We're new to RVing, having had our motorhome only since November. Until now, we've only stayed at pre-planned destinations within a days drive of home. We are about to embark on a trip through Oregon (east side through Bend) ultimately staying at a fairgrounds site near Portland where we'll attend a dog show. We will have our two show dogs with us.
Where do people stop along the way for overnight stays? Do you try to plan ahead and make a reservation for each night? I'm not sure how far we will get any day so pre-planning is kind of tough.
We want to stay in the Bend area for a few days but it appears that the few RV parks in Bend have dog breed restrictions. We show Rottweilers and they are on the banned list at at least one park. (Small Rant: Because they show, our dogs are better behaved than 99.9% of dogs in the general public but these park operators seem to prefer discrimination against a whole breed rather than simply requiring that dogs be controlled and well behaved.)
Have you checked with any of the state parks in the area to see if they allow Rots. I know most of our state parks allow dogs and have not heard of any ban on a particular breed of dog.
I'm including a link for the Oregon Dept. of Park and Rec. There is a section for FAQ, and contact them if your question is not there.
I don't travel with pets. But I don't make reservations either. My travel days can be 2 hours or 6 hours, tops. I'll generally seek out government parks first and then Passport America affiliated parks offering a 50% discount. I'm not opposed to parking on blacktop or down a forestry road for one night. Being self contained affords one that freedom from having to stick to a hard schedule.
By 'blacktop' parking, I mean parking and resting at truck stops, travel centers, rest areas, box stores, restaurants, churches, or any private property where permission is granted and no ordinances or covenants are violated. It's really not as difficult as it seems. Travel safe.
Probably 95% of CG's allow pets.... but a few do have size restrictions. Pre-planning can be tough but sometimes its worth it especially if you around "the go to places" to camp. We try to pick our destination for the night when sitting down to lunch each day. Get a Woodalls or Trailer Life directory and see what's available in the area you select. Call them about the need for reservations and tell them what you have in the way of pets.
I agree with the generalization the some people do about certain breeds. Our miniature schnauzers (11 lbs) probably misbehave more than 90% of the other dogs in a park. I think we need a session with Caesar... does he do road trips. Good Luck.
I don't believe OR State Parks have breed restrictions. They have to be on leashes though (max 6ft) or "restrained" as in a kennel or tent that they cannot get out of. Tumalo State Park is right outside Bend, Cove Palisades is near Madras, and very beautiful. There are also a number of campgrounds on federal lands, such as near the Newberry Crater south of Bend (Newberry by itself is worth a trip.) Of course they are usually dry. From Bend to Portland is approx. 3.5-4hrs. If you can't make it in one day, the Warm Springs Indian Reservation Casino has an RV Park and there are campgrounds along US 26 in the Mt. Hood Natl. Forest.
Andreas E.
Vancouver, WA
with DW, 2xDD, and 2 dogs
TV: 05 Chrysler Pacifica
TT: 08 Fun Finder x160
You might also want to try to find some small city or county campgrounds. Also, the National Forest has beautiful sites although most do not have hook-ups.
Marilyn w/ Joe, 2000 Xplorer Class B van, usually pulling a Ranger bass boat.
Smudge, (in photo) a Shih Tzu/Yorkie Mix and Gizmo is waiting at the Rainbow Bridge
We travel with our 100 lb mutt, and before him with a 100 lb Kuvasz and his best friend 40 lb Norwegian Elkhound. Rarely made reservations, but rarely stayed in commercial campgrounds. We prefer provincial parks, and when in the US the state parks. Usually no hookups, but who needs'em? That's why we have an RV ... to get out and about and away from civlization.
Usually around lunch time I check the road map and camping books to see what camping might be ahead. Sometimes we don't find anything reasonable, so will end up "boondocking" on a sideroad, sometimes in a rest area. Our dogs don't seem to care if we're in a park campground or roadside.
And if we're in an area that is popular with RVers and if we really want a CG spot badly, we plan to stop by 2 or 3 p.m., so we're certain to get a site.
Thanks for all the tips. We'll check out the state parks and other campgrounds surrounding the Bend area and we will just take pot-luck on where to stay along the road. My dogs are dogs so they don't care where we park. My wife has never been much of a camper so I probably have to find her a "real shower" occasionally to keep peace in the motor home. Otherwise, she's happy if her TV works for an hour each night.
When we travel, we download and print up all the flyingj.com truck stops. This gives us there location and fuel prices, you can do the same with a number of other brand name truck stops like pilot or T/A. MOST truck stop cater to RV's, and you can spend the night in a RV parking lot or with the trucks. Most Flyingj's have a dump station's, some T/A's do. Have fun.
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