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the trail from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica, CA - Printable Version +- Wanderlodge Gurus - The Member Funded Wanderlodge Forum (http://www.wanderlodgegurus.com) +-- Forum: Yahoo Groups Archive (/forumdisplay.php?fid=61) +--- Forum: WanderlodgeForum (/forumdisplay.php?fid=63) +--- Thread: the trail from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica, CA (/showthread.php?tid=5998) |
the trail from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica, CA - Jo-Ski - 11-16-2007 16:29 Greetings, folks-- Well, we may just be spontaneous this year and head south towards Santa Monica, CA in December--probably around the Christmas holiday, of course! It's my old teen-age stomping grounds, and we've got some long-time family friends there. Though the scenic route (Hwy. 101) would be lovely to consider, time constrains us to take the I-5 route. Some questions, please: a.. Any suggestions for pleasant campgrounds once you get south, past Portland, OR please? From our great experience this past summer at Jantzen Beach campground (just outside of Portland), we'd stop there for sure for the first night--was lovely. Was wondering if folks had suggestions for good campgrounds/logical overnight stops for the rest of the legs of the trip to the LA/Santa Monica area, please. We were figuring 3 days' travel from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica (does that sound reasonable from anyone else's experience?). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ b.. We've heard of two campgrounds near Santa Monica--Malibu RV Park and the Dockweiler RV Park in Playa Del Rey. Is anyone familiar with those campgrounds, please, or does anyone have other recommendations? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ c.. Also, what can we expect at this time of year down in that neck-o'-the-woods, please? Are the RV parks likely to be booked and jam-packed full? In other words, are we kidding ourselves to even be able to camp at these places? Being still relatively new to the RV world, we don't have a feel for how big this really gets in that area in the winter months. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ d.. And, what about the notorious stretch of I-5 known as "the grapevine" at this time of year? I remember from driving through there in my teens that just about every service station along the way had 20 stalls to accommodate cars whose radiators had blown from the heat. Is it gonna be a stinker to deal with in a Blue Bird at this time of year, por favor? Many, many thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice! Best regards, Jo-Ski (and Stew) "The Bird Abides" '83-FC 35 RB Blaine, WA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] the trail from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica, CA - Curt Sprenger - 11-16-2007 16:52 Malibu RV Park...we've camped there several times and like it. It's an older park, well maintained. Great view of the ocean. Good sea food at the bottom of the cliff adjacent to the park. On Nov 16, 2007 8:29 PM, Jo-Ski > Greetings, folks-- > > Well, we may just be spontaneous this year and head south towards Santa > Monica, CA in December--probably around the Christmas holiday, of course! > It's my old teen-age stomping grounds, and we've got some long-time family > friends there. Though the scenic route (Hwy. 101) would be lovely to > consider, time constrains us to take the I-5 route. > > Some questions, please: > a.. Any suggestions for pleasant campgrounds once you get south, past > Portland, OR please? From our great experience this past summer at Jantzen > Beach campground (just outside of Portland), we'd stop there for sure for > the first night--was lovely. Was wondering if folks had suggestions for good > campgrounds/logical overnight stops for the rest of the legs of the trip to > the LA/Santa Monica area, please. We were figuring 3 days' travel from > Blaine, WA to Santa Monica (does that sound reasonable from anyone else's > experience?). > ---------------------------------------------------------- > > b.. We've heard of two campgrounds near Santa Monica--Malibu RV Park and > the Dockweiler RV Park in Playa Del Rey. Is anyone familiar with those > campgrounds, please, or does anyone have other recommendations? > ---------------------------------------------------------- > > c.. Also, what can we expect at this time of year down in that > neck-o'-the-woods, please? Are the RV parks likely to be booked and > jam-packed full? In other words, are we kidding ourselves to even be able to > camp at these places? Being still relatively new to the RV world, we don't > have a feel for how big this really gets in that area in the winter months. > ---------------------------------------------------------- > > d.. And, what about the notorious stretch of I-5 known as "the grapevine" > at this time of year? I remember