Astoria Column

If you read my posts from last week you’ll know that we cut our trip to California short because of some strange noise coming from the back end of the van. After limping her home, we found that the left half shaft was in need of replacement. We had done the right side many years ago up in Anchorage, but just to be on the safe side, Dale decided to replace both half shafts. He bought the parts at our local Napa store and with the help of our son-in-law, Chris was able to install them in about a day’s work. After a short drive around town, he was convinced she was ready to roll again, so we packed her up for a short weekend jaunt to the northern section of the Oregon coast.

On Saturday, December 5th, we headed down I-5 to Castle Rock were we cut over to highway 411 and took that right to the Columbia River. After crossing the bridge we then headed west on Hwy 30 to Astoria. Our first stop was the Astoria Column way up at the top of town. We took some photos there and then headed on down Hwy 101 towards Cannon Beach. My niece, Mindy was spending the weekend at Cannon Beach with her son and boyfriend, so I gave her a call and arranged to meet up with her on Sunday. There are no campgrounds right at Cannon Beach, so after stopping at Ecola State Park for photos, we continued south to Nehalem Bay State Park.

There were almost no campers in the the park but the Yurts were all full. Yurt camping has become a very popular way to winter camp in Oregon and probably other states as well. But we weren’t wanting a Yurt this time, so we picked a spot as close to the restrooms as possible. That’s because we knew it was going to get COLD during the night and the shorter the walk, the better!

When we got up the next morning at 7:30 it was 35 degrees inside the van. We don’t sleep with a heater on, but we do have nice toasty warm down mummy bags that we can draw up around our heads. We stay plenty warm; it’s getting out of them when it’s freezing outside that is the hard part! But when nature calls at 2:00 a.m., you really don’t have any choice but to brave the cold. That’s where long underwear and warm PJs come into play.

After a nice hot cup of coffee and getting packed up we explored the rest of the park. There is a boat ramp, lots of bike trails, and of course beach access. But it was so cold we opted to do most of our sightseeing from the car. We liked this park very much and will likely return sometime when it’s a little warmer.

We headed back north on Hwy 101 and as we approached Cannon Beach we started seeing a dusting of snow on the side of the road. You’ll see in the pictures below we couldn’t resist getting a picture of the Westy in the snow. It was about 11:00 when I called Mindy and left a message. We were just entering the Tolovana area when she returned my call. What a surprise to find that they were staying at the Tolovana Inn – we were just passing it when she called, so we turned around and went into the lobby for a brief visit. It was great seeing her again – I think it’s been at least 5-6 years since I’ve seen her last. Her little boy, Cameron is now almost 7! He was surprised to learn that his grandma is my sister and that the man with all the cool trains is my dad.

After leaving Cannon Beach we cut off Hwy 101 to check out the campground at Fort Stevens State Park and photographed an old shipwreck out on the beach. From there we continued into Astoria where we bought fuel and then crossed over the Columbia River to Washington. We decided to take the Hwy 101 route back to Olympia. 101 is much slower than the inter-state and no where near as scenic as it is in Oregon, but we were in no hurry and it’s always nice to see different roads when we can. We got home at about 5:00 p.m.

The Westy ran great – we heard no more noises from the rear axle; so I think she’s ready for a long trip. Then again, with Christmas quickly approaching, I don’t think we’ll be heading out again for awhile. But after Christmas, we hope to try the California trip again. This time, without the cats!

Here are a few pictures we took this weekend. As you’ll see, I love to photograph the rocky coast around Cannon Beach! And messing with the settings on the Nikon D90 gives us lots of different effects. The first set of “haystack rock” pictures were taken close to sunset from Ecola State Park. The later ones were taken the next day from the south side viewpoints at around 10 in the morning.

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Camping with Foxy and PD

Lots of folks take their dogs with them when they go camping, but taking cats along is a different story.  Dogs are much more content on a lease than cats, and if they happen to get a chance to run away you can be pretty certain they will return.  With cats you can’t  be so sure – they get scared and who knows where they might go.

We have taken our cats camping on several occasions.  Last fall we were camping in our tear drop trailer and the cats slept in the car.  This year we took the Westy and they slept inside with us.  Although they ride very well in the car, living with them inside such a small vehicle for a week turned out to be a bit more challenging that I imagined.  The biggest issue was the mess they made.  Why is it that a cat can never use the litter box without tracking the litter out when they’re done!  Someone should invent a litter that will not stick to the cats feet!  Then there was also the problem with white cat fur sticking to everything.  Our short hair gray cat, PD doesn’t shed so bad, but the part Siamese long hair cat, Foxy, sheds constantly and we found her fur on the counters, the curtains, the upholstery and of course on the carpets.  If we had been gone much longer I think we would have been forced to go to a car wash to use their vacuums to clean the interior!

