Ever since the lock-down began in March 2020 in Washington state, it has been very hard to go out, explore and have vacations. We were extremely careful once everything reopened. Few of the things we do was limit meeting people and have a specific friend and family group, quarantine at least a week long after engaging with our friends over weekend, wearing a mask all the time except when eating/drinking, and maintaining 6ft distance.
Summer 2020 was definitely a unique one, and having a lot of limitation on activities or even weekend getaways, as parks and beaches would be too packed, campsites all booked, it was getting very frustrating to be inside all the time in front of our screens.
In midst of our transition phase from end of internship to starting our full time roles, we had an overlay of week off, and decided to jump on the opportunity.
Pack your bags ‘cuz we going on a ROADTRIP!! (Our road trip began from Seattle)
Itinerary
Day 1: Ocean Shores
We left Seattle around 1pm, but stopped at Costco for some food and gas. The drive to the Ocean Shores (except the Tacoma traffic) was very calm and fun. It was around 6pm when we got to Ocean Shores. We didn’t know this, but when we got to the beach we saw all these cars driving on the SAND! It was Sans first time driving on sand – which was pretty cool. Now for the coolest part – our campsite! If you want a private beach access and view campsite at Ocean Shores, book your spot at JB’s RV Park and Campground. The host is the nicest person and super accommodating. The night was super cold and windy – so windy that we couldn’t get our fire-pit started. So bring extra layers. But the night was so peaceful and calm, you could hear the ocean waves throughout the night and even in the morning.
Day 2: Oregon Coast
Next day was very interesting because the morning was a bit gloomy and chilly. Sans had to do her internship presentation while we were at the site. So while Sans was presenting, Kacper was cleaning up and packing so we were ready to head out. Our stop for the day was Canon Beach (128miles). We highly recommend this iconic site! We had a small picnic on the beach under the sun, and Sans accidently took a very LONG nap. It worked out in our favor because we avoided the harsh sun. Kacper went in for a swim (not a good idea-cuz it was very cold) and we just walked down the beach and took in the fresh air.
Left from Canon Beach and started driving to the Tillamook Creamery. We didn’t have a reservation, so we were kind of winging it. As we started getting closer to Tillamook, Sans started calling campsites to check availability and found one! The campground is called Camper Cove RV & Campground. It is a little (15mins) far from the creamery, but it was the prettiest site right next to a creek and super private as well. However by the time we did get here, it was starting to get dark, so we saw most of the site in the morning 😉
Night stay: Camper Cove RV Park & Campground (51.8 miles)
Day 3: Nature Wonders
This day had a sad start – We finally had network so Sans checked her email and had her OPT rejected due to an electronic signature (lame, right?). So she was a bit sad that day, but she put on a smile and decided to continue with our trip as planned. Our first stop was Tillamook Creamery (unfortunately you had to reserve a spot due to COVID – and of course we didn’t realize to check earlier). Didn’t get a chance to go in, but we got some BOMB lunch from there – including ICECREAM!
Since we had a busy day today, we headed out to Devil’s Punchbowl (63.3 miles) – which was SUPER cool but VERY WINDY. When we were getting out of the car, the wind pushed it out and almost hit another car, so watch out! We finished the rest of our lunch from the creamery here and headed out to the next stop.
Next stop was the Thor’s Well (35.2 miles). Sans is a Marvel’s fan so of course we had to check this out. Surprisingly there were a few people without masks – so we were a little cautious. There is a small cute hike to the Thor’s well up from the road where we parked. Be careful – it gets extremely cold and windy. We surprisingly spent like 3hrs here, because its so mesmerizing.
But we had to be at our campsite before sunset, so we headed out to Eel Creek Campground (again booked it last night).
Day 4: Sand Dunes & California
In the morning, we realized that we were camping right behind the Sand Dunes and there was an internal trail with the access to them. But before we get to that, it had been 4 days of us been without shower, so we decided to wash our hair at the site because they were getting greasy. But the reason we’re mentioning this is because we decided to go to the dunes with our wet hair – DO NOT DO THIS! The dunes were AMAZING and literally no one was there.
Today was supposed to be a little relaxing because we had a bit of driving to do. We found this Secret Beach on our way and we decided to go have a picnic here. It was a small but steep hike. We got an entire beach to ourselves!! The water was a bit cold, but not too bad.
After spending some time, we decided to head out to CALIFORNIA! Now we didn’t go far into the state, just barely over the boarder. The drive towards the end is beautiful as you start seeing the big old Red Wood trees. We got a private campsite at Kamp Klamath – the least favorite on this trip. The sites were close together and there were loud large groups, so not ideal for us.
Day 5: Red Wood Forest & Crater Lake National Park
Today we had a long day of driving back up to Oregon, so we decided to have an early start and visited the Klamath Tour Thru Tree (3.4 miles). We barely fit our car through the tree!! We left a little donation for the family who maintains this attraction and headed out to Crater Lake (210 miles)! The drive was so LONG!
We went into the park to go checkout the lake (we both had been there before), but didn’t spend too much time there as there were way TOO many people and not all people were wearing a mask.
You are not gonna be surprised, but we didn’t have a reservation for a campsite, but luckily few people didn’t show up for their sites and we got one at the Poole Creek campground. It was beautiful and quiet site and really enjoyed some hammock time at the site. It was a great way to spend our last night.
Day 6: Back Home (August 29th)
Our last day out in Oregon, we decided to do a hike – Watson Falls (16 miles). When we got to the trail head, it wasn’t much crowded and quiet. The trail isn’t too hard – unless you try to get to the bottom of the big falls. If you are debating to do a hike or not – definitely should do this one as its GORGEOUS and quick!
After the hike, we decided to head back home to Seattle – after a whole week out on the road. P.S. Kacper made Sans pull over just so he can take a photo of himself with the sheep!
Things to Consider
- You can plan your campsites on fly as you have tons of options from public and private campsites.
- Due to COVID a lot of museums and things like that now require reservations, so book ahead if you can.
- We didn’t visit many National Parks, but if you are planning to, invest in the America The Beautiful Pass.
- Keep your meals easy for camping. We usually stuck to croissant egg sandwiches or oats for breakfast and dinner usually involved some pre-packed lentil curry packets from Costco and had some pre-cooked rice.
- We chose not to eat out, as we weren’t comfortable.
- Pack sanitizers and disinfecting wipes.
- Pack a small tripod, so you don’t have to ask people to take your pictures.
- Have fun and make it yours!
If you enjoyed this, like and share! Comment down below what your favorite day on our trip was and what you would want to see more of! – Love K&S
Out of Town 