from driving through there in my teens that > just about every service station along the way had 20 stalls to accommodate > cars whose radiators had blown from the heat. Is it gonna be a stinker to > deal with in a Blue Bird at this time of year, por favor? > Many, many thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice! > > Best regards, > > Jo-Ski (and Stew) > "The Bird Abides" > '83-FC 35 RB > Blaine, WA > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > -- Curt Sprenger 1987 PT38 8V92 "MacAttack Racing" Anaheim Hills, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] the trail from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica, CA - Don Bradner - 11-16-2007 17:11 From Blaine to Jantzen Beach is 277 miles. From Jantzen Beach to Malibu is 960 miles. Everyone has different ideas about how far they are willing to push things; for us, two ~480 mile days would be unthinkable, but I can't answer for you. Probably if I were crazy enough to do it I would overnight at Dunnigan, Happy Times RV park. Not because it is great (it isn't), but because it is the only convenient spot on that stretch. I've overnighted there a couple of dozen times for that reason alone. That would make it 277, 552, and 429 miles. If it was me, I would do 4 nights on the road. Jantzen Beach, then Seven Feathers in Canyonville, JGW RV Park south of Redding, and Kit Fox RV Park in Patterson. Gives you days of 277, 210, 224, 241 and 308 miles. 3 nights is a bit tougher to space out - hard to find the right park for the second night without a bad split on the distance, but Kit Fox would still be good for the third night. I stay out of Metro SoCal as much as I can, so can't help on the Malibu park thing, but certainly reservations would be a good idea. The Grapevine should not be a winter problem. Just watch your temps and keep the speed/gearing down if necessary. On 11/16/2007 at 8:29 PM Jo-Ski wrote: >Greetings, folks-- > >Well, we may just be spontaneous this year and head south towards Santa >Monica, CA in December--probably around the Christmas holiday, of course! >It's my old teen-age stomping grounds, and we've got some long-time family >friends there. Though the scenic route (Hwy. 101) would be lovely to >consider, time constrains us to take the I-5 route. > >Some questions, please: > a.. Any suggestions for pleasant campgrounds once you get south, past >Portland, OR please? From our great experience this past summer at Jantzen >Beach campground (just outside of Portland), we'd stop there for sure for >the first night--was lovely. Was wondering if folks had suggestions for >good campgrounds/logical overnight stops for the rest of the legs of the >trip to the LA/Santa Monica area, please. We were figuring 3 days' travel >from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica (does that sound reasonable from anyone >else's experience?). >------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > b.. We've heard of two campgrounds near Santa Monica--Malibu RV Park and >the Dockweiler RV Park in Playa Del Rey. Is anyone familiar with those >campgrounds, please, or does anyone have other recommendations? >------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > c.. Also, what can we expect at this time of year down in that >neck-o'-the-woods, please? Are the RV parks likely to be booked and >jam-packed full? In other words, are we kidding ourselves to even be able >to camp at these places? Being still relatively new to the RV world, we >don't have a feel for how big this really gets in that area in the winter >months. >------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > d.. And, what about the notorious stretch of I-5 known as "the >grapevine" at this time of year? I remember from driving through there in >my teens that just about every service station along the way had 20 stalls >to accommodate cars whose radiators had blown from the heat. Is it gonna >be a stinker to deal with in a Blue Bird at this time of year, por favor? >Many, many thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice! > >Best regards, > >Jo-Ski (and Stew) >"The Bird Abides" >'83-FC 35 RB >Blaine, WA the trail from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica, CA - Jon - 11-16-2007 17:52 --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Don Bradner" > > From Blaine to Jantzen Beach is 277 miles. From Jantzen Beach to Malibu is 960 miles. > > Everyone has different ideas about how far they are willing to push things; for us, two ~480 mile days would be unthinkable, but I can't answer for you. > > Probably if I were crazy enough to do it I would overnight at Dunnigan, Happy Times RV park. Not because it is great (it isn't), but because it is the only convenient spot on that stretch. I've overnighted there a couple of dozen times for that reason alone. That would make it 277, 552, and 429 miles. > > If it was me, I would do 4 nights on the road. Jantzen Beach, then