From Port Angeles, WA to Mount Shasta, CA


(This blog is part travelogue, part advice on traveling with a dog, part discovery of what’s on the minds of Americans, Canadians and other nationalities, part commentary, and other musings.)
(Camping at the Klamath River)

After taking the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles, spending an uneventful night in a Super 8 motel, Luca and I head south to a Motel 6 in Vancouver, WA, just north across the mighty Columbia River from Portland.

(NOTE TO DOG OWNERS: Most of the chain motels now allow dogs. Motel 6 and La Quinta don’t add a pet fee. Some others do, usually about $15.)
(The leaf changing throughout Washington, Oregon and Northern California matches New England.)

The drive is beautiful, often punctuated with heavy rain. The next day I arrange for Luca to stay with a Rover pet sitter in Vancouver, so I could have some pet-free time in Portland. I meet the engaging Allie Rivenbark, a furniture maker in Portland, and enjoyed our time talking about the maker community in the city.
(Downtown Portland) 

I then go to the Portland Art Museum (not world class, but still enjoyable) and then head to the very cool Alberta Street area, on Allie’s recommendation. Have a great meal at a French-style bistro after doing a bit of shopping and taking photos of the charming neighborhood.

The next day I head south to Grants Pass, OR to spend a couple nights in a yurt at a Josephine County campground. The visit turns out to be a nightmare – the only bad experience on my entire trip. Without going into detail, let’s just say the camp host is a total asshole, but the county parks director later apologized profusely for his behavior. And within a few days, he is fired - based on my complaint and the complaint of another camper.

I head to Ashland, get a great Rover pet sitter for Luca and catch a wonderful play at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival – “Mother Road.” And I score a rush ticket for just $40!
(Oregon Shakespeare Festival)

Ashland is a very pretty town with lots of culture - not just the Oregon Shakespeare Festival but also other theaters, art galleries, restaurants and more. 
(Ashland, Oregon)

I have a long conversation with a man whose wife has her "dream job" working in the festival's costume shop. He starts talking to me at a coffee house by saying he was in a good mood but made the mistake of reading the news. He's horrified by Trump, and though he lives in a very "blue" town, the area is red. He likes Ashland but notes it's a bit isolated. The closest big city is Portland.

Through his wife he gets free tickets to all the festival plays and notes they are high quality productions. But he wonders why most of the new plays that come through seem to have some kind of agenda - political or otherwise. 

Luca and I then drive about 40 minutes south to pitch our tent at Tree of Heaven campground on the Klamath River in California. For two nights, we have the entire U.S. Forest Service campground almost entirely to ourselves. It's a lovely campground, and we pay just $7.50 a night – half price because of our Lifetime Senior Pass for national parks and forests. (As I mentioned in an earlier blog entry, the $80 fee for the pass is definitely worth it – free entry into national parks, half off on U.S. Forest Service campgrounds, and free parking for day use at Forest Service parks).
(Klamath River)

Then off to Mount Shasta.

(Next blog entry: Mount Shasta, the charming and historic town of McCloud and the beautiful McCloud River.)

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 25, 2019 at 5:33 PM

    Bruce, you have to tell us what happened at the yurt campground!! Other than that your trip looks wonderful - glad you're having a good time.

    ReplyDelete

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