1999 was the last time we were in Seattle. It had gotten more crowded and freeway construction was everywhere. Pike’s Place was still popular than ever. Newly renovated Seattle Art Museum was delightful with an equally hip restaurant called Taste. The spacious outdoor sculpture park was a great place to relax on a sunny day, and we were there on a beautiful day.
Back in the lower 48, the weather was warm once again. We could camp all the way home. There are many excellent campgrounds up and down the Pacific coast but we are going to mention only places that we went to on this trip.
Millersyviania State Park in Washington was not really along the coast but it made a good stop between Seattle and Portland. Portland had also grown since our last visit. We were glad that Powell Books was still there; however, their separate technology bookstore was looking pathetic.
Devil’s Lake State Park in Oregon is located at the southern end of Lincoln City. Since it was so close to the city, we could eat out in nice restaurants and browsed upscale art galleries before we returned to camp at night. In our opinion, Central Oregon coast was the best in the west, especially the section near Coos Bay. Harris Beach is another well managed and popular state park. Its campground has a champion location above the sandy shoreline in southern Oregon. We ate dinner early and walked down to the beach for the sunset.
Redwood National Park in Northern California was intertwined with several state parks in the area with plenty of trails and excellent opportunities to spot elks along the way. However, we had never driven the entire 32 miles of the Avenue of the Giants along Highway 101. Therefore, we set up camp at Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The redwoods here are just as impressive. And we loved the smell of the forest.
Further south near Ft. Bragg, MacKerricher State Park is right off the coast. Even though we could not see the ocean from the campground, we could walk there for a unique sunset experience on a black sand beach.
San Francisco is an expensive place to stay, but camping on Angel Island State Park is a steal. We left the car at Tiburon and took the ferry to Angel Island. Camp sites here have a commanding view over the Bay area. After the last boat of the day left the island, we got the whole place to ourselves (along with a few other campers, of course).
After San Francisco, we headed south to Kirk Creek Campground located right above the bluff on the Pacific coast. A few lucky campers found sites with an ocean view. That was where we spent the final night of this road trip.