October 2017 - RV Trip

RV Trip Through Oregon - October 2017

In April, we decided we like using an RV.  The one we rented then was too big and unwieldy.  So - we went a little more upscale and rented a B-Class RV (RV Van) built on a Mercedes Sprinter.  So, basically, we were driving a Mercedes Van that was converted into an RV.  I'll review the RV later.  First - the trip.

Day 1 Thursday 10/5- pick up RV

We had booked the RV for Thursday 10/5/17.  We booked through Outdoorsy.co (which became Outdoorsy.com while we were on our trip) and happened to pick the RV that was rented by one of the founders of the rental website.  I'll review the rental website later.

The website had the pickup/drop-off in Mill Valley.  However, when we finally were able to speak with the owner the day before, it was changed to San Francisco....downtown San Francisco....around noon.  This was 104 miles from our home, which is about the same distance as Mill Valley, but with much, much more traffic.  The drive in took more than 2 hours and the drive home took 3 hours.

We arrived home and cleaned the RV that evening (more on that in the review).

Day 2 Friday 10/6 - Drive to Myers Flat

We had booked an RV park in Myers Flat California as our first stop.  See my review of Giant Redwoods RV Camp on Tripadvisor.  We stayed the night in the small RV and it wasn't too bad.  Definitely at least as comfortable as the previous one.

But - the drive was a night-and-day difference.  The Mercedes (2017) chassis was a dream to drive.  It handled like a nice truck, had lane-assist and all the bells and whistles.  We had cut the drive times down considerable but probably didn't need to.  We decided right then to only consider the Mercedes Chassis.

This was basically just a stop over until we got to Oregon.  Decent place, but not much to see.

Day 3 Saturday 10/7 - Drive to Reedsport, Oregon

From Myers Flat, we were along the coast the entire way to Reedsport.  The coast drive was beautiful.  The weather was clear and sunny.  The drive took a little longer than expected due to at least 6 times we had one-lane traffic due to construction/repair of bridges along the route.  No matter - the driving was easy and the scenery divine.

That night we had our one night out for dinner.  After checking into the Best Western Salbasgeon Inn & Suites of Reedsport (see our review on Tripadvisor), we were given a tip about a restaurant nearby, Harbor Light Family Restaurant.  It was great (see review on Tripadvisor).  We had decided that since we gained 5 pounds on our last trips in April and May, we would eat sensibly - which entailed bringing our own food for the majority of our meals.  Holly prepared our sandwiches in the RV just like at home.  And she brought our Home Chef meals for dinners (minus one, which was when we ate out tonight).  We did have Subway for lunch twice too, but still ate sensibly...and...no weight gain!!

Day 4 Sunday 10/8 - Drive to Vancouver, Washington

We departed Reedsport and the coastal area of Oregon and headed toward I5.  We began through the Umpqua River Valley and as we drove we both uttered "Wow" at nearly the same time.  It was a beautiful area of river, rolling hills and valleys, mist on the hill tops, Elk grazing.  This is they type of area we are looking for - lush, green, interesting.

Once on I5, the drive allowed us to see the central area of Oregon.  We stopped in Eugene, drove through Salem and Portland, and landed in Vancouver.  We stayed at the Double Tree for the night.

Day 5 Monday 10/9 - Drive to Bend

We left Vancouver early, went on Highway 26 through the mountains into the high-desert area of Oregon.  Before getting to Bend we drove to Prineville to look around.  We then headed to the Bend/Sister Garden RV Park (see review on Tripadvisor).  We loved this place (had a RV spot and a fully-furnished cottage adjacent where we had a real kitchen to cook our meal).

Day 6 Tuesday 10/10 - Drive to Medford

We left Sisters, OR and drove down 97 toward Klamath Falls.  We took a detour and went to Crater lake (added about 90 minutes to the drive - at least, as we drove around the east rim.  Very beautiful.  We stopped in Klamath Falls for lunch and headed across 140 to Medford.  We detoured near Medford to look at some areas we had seen with property for sale.  We finally arrived at the Comfort Inn & Suites for the night.

Incidentally - it was at this time that I learned of the fires in Northern California (Santa Rosa and close to my work town - Fairfield, CA).  It was a terrible time back near work.

Day 7 Wednesday 10/11 - Drive Home

We left Medford and began the drive home.  We took 99 through Chico to avoid the fires on I5 (weren't sure but had heard that parts of I5 were involved.  We found out later that this was erroneous information).  We stopped in Chico for lunch and made it home in the early afternoon.  We emptied out the RV and cleaned it.

Day 8 Thursday 10/12 - Return RV

On Thursday we arranged to return the RV in San Francisco.  We went to the gym in Vacaville to work out (by the way - we were able to get a work out most days on our trip utilizing each hotel's gym - minus the Myers Flat and Bend//Sisters RV parks).  We spent 2.5 hours driving into San Francisco (caravan with RV and Prius) and 3 hours driving home.  The smoke in the bay area made it look apocalyptic - very surreal as the smoke blew south from the Santa Rosa area.

Overall Impression of Oregon

We had seen much of Oregon on this trip (except for the extreme East and North-East corner (Joseph - which is more for an Idaho or Washington trip).

We loved the areas just off the coast, in the river valleys.  We did not like the high-desert areas of Bend and Klamath Falls - reminded us of High-Desert in Arizona.  Our next trip will narrow down the search of a place to live (if we decide Oregon is for our retirement).  But who knows - there is still Washington to survey.

RV Rental

Rental website - Outdoorsy.co(m)

After our last rental in April (see our blog), we found Outdoorsy.com.  The website is very well done, showing private RV rentals similar to AirBnB.  We had been looking at the B-class Mercedes models online and found one in Mill Valley.  The booking was very easy.  When we booked, it included insurance (liability) as well as roadside assistance.  Very turn-key experience.

The RV - 2017 Mercedes Coachmen Galleria.

We really liked the driving experience of the Mercedes Chassis.  The only thing that took away from this was the actual RV part of is.  The drawers in the galley would not stay shut.  The first good turn I took, a drawer slammed open and broke my cocktail glass.  Later in the trip I stopped by Walmart and bought some suction cups and bungee ties to secure the drawers.  Also - the lav doors would rattle if you didn't shut them just right.  The bed was a twin in the back with boards to put down with cushions to make a full-size.  It was an awkward setup with the boards down (one was broken and taped).  We definitely found we don't like the bathroom in the mid-area and we don't like a marine bathroom.  This means we will have to look at the B+ models with a dry bath.  We also found that the sliding door was not to our liking.  If you didn't open all the way and catch, it would come sliding closed on you.

At least 10 days prior to the pickup, we began to IM the owner through the Outdoorsy website.  No response until literally the day before our rental.  We were trying to plan when we would pick it up (and where).  When it was changed to SF, that was a big let-down due to the traffic we knew would be there for us.  Also - we had to meet in the parking lot of the Best Buy as there was little room elsewhere to pickup the RV.  Not a pleasant area.  Finally, the RV was 45 minutes late getting there.  Apparently, on the last renting there was an issue so they took it to the shop to have it gone through.  Understandable but annoying.

As I drove it home, I could smell the refrigerator (that unplugged, moldy smell).  When I got home, I realized there was mold in the refrigerator.  I had to take out all the railings and holders to wash, then thoroughly clean the entire RV (it was dusty, dirty all throughout).  We took all of there "extras" out (bedding, dinner ware, etc) and used our own.  After this cleaning, careful use, and another thorough cleaning afterward, the RV was definitely better when we returned it.