Seven Feathers in Canyonville, JGW RV Park south of Redding, and Kit Fox RV Park in Patterson. Gives you days of 277, 210, 224, 241 and 308 miles. > > 3 nights is a bit tougher to space out - hard to find the right park for the second night without a bad split on the distance, but Kit Fox would still be good for the third night. > > I stay out of Metro SoCal as much as I can, so can't help on the Malibu park thing, but certainly reservations would be a good idea. > > The Grapevine should not be a winter problem. Just watch your temps and keep the speed/gearing down if necessary. > > On 11/16/2007 at 8:29 PM Jo-Ski wrote: > > >Greetings, folks-- > > > >Well, we may just be spontaneous this year and head south towards Santa > >Monica, CA in December--probably around the Christmas holiday, of course! > >It's my old teen-age stomping grounds, and we've got some long- time family > >friends there. Though the scenic route (Hwy. 101) would be lovely to > >consider, time constrains us to take the I-5 route. > > > >Some questions, please: > > a.. Any suggestions for pleasant campgrounds once you get south, past > >Portland, OR please? From our great experience this past summer at Jantzen > >Beach campground (just outside of Portland), we'd stop there for sure for > >the first night--was lovely. Was wondering if folks had suggestions for > >good campgrounds/logical overnight stops for the rest of the legs of the > >trip to the LA/Santa Monica area, please. We were figuring 3 days' travel > >from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica (does that sound reasonable from anyone > >else's experience?). > >------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- > > > > b.. We've heard of two campgrounds near Santa Monica--Malibu RV Park and > >the Dockweiler RV Park in Playa Del Rey. Is anyone familiar with those > >campgrounds, please, or does anyone have other recommendations? > >------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- > > > > c.. Also, what can we expect at this time of year down in that > >neck-o'-the-woods, please? Are the RV parks likely to be booked and > >jam-packed full? In other words, are we kidding ourselves to even be able > >to camp at these places? Being still relatively new to the RV world, we > >don't have a feel for how big this really gets in that area in the winter > >months. > >------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- > > > > d.. And, what about the notorious stretch of I-5 known as "the > >grapevine" at this time of year? I remember from driving through there in > >my teens that just about every service station along the way had 20 stalls > >to accommodate cars whose radiators had blown from the heat. Is it gonna > >be a stinker to deal with in a Blue Bird at this time of year, por favor? > >Many, many thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice! > > > >Best regards, > > > >Jo-Ski (and Stew) > >"The Bird Abides" > >'83-FC 35 RB > >Blaine, WA As Don stated that one place to stop at would be the 7 Feathers casino and I agree with that. They have either dry camping or full service and both are nice. But the main thing to me is the traffic deal you can get on the food service there. We have stopped there for breakfast and it was great and another time we stopped for dinner and it was Prime rib and it was all you could eat! Cost all of about 12.00 per person. And here is a hint if you are not into gambling and you haft to wait to get into the restaurant just take a short stroll over to the hotel lobby and relax in an overstuffed chair and enjoy a free new paper while waiting for them to ring you up. Jon > the trail from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica, CA - Don Bradner - 11-16-2007 18:01 On 11/17/2007 at 5:52 AM Jon wrote: >As Don stated that one place to stop at would be the 7 Feathers >casino and I agree with that. They have either dry camping or full >service and both are nice. But the main thing to me is the traffic >deal you can get on the food service there. We have stopped there >for breakfast and it was great and another time we stopped for dinner >and it was Prime rib and it was all you could eat! Cost all of about >12.00 per person. And here is a hint if you are not into gambling >and you haft to wait to get into the restaurant just take a short >stroll over to the hotel lobby and relax in an overstuffed chair and >enjoy a free new paper while waiting for them to ring you up. Jon You will definitely have to wait - even if there are tables available they want you to wander around and lose some money. We chose to keep our $$, but did enjoy the meal! the trail from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica, CA - krminyl@... - 11-16-2007 20:43 Ditto Curt's comments. Malibu RV was a family tradition for my family (of RV'ers) every Labor Day weekend for many years...great view, clean park, but's across hwy-1, and getting to the actual beach can be tricky if