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So if you can get past these couple issues, camping with cats is definitely doable.  Here are some tips to help make it work for you and your cat(s).

The first thing you’ll need is a lease and harness.  We have 2 types of harnesses and believe me, the one with the 2 buckles is by far the better choice.  Both cats have managed to get out of the single buckle harness, but unfortunately, I’ve not been able to locate another 2 buckle variety.  PD is the least likely to wiggle loose, so she wears the red single buckle one, but our “wild one” Foxy is better constrained by the purple one with double buckles.

For leases we bought the 3/8 inch 5 or 6 foot variety available in any pet store and then added a carabiner to the end so we can attach it to a high line.

A high line is a piece of rope that you attach between a couple trees .  With two cats it works best if you can make 2 high lines so they don’t tangle themselves up.  We use some inexpensive 1/4″ rope and stretch it about 3-4 feet from the ground or even on the ground depending on circumstances.

You’ll want to be sure your cat tolerates the harness ok before you even try the lease.  Put the harness on the cat several days before the trip.  He or she will likely plop on the ground and not move at first.  Don’t worry, they eventually figure out they have to learn to move with this odd contraption on and will start moving around, kinda funny at first, and then after a few hours will likely get used to it to where it doesn’t bother them anymore. Once they are used to the harness, you can try the lease, but trust me, cats will never learn to walk on a lease like a dog. The lease is more of a constraining devise, or you can use it to follow your cat as he or she explores, but don’t expect the cat to follow you.  If you try to walk ahead of the cat, you might end up dragging her, so be watchful!

Ok, next you have to see how the cat reacts to the car. For that you’ll need a cat carrying container. We have two types. One is a hard plastic shell with a wire door and the other is a soft sided zippered case with a nice soft fuzzy interior. The cats seem to like the soft cases better – probably because of the fleecy lining and the fact that there is more room to stretch out inside. But we did find one problem with the soft sided cases. When the front door is unzipped, there is no support for the roof and it tends to naturally collapse a little and completely if the cats decide to walk on the top which they do when we let them loose in the car. Even so, I think I’d still opt to take the soft sided cases in the future since the cats seem more comfortable sleeping in them.

We feel pretty fortunate that our cats actually seem to enjoy riding in our vehicles. Some cats go sorta crazy, but keeping them confined in the “safe haven” of their carrier is the best way to get them used to the car. Once they get to where they ride ok, try opening the door of their carrier and let them come out on their own to explore. Our cats always come out and look around a bit, but after a while we find they’ve gone back to their carriers and settled down for a long nap. How is it that cats can sleep so much? I don’t know, but when we’re traveling, I’m glad they do!  If you do let them out of their carriers be aware of where they are in the car.  Ours are prone to jumping up on the driver’s lap with no warning which can be a bit dangerous.

Also, always know where the cats are in the vehicle before you open a door.  I don’t know if our cats would bolt and run so I just won’t take that chance.  When we’re going to be opening and closing the doors a lot, we generally lock the kitties into their carriers just to be on the safe side.  This is especially important when you’re stopping at photo stops along busy highways.  It’s not as dangerous in campgrounds, but even so – I prefer to not worry that they get lose, so when we’re unpacking or packing up the van they are either leased on their high line or inside their carriers.

Here are pictures of our “cat gear”.  It’s a lot of extra stuff to carry in such a small camping vehicle.  If you’re going in a larger RV, it should be no problem.

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Some other things to remember to bring along when you’re traveling with cats would be a litter box with litter. Make sure you use the clumping litter and don’t forget the scooper! You’ll need an adequate supply of cat food and bowls for their food and water. You might want to also include any grooming supplies and cats toys that you think you’ll need. We also bought a large dog size nylon collapsible kennel to set up outside the camper to contain the cats. Foxy does fine it that, but PD is constantly trying to dig her way out of it, so we haven’t used it too much.

I always keep their food and water bowls filled and available when we’re driving and of course, the litter box is also available at all times.  At night we pop-up the tent on the Westy and put the cat beds and their food and water up there.  The litter box goes on the floor of the front seat so it’s out of the way.

I hope these tips and ideas will be helpful as you contemplate taking your cat(s) on a camping outing.  But after all is said and done, I have a confession to make.  We had a good experience with the cats on our last trip to the Oregon coast, but after spending a week with them in our small Westy van, we don’t think we’ll be doing it again soon.  The main reason we take the cats is that we hate to ask someone to take care of them while we’re gone, but in reality, I think the cats are probably happier staying home in their comfort zone than heading out into unknown places.  We have a very nice neighbor who has helped us out in the past and in exchange we feed his cat when he’s gone, so it’s likely that the cats will stay home on the next trip.

