Where We Are Now

We landed this afternoon at Ely KOA Journey, pretty much right in the middle of Nevada, elevation, 6500 ft. This is just a stop-over for a night, but it really is a nice campground. We plan to drive around this after and check out the town.

   Ely KOA our site

Where We Are on the Map

Where to Next

From here we're heading north to Idaho. Our first stop is a place called Anderson Camp. We plan to spend a couple of days there so we can check out Shoshone Falls and what's left of Twin Falls

 Anderson Camp Stock Photo

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Washington

Washington (19)

Monday, 20 May 2019 19:58

Grandy Creek RV Campground

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Grandy Creek 1000 Trails/KOA Campground, Concrete, Washington

       Grandy Creek is a combined Thousand Trails / KOA campground.  Half the sites have a blue electrical connection for TT and the other half yellow for KOA.  I stopped to put diesel in the motorhome and Jackie drove ahead and got to the campground to find a site before I got there.  This actually worked well.  It was a Saturday morning and the campground was pretty full.  Being that it was a beautiful sunny summer weekend, we expected it to be full and to be full of kids, it was.  The park was perfect for that with a huge inflated play area and lots to keep kids busy.

 

     Our site had a full hookup, but not all the Thousand Trails sites did.  The campground had just a small rec-room for kids and a store, but no other clubhouse or lodge like a lot of the Thousand Trails campgrounds have.  The pool was nice, it had an adults only hot tub and an hour a day for adults only.  Most of the campsites are wooded but there a couple of very large fields.  Kite flying seemed to be very popular when we were there.
      Another big plus to the campground is its location.  Just to the east is the Northern Cascade National Park.  We drove up to Baker Lake one day and Diablo Lake the next.  Both lakes are a beautiful aqua blue color from glaciers.  This is one of the most beautiful and scenic areas in the state.  It is worth the short drive up to check out the mountains and lakes so close by.  Stop at the Visitor’s Center in Concrete to get a map of the area and then stop at the North Cascades Visitor Center in Newhalem for complete information about the area.  
      On a side note, we saw three different campsites that had mesh cat "tents" at La Conner and so we thought we'd get one for Abbott because he wants to be outside with us but refuses to go on a leash.  It's working fine for him now, but at first, he didn't care for it much.  However, the dogs love to be in it.  We might need a second one.  
 

     Enjoy a beautiful natural setting at the base of Mount Baker with easy access to North Cascades National Park, Baker Lake and of course our very own Grandy Creek running along the edge of the campground.   Take a day trip to Bellingham, the San Juan Islands or British Columbia -  the beautiful Northwest is at your disposal.

     This campground features long Pull-Thru RV Sites (up to 90 feet) as well as Tent Sites and Camping Cabins. Enjoy a game of mini golf, volleyball or basketball, swimming, a hayride and the Jumping Pillow. Hike the campground trails and make new friends in the Family Center or at a pancake breakfast or an ice cream social.

 

      Located at the base of Mount Baker, Grandy Creek RV Campground offers a gorgeous natural setting just a short distance from North Cascades National Park. Complete with planned activities, hiking trails and super, friendly staff, we're confident you will feel right at home at this Puget Sound RV campground. Saturdays are especially enjoyable for the kids - as we offer all-day activities including the popular Jumping Pillow!
      Off-site adventures are at your fingertips! Take a day trip to Bellingham, the San Juan Islands or British Columbia. Don't wait! Book your stay at Grandy Creek RV Campground. We offer a variety of accommodations, including long pull-thru RV site, as well as tent sites, and two-room cabins.  Thousand Trails
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Monday, 20 May 2019 15:32

Chehalis RV Campground

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Chehalis RV  & Camping Resort, Chehalis, Washington

