Dilworth RV Trip - Part 3: Catch-up and Miscellany

 Well, well, well... now there's a deep thought.

Where has this blog gone? I know its absence had some of you saying "Daggett, Yermo!" Well, I was saying the same whenever I drove on Daggett-Yermo Road outside of Barstow, CA. Google it. Or better yet, Google Maps it.

Where did we leave off? Oregon Coast? Hoo boy... much has happened. A brief gestalt of each stop.

Crescent City, Redwoods National Park

Disaster struck our RV upon pulling into Village Camper Inn. A combination of an inexperienced RV puller (me), tight spots, and lots of poles to delineate each spot. Too many poles, some would say. Me? I blame the driver. Anyway, I scraped the fender of the 5th wheel against a pole as I was pole-ing in. Pretty minor cost-metic damage. Will probably look into a replacing the fender when we get back to WA.

Very peaceful stay, overall. The majesty of the Redwoods really was something to behold. To date, probably my favorite "family adventure" that we've done anywhere was our later afternoon river hike in Fern Canyon at Gold Bluffs Beach, between Crescent City and Eureka. For those of you familiar with the Oneonta Gorge hike in the Columbia River Gorge,  it's a very similar vibe, but there's also a beach with elk. We definitely want to return for a long weekend someday.

Red Bluff, Redding, Lassen Volcanic National Park

We stayed at the KOA in Red Bluff. Nice digs, but spendier than some of the other RV Parks or Campgrounds. We spent a family afternoon in Redding at the Sundial Bridge and nearby walks. We also ate a lot of In-n-out while in Redding, and I discovered that returns to Ace are not really "a thing" if you're not going back to the store of purchase.

I took a half-day off of work and we went to Lassen Volcanic National Park for the late morning to afternoon. This place was a sight to behold. I hadn't seen any sort of volcanic activity since I was a 6-year-old at Yellowstone. There were awe-inspiring boiling mudpots on the side of the road near the visitor center. The vistas of the surrounding mountains were also astounding.

Hannah, Calvin and I hiked to Bumpass Hell, a larger area of geothermal activity. It was not an easy hike at that time of year (snow on the ground), particularly for children without the proper gear. But we (I) were (was) determined. And it was definitely worth it, not only for the sights at the end, but for the lesson in perseverance and the reward of shakes and animal-style fries that were earned afterward.

Olema, Muir Woods National Monument

The RV update here was that it was a busy weekend at the only campground in the Bay Area that allows big(ger) rigs, Olema Campground. We didn't think we would get a spot for the day that we wanted, but thankfully they fit us in probably the narrowest back-in spot we had had to-date. Probably not as difficult to get in as the Alpaca Farm (0 stars!), but still not easy. Our neighbors were already there partying for the Veteran's Day Weekend. So I got to have an intoxicated audience for backing in! Could be worse, I suppose. Straight back-in didn't really work (poles), driver-side back-in didn't seem like it would work due to poles/angle. I ended up doing a passenger-side back-in with a fairly long runway. While attempting the straight-ish back-in, my intoxicated neighbor came up and refreshed my memory on the basics of how to turn the steering wheel in order to get the RV to turn. Not super helpful, but hey, his heart was in the right place. Guess I must have looked pretty pathetic.

Once we got parked and hooked up to water and electric, my sister Lindsay came over for a dinner of our famous lentil soup and a night of Apples to Apples. It was a really fun time. We've loved every time we have gotten to see a familiar face on this trip, and this was no exception.

The next day, we went on a hike with Lindsay at Muir Woods. Beautiful. The drive from Olema along the cliffs on 101 was also stunning. It would have been a lot more fun in a Tesla Model S than in a Ford F350, but beggars can't be choosers, as they say. We also drove across the Golden Gate Bridge that afternoon, just for the views and to say we had done it, and spent the afternoon at Stinson Beach. I've always been a Bay Area skeptic, but I can see why people are willing spend the money to live there after spending a couple days. It gives the beauty of the northwest a run for its money.

While there, Calvin earned himself a local chocolate-covered apple by helping a nice couple from Danville unlock their teardrop trailer by climbing through the back window. They gave him the apple, not me.