If you read my last post you saw that we were in a Burger King in Coos Bay writing that blog post.  We also shopped at Walmart for a few items and rented a movie from Red Box.  By the time we finished all this it was about 3:00 pm – way too late to drive any distance.  So we checked our map and noted that there was a state park near Bandon just 21 miles south of Coos Bay and so we were off!

The campground was called Bullards Beach State Park, and although there were quite a few campers there already, there was plenty of space and we quickly set up a nice camp.  But by the time we were done, it was dark and we hadn’t had a chance to head out to the ocean, so we talked about the possibility of staying there two nights if the weather looked good the next day, which was Thanksgiving.

The morning dawned sunny and we decided to stay put for one more day.  We planned to head into old town Bandon and also to check out the ocean, but things changed when the weather had made a complete turnaround by about noon.  It started to rain and it poured all day and all night with quite high winds as well.  We were basically trapped inside the Westy for the complete day.  We read for awhile and then watched our movie from Red Box.  The wind and rain was so strong that I couldn’t cook outside so we were forced to use the inside stove.  With not much room to prepare a nice meal, we opted for ham and cheese sandwiches and chicken noodle soup – not much of a Thanksgiving dinner, but we could at least be thankful we were safe and dry.

By Friday the rains had stopped so we broke camp and took that drive out to the ocean and into Bandon.  It looks like a cute little town but it was too cold to make us want to get out and walk, so we mentally put it on our list to explore next time we come this way.

Now for the complete change of plans.  We had noticed on Wednesday as we made our way towards Bandon that the van was making a strange noise.  Dale was concerned that maybe there was something wrong with the engine and we talked about whether we should continue the 750 or so more miles to the Westy shop in California or should we drive it back home.  I think it was a combination of things – the engine noise, the cats getting restless, and the cold wet weather that helped us make the decision to head home.

As it turned out, we did the right thing to head home.  Friday we drove north on Highway 101 to Beverly Beach State Park were we rented a very nice yurt for $30.  It was nice to have a little more space for a change.  We had a covered porch were we set up the camp stove and ate inside while watching another movie.  These yurts will sleep 5 adults, so there was definitely lots of room.  I think I had my best sleep of the whole trip there.

On Saturday morning we quickly packed up our gear and started the push for home.  The car continued to make noises, but by now Dale had determined it wasn’t the engine, but likely a wheel bearing going out in the left rear wheel or maybe the half shaft.  Either way, we were nervous as to whether it would make the distance.  It seemed to do much better on straight, flat road, so we cut away from the ocean route at Tillamook to take Highway 6 back over to Interstate 5.  Going over the coast mountains was a little iffy, but once we made the freeway, we never heard the sound again.  By 4:30  we were back home in Olympia and decided we deserved a nice dinner out!

I sat down at about 8:00 to sort out some pictures and begin working on this blog article.  It’s 10:45 now and I’m finally getting almost done.  I found that a new update to the Word Press software had disabled the photo view software I’m using, so I had to go looking for a solution to that.  There was an update, so after installing that, all seems to be finally working again – I hope.  Guess I’ll find out once I publish this article!

So I guess this will be the last of my posts for awhile.  We hope to get the wheel problem fixed soon and hopefully get back out on the road again this winter, but with Christmas approaching fast, we’re not sure when.  It might be after the first of the year before we travel again.  One thing for sure – we won’t be taking the cats again.  That reminds me – maybe I will post one more time this week to tell you more about traveling with the cats.  LOL

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We’re finding it’s hard to find wi-fi service to post to the blog from the campsite areas we’ve been.  Today I’m sitting in a Burger King in Coos Bay, Oregon writing this and uploading some photos.

On Monday, we left Eugene and headed west to Florence, Oregon.  Just south of there was an old favorite from years past – Honeyman State Park. Since by then it was already 2:00, we decided to stay.  We set up in the RV area so we’d have power and then took a nice long walk around the campground and one of the dunes trails to get a look at the sand dunes.  Since it was getting dark and we were without the proper shoes, we opted not to walk far out onto the dunes.  The thing that totally amazed us here was the number of ATV riders.  Campers come from miles around to camp in this area to ride their ATVs on the dunes.  Licence plates told us they came mostly from Oregon, California, Washington and Idaho, but I can imagine that during the summer they would come from anywhere in the western US.  Looks like a fun, but very expensive family sport.

On Tuesday morning we broke camp and headed south again on Highway 101.  We stopped at a few scenic spots for photos and in chatting with a couple visiting from Idaho, learned about a nice area near Coos Bay called Charleston.  We checked the map and found there was a couple Campgrounds there, so we headed out and found both the Sunset State Park and Bastendorff County Park.  We opted for the county park since they had cell phone coverage and the other didn’t.  It was also almost empty, so after the noise of the ATV riders yesterday, this was a very pleasant and quiet surprise.  A plus is that we’re parked within view of the ocean, so you’ll see some early morning photos in the gallery below.