      We arrived at Chehalis Campground on a Friday morning which was fortunate because the ranger said they were expecting seventy more campers that day.  Not the best planning on my part to arrive on a Friday, but sometimes it happens.  Chehalis is Thousand Trails’ oldest campground, however, it didn’t show it.  It was clean and most of the facilities were well kept.  The campground lacks cell service in most place and for us, that means no Internet as well.  The connections at the clubs were limited as well.  The adult lodge, pool, & hot tub, as well as the tennis courts and horseshoe pits, were located at the bottom of the campground not close to anything, but they were all in good condition.  There is also a couple of racket ball courts that look as if they hadn’t been used in years, complete with graffiti.  Next to the entrance gate was the miniature golf course that looked to be a great course in its day.  It was closed for construction that didn’t seem to be ongoing.  Upon the hill were the family lodge, pool, and store.  They too were in good condition.
     The campground was a campground and not a parking lot.  Most sites were in the trees and gave more of a camping feeling.  The best part of our time there were the people we met.  One couple at the pool, one camping across from us and another that we met in Long Beach.  We all got together a few miles down the road for Bingo at the local grange.  This was a first for me.  Personally, I thought the game went on too long and there wasn’t much time for socializing.  I don’t understand how Bingo is different from any other kind of gambling.  We bought packets of scorecards for $13 and had the chance to win as much as $500 on some cards and yet it was open for kids as young as nine to play.  Oh well, not losing sleep over it. 
      Chehalis is a campground that we will definitely return to.  There seemed to be plenty of helpful staff on hand so that everything ran smoothly.  We found plenty of trails around the campground to give the dogs room to run, (always a plus).  Also, it’s within a hundred miles of Vancouver, which allowed us a day trip into the city for appointments and to collect our mail.
From: Thousand Trails
        Spectacular views of Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens are no stranger to this Puget Sound RV campground. With over 300 acres, Chehalis RV Camping offers the ultimate camping experience. Amenities such as beautiful hiking trails and local area attractions provide entertainment to our guests, while tranquil scenic views offer the perfect place to sit back and relax.
       Come out and explore Chehalis RV Camping! Where an umbrella of maple alder and Douglas fir trees line the paths to private campsites and a gorgeous scenery of lush green ferns adds aesthetic appeal to this Puget Sound RV campground.
 
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Monday, 20 May 2019 15:22

Cape Disappointment State Park

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Cape Disappointment

      Cape Disappointment was anything but disappointing. The campground was very well maintained and the people we met over the weekend were very friendly. All of the sites were paved and level and laid out like crop circles, functionally it worked very well. During our visit, the weather was fifty and a bit breezy, but that didn’t stop anyone from enjoying the outdoors. Lots of kids on bikes, some playing catch with a football. Overall the park had a great atmosphere. I think part of the enthusiasm for all the outdoor activity was the total lack of phone or Internet connection in the park. You don’t realize just how much you use the Internet until it isn’t at your fingertips. 
     The park has access to a beautiful beach lined with driftwood, complete with a picturesque lighthouse on the cliff above. Just outside the park is a small store/café that will deliver to campers. There is also a jetty that extends far out into the ocean. The rocks from the jetty were quarried from the property that Jackie and I used to live on 90 miles up the Columbia River from here about 100 years ago. 
     The Cape is just outside the small fishing town of Ilwaco. Unfortunately, Ilwaco doesn’t offer much, but just to the north is Long Beach. The town is touristy with lots to do. The beach is 29 miles long and drivable when the tide isn’t up. In the summer of 1977, I drove (with my parents in the car) our family station wagon up the beach more than six miles past the last beach access and got it stuck in the sand. Mom and I went for help and Dad stayed, emptied the car and watched the tide come in and take it out into the surf. I don’t drive on the beach anymore.   Another fun note about the park, it is the home to many black bears.  We didn't get the chance to see any bears, just a few deer.  Maybe next time.

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Monday, 20 May 2019 14:58

Birchbay RV Campground

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Birch Bay RV Campground

 

    We pulled into Birch Bay around eleven in the morning and fortunately I had looked at a satellite view of the campground and had a good idea of where I wanted to park. The campground is divided into two sections. The section on the entrance side is set up so that four campsites share the same utility post. So, to make everything work as designed, every other vehicle should pull forward into the site. This way the right side of each camper is open to an area with a picnic table and a fire pit, sharing the space with the people next to you. However, not everyone does this or can do this. If you had a trailer or a fifth-wheel, then you can’t pull forward into the site when there is another rig backed in front of you. So, this is problematic, some people wind up with no space to camp or they have to camp on the back side of their RV. In the other section of the campground, the pull-through sites are set up with just two campers on a utility pedestal and people do park every other vehicle facing the opposite way. The sites are long enough so that when I pulled into a site next to a 43-foot class A with my 40-foot coach, I couldn’t see the other RV out my left windows. The sites are also spaced so that there was more than 30’ between me and the RV sharing the common grassy area. The sites that were on the outside edge, where everyone backed in and spaced far enough that you could park two more RV between them. Finding a site in the second section was tough to do, I think most people settle for one in the first section and watch for people to leave so they can nab a better site in the second. We, fortunately, lucked into one of the pull-throughs (in the second section) between two nice couples. Because of the campsite and because of the people we made friends with, we would have loved to stay longer, however reserving sixty days in advance doesn’t allow much freedom in making changes.
      The campground is well maintained. There were the usual Thousand Trails amenities, pool, lodges, horseshoes, etc. On Saturday night, they had a live band play and they were pretty good. Our short stay here was just that, too short. We are looking forward to returning and keeping our fingers crossed to find a spot again in the second section when we do.

