RE: Vail - Million Dollar Highway - Grand Canyon - San Diego
Thanks for your concern, mi amigo, but we made it safely over that beautiful drive 2 days ago and we are now camped at Grand Canyon village...looking at some awesome US scenery before heading south to Baja.
Thanks again, and good travels to all.
RE: Vail - Million Dollar Highway - Grand Canyon - San Diego
Here is an update on our Million Dollar Highway. We drove from Edwards down Hwy 50/550 to Durango and thoroughly enjoyed some fine alpine scenery which reminded me of parts of Alaska, Montana, and Switzerland.
There was only one sharp narrowing curve with a too narrow cement guardrail that would be considered a problem. Plus one very impatient sports car that almost got us ..and him..killed when he passed and narrowly avoided a head-on collision with oncoming traffic. But those drivers are always a problem, no matter the location.
The grades at times were a little trying for my engine and tranny. Pullouts were scarce when we needed them and I felt sorry for holding up the parade.
Tranny/brakes. Will check out the burnt smell today...groan. I just had installed new tranny, brakes, and tires about 5000 miles ago.
Glad we took that scenic drive, but would not do so again in a large motorhome. Now..off to see Grand Canyon again, then home to Baja and relax.
Vail - Million Dollar Highway - Grand Canyon - San Diego
Good Morning,
We are currently camped near Edwards, Co (just west of Vail a few miles) and are thinking of scenic routes to San Diego in our 34ft motorhome. We are not pulling a toad or trailer.
I am wondering if there is anything wrong with this proposed route I am looking at:
From Edwards, Co - we go 127 miles west on I-70
then south on Hwy 50 to meet Hwy 550 and on down to Silverton and Durango.
From Durango taking Hwy 160 west to Cortez ..then staying on Hwy 160 to Tuba City, then south on Hwy 89..then Hwy 64 to Grand Canyon on the south rim.
From there to San Diego by whatever scenic route there is..maybe just the major highways.
So...anything anybody can add to this route ..or suggestions? Thanks, Pompano.
P.S. We are in no hurry to return to southern Baja, because it looks like Baja is going to be pounded AGAIN..Hurricane Rick is coming full force. As if Hurricane Jimena was not enough.
RE: Minneapolis to San Diego...she wants waterfalls.
Thanks for the Oregon suggestions, but we have made that trip so many times already...and thought we'd try a different route to San Diego from Mpls.
Something through Colorado, Utah, down to Arizona..and then on to San Diego?
Thanks to all who responded.
Minneapolis to San Diego...she wants waterfalls.
Around November first(or whenever SHE is ready to go) we plan to take our 34' motorhome from Minneapolis to San Diego - (an then down to Mulege in southern Baja. We will not be towing, plus it's just the two of us and the two little white furballs.
I made the mistake of asking her what she wanted to see...and she said waterfalls. ?? I can't remember many 'really scenic' waterfalls other than those in Yosemite Natl Park, so thought I'd ask here for some suggestions on a good route through the western waterfalls. Niagra Falls is the wrong direction!
So..there's my quandry. Drive from Minneapolis to San Diego with waterfalls? Any ideas? Or should I just do the most scenic routes through the western/southwestern Parks? Places like the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado (Durango -Silverton), Zion Park, Bryce Park, Grand Canyon, etc all come to mind. Surely there are a couple of waterfalls in those places?
Thanks for your help.
RE: Oregon Coast boondocking closest to shore?
Thanks rv2go. Indeed...SEARCH AND YE SHALL FIND...there are 'still' plenty of great free camping opportunities along the coast.
Now, here is a good tip for a very inexpensive site to camp close to the Oregon Coast at Tillamook. $5.00 per night includes water hookup, designated level pad, fire rings, lots of space between sites, uncrowded, a wild elk herd to photograph, peace and quiet, etc, etc.