the beach is your thing,,,crossing PCH on foot can be scary! Malibu Beach RV was my shakedown cruise destination the day I picked up my BB, after owning travel trailers for years. Be safe driving...as for the Grapevine, it's still the same....I've driven it in my BB pulling a Jeep Grand Cherokee, with no problems....again, watch you r temps and downhill speeds, and you'll be fine. Don't let the joggers running past your BB while you're heading up the hill intimidate you too much!! (just kidding). Kevin McKeown Yorba Linda, CA 1986 38' PT (For Sale) ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] the trail from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica, CA - ebirder2000@... - 11-16-2007 22:02 Jo-Ski & Stew, I assume you are taking the bird? If so three days would be an arduous trip assuming one driver. I would plan on four days and hope the weather in the syskiyous (sp) is favorable. Steve & Cathy 79FC35 Currently shoreside at the Salton Sea In a message dated 11/16/2007 8:30:16 PM Pacific Standard Time, josl@... writes: Greetings, folks-- Well, we may just be spontaneous this year and head south towards Santa Monica, CA in December--probably around the Christmas holiday, of course! It's my old teen-age stomping grounds, and we've got some long-time family friends there. Though the scenic route (Hwy. 101) would be lovely to consider, time constrains us to take the I-5 route. Some questions, please: a.. Any suggestions for pleasant campgrounds once you get south, past Portland, OR please? From our great experience this past summer at Jantzen Beach campground (just outside of Portland), we'd stop there for sure for the first night--was lovely. Was wondering if folks had suggestions for good campgrounds/a.. Any suggestions for pleasant campgrounds once you get south, past Portland, OR please? From our great experience this past summer at Jantzen Beach campground (just outside of Portland), we'd stop there for sure for tha.. An ---------------------------------------------------------- b.. We've heard of two campgrounds near Santa Monica--Malibu RV Park and the Dockweiler RV Park in Playa Del Rey. Is anyone familiar with those campgrounds, please, or does anyone have other recommendations? ---------------------------------------------------------- c.. Also, what can we expect at this time of year down in that neck-o'-the-c.. Also, what can we expect at this time of year down in that neck-o'-the- jam-packed full? In other words, are we kidding ourselves to even be able to camp at these places? Being still relatively new to the RV world, we d ---------------------------------------------------------- d.. And, what about the notorious stretch of I-5 known as "the grapevine" at this time of year? I remember from driving through there in my teens that just about every service station along the way had 20 stalls to accommodate cars whose radiators had blown from the heat. Is it gonna be a stinker to deal with in a Blue Bird at this time of year, por favor? Many, many thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice! Best regards, Jo-Ski (and Stew) "The Bird Abides" '83-FC 35 RB Blaine, WA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] the trail from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica, CA - Jack & Donna Smith - 11-17-2007 04:10 Hello: Not real sure about Blaine to Santa Monica, but we have reversed the route, Lake Forest to Ferndale a couple of times. What most everyone says is good. Three days is doable, but not much time for sightseeing. If you need a RV Park 1/2 way down California, Corning has a nice one. You should have no trouble on "The Grapevine". Our 73FC31 with the 391 chugs up at 17mph pulling the Jeep. I just try to get behind a slow truck in the truck lane and follow him up. But, in case of snow, things might change, and (sometimes) they close it when conditions are real bad.. Just check the weather before you leave. It is possible, at Los Banos (or so) to cut over to the 101 (by Salinas), and taks that one to Santa Monica, bypassing The Grapevine. This is not a bad road, might be slightly longer, but shoild be OK. If you go this way, stop at the Madonna Inn for lunch and see the decor... Jack & Donna Smith 1973 FC 31 SoCal --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Jo-Ski" > > Greetings, folks-- > > Well, we may just be spontaneous this year and head south towards Santa Monica, CA in December--probably around the Christmas holiday, of course! It's my old teen-age stomping grounds, and we've got some long-time family friends there. Though the scenic route (Hwy. 101) would be lovely to consider, time constrains us to take the I-5 route. > > Some questions, please: > a.. Any suggestions for pleasant campgrounds once you get south, past Portland, OR please? From our great experience this past summer at Jantzen Beach campground (just outside of Portland), we'd stop there for sure for the first night--was