 

     Situated just a few miles south of the US/Canadian border, Birch Bay RV Resort offers convenience, fun, and a family friendly environment 365 days a year. For water-goers, a beautiful saltwater beach is located just a few miles away. There, visitors can enjoy swimming and splashing about, along with crabbing, clam digging, and oyster picking. For those seeking land activities, Birch Bay RV Resort has a bicycle and walking track perfect for soaking up the great outdoors.

     This Bellingham RV campground has much to offer. While there is plenty to do on site, guests are also encouraged to enjoy the bounty of activities off site. Shopping, dining, and entertainment options can be found in nearby Bellingham, while Blaine, Lynden, and Ferndale all offer small-town delights. Come and explore everything Birch Bay RV Resort has to offer. Book your trip today!
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Monday, 20 May 2019 14:53

Beachwood RV Resort

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Beachwood RV Resort

     We arrived at Beachwood on a Thursday after being detained at the border coming back into the US from Canada.  This is our first visit to a Coast to Coast resort, and our first park not open to the public.  Like the Thousand Trails campgrounds, it has amenities like pools, spas, fitness rooms, tennis courts and so on, so it wasn’t all that different.  The park is divided up into sections, two sections for people who live there full-time and several for those who don’t.  This is nice because you don’t feel that are the better sites are taken by people who live there.  There is one row of back-in 50amp sites that are large and spaced well, but the bulk of the sites are very tight with little room to camp outside your RV.  We found a great site with plenty of room, which I assume was once in a section reserved for tents as it had no water.  Honestly, what makes a site great is the people you camp next to or nearby.  We had the good fortune to meet several great people, Jim & Helga, Joe & Dianne, and Tom.

      Like I said, the campground has lots of amenities.  There are three pools, kids, family, & adult.  There are three spa tubs, family, adult, and one adult in a sauna.  There is also a separate sauna, a fitness center, an adult center and a family center.  The resort is set up with enough activities to keep the family busy without ever leaving the park.  There is also a small store located on the edge of the property so that it accessible to both people inside the camp and to the public.

     Beachwood RV Resort is located in the town of Birch Bay.  It's a small town that does its best to draw tourists.  There is a large water park and plenty of beach access.  The bay is beautiful, but at low tide, the beach doesn't look that inviting, yet there were lots of people out enjoying it.  The weekend that we were there, there was a classic car show and live music.  (the songs were good, but the singing was pretty bad)  Nearby is the border town of Blaine, it's a bit more touristy (unless you're looking for a postcard)  The border crossing there is Peace Arch Park, which is a beautiful park with lots of history on the making of the US/Canadian border.

      Below is information from Coast to Coast:  

Good Sam Rating: 6.5/5/6.5

Address: 
5001 Bay Rd.
Birch Bay, WA 98230

Resort Information: Resort is located 40 miles from Vancouver and 20 miles from Bellingham, convenient to winter and summer activities in the Pacific Northwest. Designed for the whole family as well as retired couples, the resort is in a wooded setting on beautiful Birch Bay. Saltwater bay offers nonstop summer beach fun, as well as peaceful winter solitude.

Full Sites: 272

Pull-through Sites: 104

Maximum Electrical Service: 30 amps

WiFi Available: Yes, (not at the campsites, but some sites have cable)

Maximum RV Length: Unlimited

Elevation: 0

Amenities: Recreation hall, outdoor pool, Jacuzzi hot tub, spa, sauna, tennis courts, horseshoe, grocery, teen center, playground, volleyball, softball field, soccer field, basketball court, disc golf, fishing nearby. Nearby: Beach.

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