Where: We are now camped at the Air Museum airport just south of Tillamook. Great views of the coastal mountains, great fun watching vintage airplanes come and go (far enough away to not be bothered by thier engines, and friendly co-boondockers. Finding this place was very easy..right off 101 just south of the Air Museum entrance. Yesterday afternoon, I got a great photo of a vintage B-25 bomber taking off. Today several racers and a couple biplanes mixing it up.
How did we find it? Like we did here, 'we asked'... at the Tillamook Chamber of Commerce when we went for a tour of the cheese factory next door. Easy huh? Well, this is not rocket science.
Good luck and hope you find this place and enjoy it as much as us.
RE: Oregon Coast boondocking closest to shore?
Well, the mood here is one that I will choose to be without. For your information: search 'pompano' and you may find out some past tips on how, where, and when to boondock and otherwise enjoy the RVing experience. I hope they are of some help to you.
Please ignore my request above, as we shall surely find our own way as we have in the past.
Just off the top of my head..and trying to jog a failing memory..good boondocking places are found from Port Angeles, Washington to Imperial Beach, San Diego. Perhaps you just need to look a little harder.
Ocean Beach: (Washington Coast near Westport). Casino lot free.
Garabaldi: Boondocked in a nice graveled and level lot next to a fishing charter company in Garabaldi..with the owners permission. Center of town on Hwy 101.
North Bend: RV lots near airport and riverfrontage. Nice 'gongs' at night from buoys in river. Donation box - we left $10. No services, but a nice level and marked site. Very unique and pleasant watching small aircraft.
Florence area near casino RV lot: free
Coos Bay area: casino lot..dry camp free or small fee of $10
I can barely recall so many others in large market parking areas, remote turnouts, forest lanes, and also some Baja amigo's driveways...but these images are fading and I should have written them down.
Like I said, perhaps I have posted others in the past, I forget. Hope you can benefit by those...just search.
Now...adios and we are off boondocking down the Oregon, California, and Baja coasts.
RE: Oregon Coast boondocking closest to shore?
Thanks for your reply, donn0128, but we have found a few booddocking places in the past along the coast and were just wondering what, if any, new ones had been added. Appreciate your advice, though.
Oregon Coast boondocking closest to shore?
Mission accomplished.
*Question re-instated by many private message requests*
Subject:
Looking for - free camping - almost free camping - boondocking places along Hwy 101? Washington Peninsula to San Diego.
RE: Billings, Mt to Northern Oregon Coast
Thanks very much for the route advice. We will be make the Hwy 12 turnoff at Missoula for sure and head it west. Explore a bit here and there towards the Columbia Gorge.
Actually I have been on Hwy 12 a few times in the past. A memorable trip on that scenic highway was about 15 years ago when a forest fire was underway. I came up to a forest service roadblock on my motorcycle and was the last one vehicle they let through before closing the road until the fire was contained. Was a smoky ride, but exciting!
We will explore the suggestions made here and look forward to seeing more of America. Then some salmon!
Billings, Mt to Northern Oregon Coast
We are currently in Billings, Mt and heading west to join some folks for salmon fishing at Reedsport, Oregon. But that's not until September 20th, so we've got lots of time.
I know the easiest route is I-90 but we've been on that so many times and would like to see some new sights and better scenery. We are driving a 34' Class A and not towing anything. I really like the Oregon Coast and would like to begin our southward journey from as far north on that coast as possible...maybe Astoria?
Any suggestions? Thanks, folks.
RE: Wal Marts in Canada and overnighting?
Walmart camping in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba is okay. We were just there shopping and there are some RVs in the lot that were there yesterday. As always,'asking first' is an obvious necessity.
RE: Scenic campground wanted in Southeastern Manitoba!
WE stayed in the cg at the International Peace Gardens - just south of Brandon - a couple of years ago. Very nice place - especially when the gardens are in bloom!
Thanks for that report on the Intl. Peace Gardens, cruiserjs, but that park is in the SouthWESTERN corner of the province. As I said, we are looking for tips on the SouthEASTERN corner of the province.
