
Misty-Jade make breakfast burritos for us on Saturday. Then we had the most delicious steak covered with smoked blue cheese and grilled veggies along with freshly squeezed strawberry lemonade for dinner.
I’m envious of the tenters who were able to camp in the loop pictured below. The park also has some glamping tents in this loop available for rent.
Tent Sites
I discovered this trail early Saturday morning while the girls were still sleeping. I loved the romantic bridge and boardwalk section of the trail. The boardwalk would make a great background for a photo shoot.
Trails
Hiking Trail at Millersylvania
While kayaking on Deep Lake we saw an eagle and a crane as well as a few other critters. We were able to get up close to the crane, but unfortunately I only had an iPhone with me. There were several people fishing off the dock near the boat launch.
Kayaking on Deep Lake at Millersylvania State Park
Deep Lake
Blue Heron on Deep Lake
We all loved the park and have put it on our list of go-to campgrounds when we need something at the last minute for a weekend get-away.
Amber and I went to Sutton Campground near Florence, Oregon last weekend. It was our first attempt at taking the fifth-wheel to a national forest campground, and it was well worth the 3 hour drive. The campground roads and sites are tight, but we were able to get into our pull-through, site A13. Sutton Campground is beautiful and well maintained. Most of the sites are surrounded by foliage providing campers with a great sense of privacy. While we were in a pull-through site and close to the road we couldn’t see other campsites beyond ours when we stepped outside our door. As typical of NF campgrounds there is a lot of space between sites, so even though we were close to the road we didn’t feel like we were trailer on top of trailer.
We decided to take out the dutch ovens and try the new dutch oven table we found at Sportsman’s Warehouse on a discount night. Then we got a further discount because it was the last one left and didn’t have a box. Amber’s the dutch oven fire starter and loved her new toy. The baking powder biscuits, sausage gravy, eggs, and maple sausages were yummy!
Breakfast
The best baking powder biscuits made with butter and cream of tartar.
The new dutch oven table and baking biscuits.
We’ve always camped on the coast, but usually stay at Honeyman when we’re near Florence. This last weekend we wanted to stay at a NF park, go kayaking and explore other places in the area. It ended up being too windy and cold for kayaking, but we found three lakes we want to try next time we visit. Mercer Lake, Sutton Lake and Alder Lake were all close by. Then Cleowox Lake is at Honeyman State Park just a few miles south of Florence. We went out to North Jetty, but the wind was making the sand sting as it hit us, so we didn’t stay long. Instead we found Harbor Vista Campground that appeared be a quiet place for camping. It’s a small park that I believe is operated by Lane County.
While walking through the campground we found the Darlingtonia Walkway.
Darlingtonia Walkway
Before going home on Sunday we practiced backing the 5th wheel into some other sites. I also took several pictures of the campground and some sites we might be able to use for our next visit.
The beach house at the last rest area on I-84 about an hour from Portland where I stayed overnight. The highway sign says it’s a rest area, but the signs in the parking lot say it’s a day use area managed by Oregon State Parks.
I returned home a couple days ago after visiting Misty-Jade during her spring break. Towing the new beach house out to Iowa and back to Oregon was an adventure. I had my doubts on the way out and worried about the weather, but I’m glad I did it. In the future I would probably wait until April to tow a trailer in the northern states. The weather was great driving to Iowa, even if it was a bit cold. I had expected the weather to get better on the return trip, but I ran into light snow in Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon! And the wind was tough.
We saw this chain of restaurants in Lincoln, Nebraska, and for obvious reasons had to try it out. We had delicious prime rib covered with melted blue cheese!
I had a wonderful visit with Misty-Jade and saw her compete vault at the Big 10 Gymnastics Championships held in Lincoln, Nebraska. I’m very proud of her scoring 9.85 and placing 6th! Her team will compete at the regional championships next week and try to qualify for nationals to be held in Texas in mid April. I’m going to fly out and watch the Gymhawks compete next weekend.
Misty-Jade. Iowa is hosting the NCAA regional championships and counting down the days until the meet.
I’ve towed our previous travel trailer across the country in the past, but never with the intent of possibly full timing. I’ve read many RV blogs over the past couple years getting ideas about this new adventure. This trip to Iowa was different in that I made many mental notes of how I would do something if I were full timing. My time was limited on this trip, so I drove trucker miles to get across country. Obviously I wouldn’t do that full timing; maybe a couple hundred miles per day max and stay places for longer lengths of time. I did take the time to do some sight-seeing on this trip. I’ll write about some of my experiences and thoughts about the trip in the next few blog posts including Lincoln, Nebraska, the Nebraska State Capitol, rest areas, gas stations, RV parks, and the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument.
Tessa watching Misty-Jade walk away as we dropped her off at the hotel before returning home.
Amber and I went to Ft. Stevens this past weekend with the intent of getting some more work done on the beach house before taking it to Iowa to visit Misty-Jade over spring break. My goal was to sanitize the water system and repack the storage area. The water system got finished, but due to rain we didn’t get the storage areas done. We took some time to explore the park a bit while the sun was out, thus the real reason for the storage areas not being repacked. The last time we went to Ft. Stevens in July a couple years ago we got caught in a downpour and were sopping wet, so we thought spending time exploring while the sun was out was a better idea.
The shipwreck appears to have deteriorated over the years and gotten smaller. Obviously that’s what happens, but I seem to remember it being much larger when I moved back to Oregon in 1985.
4 Wheel Drive Beach Access
The new tow vehicle.
Tessa enjoying the breeze.
Peter Iredale Shipwreck
I didn’t know vehicles were allowed on the beach, but we had to try it out! Tessa road in the back and loved it.
On one of our many trips to the store for supplies we were treated to this sight! It reminded me of the moose that would come into our yard when we lived in Alaska.
Elk in Warrenton, ORJust too cute!
We tried to go Kayaking at Coffenbury Lake, but just as we were setting up the rain started again. We’re planning another trip here later this year and will bring the bikes as well as the kayaks.
After much research and planning I purchased the newest Beach House! I love our Somerset pop-up, but want to do some traveling across the country and the pop-up isn’t very convenient for that. Amber and I picked up our new Arctic Fox 27-5L on February 6 and took it to Sandy Riverfront RV Resort in Troutdale, OR where we transferred the camping supplies from the pop-up to the 5th wheel. The following weekend we went camping at Beverly Beach. The rained poured and flooded the campground, but we had fun and still walked out on the beach.
Arctic Fox 27-5L Front SideArctic Fox 27-5L Back Side
Beach House Adventures 