lovely. Was wondering if folks had suggestions for good campgrounds/logical overnight stops for the rest of the legs of the trip to the LA/Santa Monica area, please. We were figuring 3 days' travel from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica (does that sound reasonable from anyone else's experience?). > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > b.. We've heard of two campgrounds near Santa Monica--Malibu RV Park and the Dockweiler RV Park in Playa Del Rey. Is anyone familiar with those campgrounds, please, or does anyone have other recommendations? > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > c.. Also, what can we expect at this time of year down in that neck-o'-the-woods, please? Are the RV parks likely to be booked and jam-packed full? In other words, are we kidding ourselves to even be able to camp at these places? Being still relatively new to the RV world, we don't have a feel for how big this really gets in that area in the winter months. > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > d.. And, what about the notorious stretch of I-5 known as "the grapevine" at this time of year? I remember from driving through there in my teens that just about every service station along the way had 20 stalls to accommodate cars whose radiators had blown from the heat. Is it gonna be a stinker to deal with in a Blue Bird at this time of year, por favor? > Many, many thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice! > > Best regards, > > Jo-Ski (and Stew) > "The Bird Abides" > '83-FC 35 RB > Blaine, WA > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > the trail from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica, CA - Pete Masterson - 11-17-2007 04:15 We've stayed at the Jantzen Beach RV park near Portland -- the one that's just to the west of the Portland Airport. While it's in the take-off path from the airport, we noticed that there are very few departures after 8 PM and none between 10 PM and 7 AM. Heading south, I've stayed at Franks Landing RV park in Grants Pass -- I was having some work done on my WL at Henderson's Line Up in town. It's a very clean park with a bunch of easy pull-through sites as well as some back in sites. Close to the freeway -- with the noise that suggests -- but it's a pretty good choice for a simple overnight. If you go to the next exit (from Franks) toward the south, there's a Walmart on the left (but you need to enter from the street behind it, so go past, turn left, then left again, and enter their lot). Another 'bird parked there one night while I was in town. Park in the front edge of the lot by the main street and ask permission. There were signs about "no truck parking" but Walmart does allow RVs to park. If you leave fairly early from Portland, you may arrive too early in Grants Pass for you to stop for the night. Note that there are several heavy grades between central Oregon and the California border. Take your time and watch your water/oil temperature. Cool weather in December will make it less of a problem than it was for me in June and September when I last went over those grades. I've also stayed at an RV park along I-5 near Weed. I can't recall the name -- but it seemed like it was off the road aways -- but (surprise) the road had curved back, at it was hidden in trees just below the freeway. A bit noisy -- and it had some tricky turns for my 42' unit (I had to drop the toad and back-up once to get around a curve while avoiding a tree). Further south, there are several RV parks just south of Redding that look fairly decent -- and probably pricy. I haven't stayed in any of them, so far. (Once I get to Redding, I figure I'm close enough to home to just drive on through as I'm located about 3 hours or so away.) As for the Grapevine, the weather in December should be cool enough that normal monitoring of your temperatures should be all you need to concern yourself with. Be careful with your retarder (depending on the type you have) so you don't overheat it. Can't comment on how busy RV parks will be -- since winter is a great time to head south, they'll probably be busy. It seems, to me, that CA has a moderate shortage of RV campgrounds, especially along the coast. Of course, the high land prices and development costs in CA probably play a role in that. Pete Masterson '95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42 aeonix1@... On the road at Lockhart, Texas On Nov 16, 2007, at 10:29 PM, Jo-Ski wrote: > Greetings, folks-- > > Well, we may just be spontaneous this year and head south towards > Santa Monica, CA in December--<snip> [we'll] take the I-5 route. > > Some questions, please: > a.. Any suggestions for pleasant campgrounds once you get south, > past Portland, OR please? <snip> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > -------- > <snip> > > d.. And, what about the notorious stretch of I-5 known as "the > grapevine" at this time of year? <snip> |