This will have to suffice for now, since I need to turn my attention elsewhere. Pictures below. Up next-- Sequoia, Death Valley, Channel Islands and Thanksgiving.

Dilworth Family RV Trip - Part 2: The Coast with the Most

Dear reader,

It's been far too long. Much has happened, both in our country and in our 5th wheel. As I write these words, Mike Tyson is psyching himself up for the fight of his life against a young upstart by the name of Jacob Paul. What a time to be alive.

When I last documented our journey, we had just arrived in Vancouver, WA, or Ridgefield, WA if you prefer. Well, what happened next in Vancouver? Not a whole lot. We ate some Burgerville, I worked from my parents' house and we got some new shoes. Keens. The footwear of an adventurer, or so I'm told. And so we felt as we walked through Fern Canyon in Redwoods National Park a couple weeks ago. The shoes were an early Christmas gift for the family from my parents.

10/28/2024: A Side Quest

During the Dilworths' time in Vancouver (or Ridgefield), I (Colin) did have to embark on one quick side quest. I noticed that our temporary license plate on the RV was set to expire in late October. The cops aren't going to like that! Not. One. Bit. Where was my new license plate? I called the dealership in Idaho where we had purchased the RV. They informed me that they sent the license plate to the licensing office nearest to our "house". The one in Otis Orchards, not Lake Stevens.  Would they tell me which one it was? No. Lucky for me, I'm a pretty good guesser. Comes with being an actuary, I suppose (or guess). I called Auto Licensing Plus of Spokane Valley. Bingo! Could they send the license plate to me? No. According to, let's call her Janette, of Auto Licensing Plus, my address on the DOL website did not match the address on my licensing paperwork so I had to change it on the DOL website and then come in person. Thanks a lot, Janette. (No actual shade on Janette. She was pretty helpful. And her name probably wasn't Janette. Possibly Pauline or something.).

So the following Monday I booked a flight from PDX to GEG with miles. I caught an Uber with a gentleman by the name of DR. Probably not his real name, but it was really the only name he gave me. Great conversationalist. 5 stars. I got his cell number so he can by our go-to Uber guy in the Spokane region. What can I say? I like to network. And, I came to find out he's a fellow Otis Orchardsian. Small world. He also provided me the hot tip that Trump would surely win the election and to attend Victory Faith on Sundays once we made the move to Spokane. First tip turned out to be blazing hot. Second tip is likely on the cooler side as I'm not one to attend a church that doesn't prominently have "church" in its name. Definitely no shade on DR or Victory Faith, though. Unlike Janette.

I could say more about the renovations of PDX/GEG or the great service at the cafe in GEG, but this is getting too long-winded for a side quest. I will say, though, that the side quest was a success, but our truck still does not have a license plate. According to Riley of Arlington Chevrolet, there's a license plate shortage because the government has let too many criminals out of prison. Regardless of your opinion on the forced labor of inmates, the lack of license plate is a real bummer, man.

Well... that brings us to the week of 10/31 which we spent in Lincoln City, OR and Reedsport, OR. Time for another... vignette? Idk.

10/28/2024 - 11/2/2024: A Toast to the Coast 

We are gathered here at this blog to honor the Oregon Coast. (I mean, that's not like the meta-reason or whatnot, but let's just say it is for the sake of the writing style I've chosen here. I liked how "coast" and "toast" rhymed, and didn't want to just keep saying "we did this" or "we did that" or giving some silly made-up anecdote about an Uber driver. Not that you can't do that in a toast. Anyway...).

Oregon Coast, everyone knows your RV parks are beautiful. Full hook-ups. Bit rainy and dark. Bit full of old folks who like to stay up late drinking in the clubhouse. But with a certain je ne sais quoi and a great view of the sky for Starlink. Next time, though, tell your park manager to ease up on the speed limit monitoring. The difference between 7.5 MPH and 10 MPH on a standard speedometer is almost indistinguishable with the naked eye, or so I'm told.

