the trail from Blaine, WA to Santa Monica, CA

[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]

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 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
>
> [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]

[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

[Jon]

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Don Bradner"
wrote:
>
> 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
>

[Don Bradner]

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!

[krminyl@...]

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)



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[ebirder2000@...]

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-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 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]

[Jack & Donna Smith]

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" 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
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

[Pete Masterson]

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>