The 2024/25 RV Snowbird Season
General RV Chat
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Finally, I got the boat and RV ready for winter. The RV is all cleaned up and ready to hook up and meander south, and the boat is winterized and covered up. Spent the last two weeks at SunLund By-The-Sea RV Park & Cabins,, which has been super convenient being so close to Jack's Boat Yard Here are some pix, as you can see fall is definitely in the air.
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We bid farewell to Sunlund RV Park today after a pleasant 2-week stay and took the Powell River to Comox Ferry to Vancouver Island. It turned out to be a lovely day with a calm crossing. So far, the old Cougar fiver and Ram pickup haven't missed a beat. Towed nice and smooth. :)
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Came across a classic Vancouver Island fall scene on today's walk. Anglers catching salmon coming up the river in Courtenay, BC
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Stopped off for a few days at the Puntledge RV Park near Courtenay on Vancouver Island. It's off-season now, so the lower camping section is almost empty. It's close to the river, a short walk away, and the salmon are running upstream now. It's so cool to see and brings lots of other life, like birds, seals, otters, and human anglers.
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This video provides an update on what we have been doing in October now that boating season has ended. We have stayed in 3 RV parks so far.
First, a 2 week stay at Sunlund RV Park in Lund, north of Powell River, then Puntledge RV Park in Courtenay, and down to Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park in Parksville.Related Links:
Sunlund RV Park - campspot.com/park/sunlund
Puntledge RV Park - puntledgerv.ca
Rathtrevor Beach PP - bcparks.ca/rathtrevor-bea
LYRV&B Substack - loveyourrv.substack.com -
Interesting trees I spotted on the shoreline of Rathtrevor Provincial Park, Vancouver Island. The ocean has eroded the beach from right under them but still standing.
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Our snowbird journey south has begun! We crossed over a couple of days ago aboard the MV Coho ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles. Our first stop was at 7 Cedars Casino near Sequim, WA. Nice big parking lot and up to 3 days stay. Will have a video out later today with scenes from the ferry trip. It was a beautiful fall evening leaving Victoria's inner harbor.
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Our 2024/25 snowbird trip begins with a journey across the Strait of Juan de Fuca aboard the Black Ball Ferry Line M.V. Coho. We took the 4 pm sailing out of Victoria, BC, to Port Angeles, Washington. Our 44-foot-long rig and the two of us cost $248. It's early November, so a tad cool, but the winds were light, and the sun poked through, making for a gorgeous scene as the ferry slowly motored out of Victoria's famous inner harbor.
We arrived in Port Angeles in the dark 90 minutes later and proceeded to our first stop, the 7 Cedars Casino, about half an hour's drive east on Highway 101. The casino offers overnight RV parking in a large lot. 7cedars.com/rv-lot
The ferry and border crossing was smooth sailing. We look forward to heading to the Oregon Coast next for some fall storm watching as the King Tides are on tap November 15th -17th. The highest tides of the season are sure to put on a wave-crashing show!
youtu.be/EzvadTz8qWY 
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Crossed over into Oregon yesterday with a brief sunny break as we passed Cannon Beach. Couldn't resist a stop for a walk on a favorite beach.
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Moving day yesterday from Tillamook down to Winchester Bay. Here are a few shots from along the way. Boiler Bay Wayside and near Heceta Head Lighthouse. The beach below was covered with sea lions. King Tides starts tomorrow, gonna check out the famous Shore Acres State Park viewpoints.
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We visited Shore Acres State Park on the Oregon Coast today. It was a fine fall day for some big wave-watching! 🌊😍
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Views of Spectacular Cannon Beach, OR + Two Free Harvest Hosts Stopovers - We continue our snowbird trip south into Oregon across the Columbia River on the Astoria-Megler Bridge. Two Harvest Host stopovers are sandwiched with a walk in spectacular Cannon Beach. Footage from River Run RV Park on the coast of Washington State and the Blue Heron French Cheese Company in Tillamook, Oregon. youtu.be/JdiBxC8GA1I
Related Links:
2024/25 Snowbird Trip Videos - youtube.com/playlist?list
Harvest Hosts 30% Discount Link - harvest-hosts.com/NZB2XK
River Run RV Park - stayatriverrun.com
Blue Heron French Cheese Company - blueheronoregon.com
Tolovana SRA Cannon Beach - stateparks.oregon.gov/ind -
We got an early start today as we left Seven Feathers Casino, OR, and crossed into Califonia on I5. We were trying to stay ahead of some cold air pouring in from the north. A winter storm warning is starting soon for the Siskiyou Pass area and Shasta area. We made it safely into CA, no frozen stuff just rain and fog. Not a problem for a Vancouver Islander. We drove for 5 hours until the sun came out and temperatures hit 60F. :) We're Overnighting at the Colusa Casino north of Sacramento. Tomorrow, we move to a rice farm for a 3-night stay. It's a Harvest Hosts location I picked because it's just a few miles from the Sacramento NWR. Late November is peak time for waterfowl! So looking forward to some bird watching. Here are a few pics of the trip and our sunny spot at the casino. Just a dirt parking lot but free.