Actually, we stayed in the Peace Garden in early June and were the only campers in the RV camp that night..it was okay, very peaceful and quiet. Although for only an electric hook-up, , I thought $35 was fairly steep. You are charged 25 for the site and another 10 to enter the Park.
I have decided to give St. Malo Provincial Park south of Steinbach a try. There is some interesting history associated with the place..and it's namesake, St. Malo. There is a shrine we will check out, plus it has a lake and nice walks through the woods. A Saturday Farmer's Market, too.
Thanks for the advice, Pompano.
Scenic campground wanted in Southeastern Manitoba!
Hi, we have a 34'ft motorhome and will be visiting friends in Manitoba later this week..July 10th - July 13th We all want to converge at a campsite/campground that is a convenient distance for all of us. Nice scenery is our goal.
Some frieds are coming from Portage la Prairie, south central Manitoba and others from Warroad, Northwestern Minnesota. A nice campsite somewhere halfway between these towns would be perfect, but I am having problems finding any information for that general area.
Lake of the Woods is too far to the south..and Whiteshell Park is too far north and east. Kenora and Thunder Bay are way too far.
Our area would be the southeastern corner of Manitoba. Maybe around Steinbach, MB?...or?
Does anyone have a good suggestion that might help us? Many thanks, Pompano.
RE: North Dakota
cruiserjs is correct. We stayed at the Intl. Peace Gardens campground just 4 nights ago. It is located just north of the town of Dunseith, ND. The entrance to the park is just before you get to Canadian Customs. No identification of any kind was required. The nightly rate was $22 for a full hookup, plus a $10 entrance fee to the Peace Gardens. This was charged by the province of Manitoba. A very huge park, we were one of 3 campers we saw that night..very serene place. We were impressed with the acreage and many facilities found here.
The music festivals draw much bigger crowds later in July and August. The flower gardens are world-class.
When leaving the next morning we were required to show passports to cross into Manitoba, Canada. And also 1 day later when reentering North Dakota at US Customs.
RE: North Dakota
redhawk...it wasn't just the local Sioux fighting the Battle of the Little Big Horn, it was also the Cheyenne. Chief Rain in the Face of the Cheyenne was a notable warrior alongside Chief Crazy Horse, Sioux Nation.
The battlefiend still has an eerie feeling to it. A good place to visit and remember the past.
RE: Fishing in ND
Since the 60's I have fished about every body of water in ND containing walleyes.
An impoundment of the Missouri River, Lake Sakakawea is a great fishery. For August I would try the lake's Van Hook Arm near Newtown and Parshall, ND. There are a couple of nice campgrounds in those areas and have launch ramps, docks, and services. Lots of fisherman camp here and will be glad to show you the ropes.
Have someone show you 'Shell Village' and fish there.
Try slow-trolling shadraps (no. 5's gold color) down deep as slow as you can..2mph is too fast. Also bottom-bouncers with minnow or leech is a killer.
If I were in ND in August, that's where I would be, but it is way too hot for me then. I am going to be about 900 miles further north in Manitoba & Saskatchewan's glacial lake country...which is simply fantastic scenery with unbelievable fishing. God's Country and Giant Mosquitos!
Good luck and tight lines.
RE: North Dakota
We just completed a cross-country trip of about 3500 miles. From our home in Baja Sur to Pacific Coast to Montana to Lake of the Woods, Minnesota...naturally driving thru North Dakota.
We knew we were in North Dakota because this is the first place that an uncoming driver WAVED at us. A real-person thing.
Guess that says something about a special place. I won't recommend the state, because I am selfishly hoping it doesn't change.
RE: Grizzlies while boondocking near Yellowstone?
A grizz will chase you up a tree....a black will climb up with you.
Grizzlies while boodocking near Yellowstone? I would not give it a second thought beyond using common sense. The chances are greater of you being attacked by a San Francisco fruitloop leftie movie actor, rather than a bear.
Most folks tend to want to over-advise on these bear scenario threads.
Want assurance? Be the alpha creature.