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We left home on Saturday afternoon about 1:00 and got to our friends’ home in Eugene, Oregon in time to go out to dinner and watch the tail end of the Oregon/Arizona football game, which Oregon won.  We would have left the house earlier, but the final packing took a little longer than we planned for.  It’s crazy how much stuff you can cram into one of these Vanagons.  And of course, we have the 2 cats with us and all their paraphernalia.  (More on the cats later.)

Sunday was a lazy day just hanging with Kurt and Karla and then a trip to a local park.  The weather has been pretty nice.  Mostly sunny with a few scattered showers.  We had a nice dinner at home on Saturday night.  Then in the evening I helped Karla set up a basic web site for her new business plan.  She plans to start a transcription business.

Monday looks like a sunny day in Eugene and we’ll be heading for the Oregon coast and then continue south.  Need to pack up our stuff and get on the road.  I wanted to post a couple pictures, but forgot my SD card reader, so we’ll have to stop at Best Buy and pick one up this morning so I can get some photos uploaded.

OK, got the pictures uploaded so here are some pictures – mostly of a park we visited in Eugene.

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Our 1985 Westy

We bought our 1985 VW Westfalia camper in April of 1995.  She was like new on the inside, but had some engine problems we had to get fixed before we could run her, but that made it easier to negotiate a better purchase price.  Her first road trip was in May of 1995 when I and a couple girl friends drove her to Alaska for our motor coach driving  jobs with Gray Line of Alaska.  She ran beautifully with the exception of a small propane leak which we got repaired in Prince George, BC.  The next summer I ran her to Alaska again with no problems.

From 1997 to 1999 my base of operations was in Fairbanks and I didn’t really need a car up there, so I left the Westy at home and either flew or drove a bus tour to get there and back.

In the year 2000 I moved back to Anchorage and needed a car again so I drove our Westy up the Alcan for the 3rd time.  This time she also ran fine, except that while in Anchorage she developed a transmission problem which I spent considerable money getting repaired.  She seemed fine until Dale flew to Anchorage to drive down the highway with me in September.  About the time we got to Tok, Alaska we realized the tranny was acting up again and was actually leaking fluid by the time we made it to the Alaska/Yukon border.  So we turned her around and drove 400+ miles back to Anchorage and then waited another week for the repairs to be made – again!  By the time we were able to leave Anchorage it was Sept 29 and the snows were starting.  We had snow all the way to southern BC!  But the Westy did good for us and we actually had a fun time – with the exception of a flat tire in Beaver Creek, Yukon.

In 2001 I started working for a new tour company based in Minnesota.  I had to get to Wabasha, Mn to pick up my bus, so the Westy served me well for one more long haul trip and got me home again in the fall.  But that was the last trip for her.

In the fall of 2008 we purchased a little tear drop trailer for camping.  We immediately took it out on several outings but soon realized it wasn’t a good camping rig for cold, wet weather and since that’s what he have a lot of here in western Washington in the fall, it also has been sitting in our garage without much use.  (I’m still working in Alaska during the warm weather months.)  The problem is, I still want to get out and go camping.

The Solution – our old faithful Westy!  She’s been sitting under cover in the garage for years, but because of her age, there were some important repairs she needed before we could camp in her again.  Number one, the propane tank was out of date and needed upgrading.  We mail ordered a new tank from GoWesty in California and Dale was able to get that installed and plumbed without much trouble.  We also had to replace the top roof vent which had been cracked for quite awhile.  That was also a fairly simple procedure with parts from GoWesty.  The water pump for the tap water system was also defunct, so again, GoWesty was able to provide a new water pump and we now have running water again in our sink.

So we now have a working vehicle that we can use in the cold weather of Washington.  This past week we’ve been tweaking a few minor things and packing her up for a trip south.  We’ll spend our first night in Eugene, OR with friends, but from there on south, we have no set schedule.  We’ll be making our way south to San Luis Obispo for sure, because that is where the GoWesty store/shop is located and we do want to purchase a few other parts and accessories for the van, one of which is a memory foam mattress topper for the lower bed to make it a more comfortable sleep.  (I’ll be looking forward to that for sure since the standard bed is a little too firm for my liking.)  We’re also hoping to continue south and east to Joshua Tree National Park.  I’ve never been to the desert before, so that should be interesting.

So the purpose of this blog is to record our travels on this upcoming trip and hopefully many more after that.  We’ll try to keep you posted each day and include photos of our adventures.  It’s been a long time coming – getting out in the Westy again, but I think we’re going to find we will actually use it a lot more than the tear drop.  Although I still love our tear drop, I think we’ll probably eventually put it up for sale.