And, of course, who can forget the Oregon Coast's dining establishments. Kyllo's. Overpriced and underwhelming. $32 for a child-sized cup of crab legs. Mo's. A greasy survivor. A seed oil warrior/enjoyer. A true seaman with chips. Yeah, maybe it got bashed by the waves of Covid and inflation, but does it still serve a hearty bread bowl of chowder with a shrimp louie starter? You know it does. And it will, long after we're all gone. Shoutout to Oregon Coast's dining establishments. (Major side note: Hilltop Inn on 101 apparently re-opened in 2018. WHAT!?!?!? I remember going there with my grandparents when they had a smoking and non-smoking section. Lackluster burger, astounding milk. Simpler times. We didn't go, but it's on my bucket list now).

What about the beaches? Nobody can forget the beaches. Really unforgettable. The water? Cold. Dangerous or frigid, some would say, but I'll go with cold. I'll always remember walking from Mo's almost all the way to Inn at Spanish Head, tossing the old pigskin with my boy Calvin as we walked. Beautiful sunny day. Really the kind of day that makes you want to drive a bit further south and pick up a copious amount of salt water taffy that you'll forget about in the back of the pantry. Yeah, we did that. Oregon Coast remembers!

And, of course, Oregon Coast has the best park in the world, Regatta Park on Devil's Lake. It's retained the same massive wooden structure since I was a child. My kids, Hannah, Calvin, Rose and the youngest one really enjoyed themselves, or so I'm told.

And who can forget Reedsport? ATVs, anyone? Come on. No, we didn't ATV. No, I've never ATV-ed. Bucket list after visiting though.

One thing I will say, and I'm sure Oregon Coast is very self-conscious about this: 101 and RVs. You know where this is going! Very windy. No, not windy. Windy. Like a coiled up snake or a spring. Made for a stressful drive, but hey, I slept like a baby that night. Adrenaline dump will do that to you.

But we all know what we really love about Oregon Coast. It's the nostalgia. For anyone who went there as a kid, you drive into that town you've driven into 100 times before on a childhood vacation, and you're that kid again. Your mind floods with memories. You can smell your grandparents beach house and the salty air and the clam chowder and the greasy Mo's food and the taffy and the new clothes at the outlet mall. You can feel the ice cold water on your skin. You can see your sister swinging a 20 ft long piece of seaweed over her head like an enormous whip. You can feel it hitting you in the eye and then hear her getting yelled at. Simpler times. Beautiful memories.

And did I pick up an enormous piece of seaweed and swing it around like a whip just a few weeks ago? Maybe. And if I did, I was pretty cautious about it!

Anyway, we're here to honor the Oregon Coast. May it always be there. May Dilworths enjoy it for generations to come. May it always be a reminder of its Creator. And may it always bring peace, calm, nostalgia and fun to its enjoyers.

To the Oregon Coast.

Other random observations and facts

I couldn't make these things fit in the toast.

- You can pump your own gas in certain counties in Oregon now. That was almost as much of a shock as the Hilltop Inn.

- We met up with Allie Ortwein, our old friend from Capernwray, in Reedsport. She made us a nice dinner of chicken soup, and we saw the Umpqua River Lighthouse the next day. Very educational! It was nice to catch up and see her town.

- Staying at Half Moon Bay near Reedsport (one night only) was our first time boondocking, which means to RV camp without hookups. We nearly drained our battery, but the price was right and it was a pretty fun time. Beautiful spot as well. 

Here are some pictures.

May the road rise to meet you,

The Dilworths

PS - If you were confused by the end of the paragraph about the Uber driver as to how I felt about Janette, reminder that I never even admitted to knowing her real name. I also admitted in a previous post to being an unreliable narrator. Why are you reading this if you just want me to spit straight facts?

Dilworth Family RV Trip - Part 1: A Man. A Plan. A Jeep... wait...

Dear reader,

You may be asking yourself, why am I here? While such topics aren't off-limits to this medium, I would recommend reaching out to your pastor for a more thorough counsel on such existential questions. For those of you simply wondering why you're reading this blog, hopefully it's because you're a friend, family member or acquaintance of the Dilworth clan, and you are at least vaguely aware that we are somewhere on the West Coast in a 5th wheel. This blog will be documentation of our experiences and proof that we aren't merely hiding out at Angel of the Winds RV Resort, though that is a fine establishment. 