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This video shows footage from our November 2024 RV trip to the Oregon coast to witness the King Tides. Views are from Boiler Bay, Heceta Head, Winchester Bay, and Shore Acres State Park. We missed out on some of the largest waves of the season by a few days, but they were well worth the stopover on the coast. youtu.be/cL033j3xpQI
We were also treated to wildlife viewing, witnessing hundreds of sea lions resting on the shore and playing in the surf at several locations.
Related Links:
2024/25 Snowbird Trip Videos - youtube.com/playlist?list
Winchester Bay Video - youtu.be/MGW_lEwGeqA
Cape Arargo Daytrip - youtu.be/p1GTr6p_RvQ
More LYRV&B Oregon Coast Videos - loveyourrv.com/tag/oregon
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The other day, we made it down to sunny southern California, stopping at the Harris Inn Ranch along I5. Our visit to the Oregon coast was fun but nice to be out of the wet weather.
It's one of our favorite free overnight parking lots. Anne loves the bakery! The RV park construction is finally taking shape. The person at the front desk says phase one, with 20 sites, may be ready in January.
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We made it back to the desert! I got a nice boondocking site at Trona Pinnacles, about 40 miles west of Death Valley, California. I decided to stop off for a bit when I saw a favorable weather forecast for the first week of December. There would be lots of sun and, more importantly, not too much wind. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that holds.
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This is an update on what we have been up to since we left the Oregon Coast. I reviewed our various stops as we traveled south from the Oregon coast to the southern California desert. What a contrast in conditions from the wet, cloudy coast to the dry, sunny desert. It's good to feel that warm sunshine on our faces!
youtu.be/JM8PiS4IqQY*Related Links*
Harvest Hosts 30% Discount Link - (offer valid Nov 1, 2024 – Jan 1, 2025) harvest-hosts.com/NZB2XK
*2015 Trona Pinnacles Video* - youtu.be/TOdEIfEFOqw
2024/25 Snowbird Trip Videos - youtube.com/playlist?list
LYRV&B Substack - loveyourrv.substack.com -
Glad you liked the Pinnacles, great place unless you're playing high school football, there's no grass on the field and its a sure bet
you'll leave a good deal of your hide there when the game's over. -
😁👍
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There was quite the beauty cloud show today at the Trona Pinnacles, and even a few raindrops fell. Thanksgiving weekend is winding down and has quieted dramatically as the off-road ATV crowds have headed home after a fun weekend. I'm looking forward to a peaceful, sunny, warm week ahead.
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To truly appreciate the beauty of the Trona Pinnacles, or the desert, for that matter, you have to see it late in the day or around sunset.
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RV desert camping at Trona Pinnacles National Natural Landmark in Southern California. This stunning location is perfect for a peaceful and unique camping experience. The video was taken in late November and early December. I will show you our camping site at the Trona Pinnacles. loveyourrv.com/free-rv-ca
Also included is a look at the unpaved road in and around the Pinnacles. It is mostly gravel, sand, and rock and, at times, can get badly washboarded and rutted in spots. Camping is primitive boondocking. Pack it in and pack it out. There is one small vault toilet.
For services, the town of Ridgecrest is about half an hour away. Find a Sani Star dump station in the Desert Empire Fairground, propane at True Value Hardware, and other supplies and groceries at a Walmart Supercenter. For more info on the Trona Pinnacles, check out my previous blog post and video from 2015 youtu.be/pmuIR9eA24I
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I took this video last night of the SpaceX rocket launch on the California coast from Trona Pinnacles. I think it was carrying more Starlink satellites to orbit. It looked pretty cool. youtube.com/watch?v=pFAGK
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Yesterday, we hooked up the trailer after a pleasant visit at the Trona Pinnacles and overnighted in Amboy CA, across from Roys Cafe and Motel, a Route 66 nostalgia attraction. Today, we have landed in Joshua Tree National Park at Belle Campground! Lucky to snag a spot to shoehorn our rig into. :)
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Roy's Motel & Cafe in Amboy California youtu.be/dQ0I9D3cVrI
Location details, video footage, and photos from our overnight stopover at Roy's Motel & Cafe in Amboy, California. Located on the historic Route 66 highway. They are now part of the Harvest Hosts membership site, offering free RV overnight parking in a large, flat dirt lot across the street. It was an interesting and nostalgic place to visit and learn the history of the place. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amb
Related Links:
Trona Pinnacles Video - loveyourrv.com/free-rv-ca
Roy's Motel Website - visitamboy.com
Join Harvest Hosts - harvest-hosts.com/NZB2XK (Affiliate Link)
Amboy Crater Video - loveyourrv.com/amboy-crat
2024/25 Snowbird Trip Videos - youtube.com/playlist?list