Where to start... well, perhaps it would be helpful to provide a few verbal snapshots of our journey so far as well as some actual snapshots. People like those, or at least that's what Instagram's popularity would seem to indicate. 

10/24/24 - Setting out

It was a sunny Thursday in Arlington, WA. We were, in fact, at the Angel of the Winds RV Resort and had been on and off since 10/2. Very fine establishment, and our 2nd back-in spot to-date (Third, if you count backing into our driveway in the Preserve at Lake Cassidy. The other back-in spot was at the alpaca farm which many of you have likely heard about. Dreadful place overall, but certainly boosted my confidence backing up the Reflection.). I was in the bathroom, as one is in the morning, and I get a call from Steve at Caliber Collision of Monroe. Shout out to Steve. Our Ford F 350 was ready for action, once again, after the fire department had accidentally used the jaws of life on our tailgate. Big Mistake! Anyway, Steve and team worked their tails off to get us on the road by 10/24. They set a goal and ACHIEVED it. Amazing.

Truck in hand and under posterior, we set out. Shortly after 1pm, we were on I-5 south. I said to myself, "Why, I better not take I-5 through Seattle. With this rig behind me? Fuhgeddaboudit." I try to use funny phrases like that in my internal monologue. So 405 it was. Big Mistake! We got to I-5 in Renton about 90 minutes later. Thankfully, that was the most stressful part of this leg. All told, the journey was a little over 4 hours to the Clark County Fairgrounds in Ridgefield.

Once in Ridgefield, we missed the turn for the RV park. Hoo boy... what does one do, one who is new to pulling a 14000 rig? You look for a spot to TURN AROUND! The next left turn was a business park, or possibly some government institution of some sort. Upon a brief inspection, I had calculated that if I turned in there, I would have the exact amount of room needed to turn the RV around, back onto the road, and get on course to our final destination for the weekend. I started the maneuver. It was going great. I was going to make it. But then... I didn't account for the Jeep parked along the eastern-most curb of this small-ish lot that was clearly designed for 5th wheel RVs to use as a turn-around. To quote Lee Iacoca, "It's got to be [a] Chrysler [product]." I thought we were doomed. Thankfully, the owner of said Chrysler product was walking up with her dogs and promptly drove away after I exchanged pleasantries (actual, not euphemistic) with her. You gotta stay cool in these situations, for the sake of the posterity and to keep from sinning. Have I always? LOL. ROFL, even, as the kids say. But we do our best and ask God for help with each test, big or small, and we know He has grace for when you do lose your temper at 6am in the rain and you're trying to back the RV up a block with oncoming cars, and the missus is on traffic detail, and you can't figure out why the upside down wheel hold trick doesn't seem to be working.

Anyhow, back to the evening of 10/24. My parents were gracious enough to bring us Chick Fil A. I got 2 grilled chicken patties with pepper jack. Strictly carnivore? Probably not, but a strong attempt. The kids enjoyed some strips, nugs and sauces and the other adults enjoyed their sandwiches. It was a relief to have made it to southwest Washington. It probably sounds dumb, but we were starting to feel like real RV-ers. We got the kids to bed and talked about how thankful we were that we had pulled the rig safely for a couple hundred miles, safely unhitched, established our hookups and everything was working like a dream. Thank you, Lord!

Thanks for indulging me in this vignette. I don't think I'll have one for every day of our journey, as many days are just work and school, same as when we were in a "sticks and bricks" as the full time road warriors call it. I'll try to post a few more times this week to get caught up to where we are now.

Note that I may be a somewhat unreliable narrator, but at least I'm honest about it "unlike journalist scum" (with a Russian/Eastern Europen accent). I've been intentionally dishonest at least once in the paragraphs above, but only to protect the identity of a loved one suspected of negligent property damage. I may not make it obvious in the future, so take this as your one caveat and roll with it.

Here are some pics of the early days of the journey:

Not sure how that last one got in there, but hopefully the few lefties who read this can take a joke! This post needed it after all that drama with the Jeep lady.

May the road rise to meet you,

Colin, on behalf of the Dilworth clan in the 5th wheel