Looking for ideas - 2-3 week road trip CA/OR

[Foreverhoneymooning]

My wife and I are working remote for another month and decided "screw it" let's do it from the road. We are very new to TT life, but had a great trip to Williams, AZ last weekend and have learned so much from everyone here and on Youtube that we feel pretty comfortable. I booked the Sequoia area already for Thurs. and Fri. and from there plan on traveling to stay with some friends in Sacramento area Saturday, then other friends in Shasta area Sunday (probably until Thursday for the workweek).

Then?? We thought we would shoot up to Klamath Falls or Crater Lake for the weekend. Then head up to the Eugene area for the workweek to stay with friends. The staying with friends part during the week is because of the need to have wifi access for work. We do a lot of video conferencing so not too sure about hotspots or wifi in parks.

From there we are going to try and make our way south to Southern California. We don't want to travel more than 6 hours in a day. First stop in Shasta area, then who knows where.

From the group I would love to get recommendations on the following:

1. Knowing what area we are looking to travel to. Do you have any recommendations on must see/stay places? (of course I have to find open reservations which wont be easy).

2. Those of you who F/T RV and work remote, are you successful with hotspots (2 people using video conference and remote access)? If so what service do you recommend (I read a few threads, but they seem dated)?

3. Are any F/T folks willing to chat/email/phone/smoke signals in private to help give some newbies advice?

4. Should we replace the Castle Rock tires our Mini Lite came with (30/18 date) or chance it (we do have. TPMS)?

4. What is your #1 piece of advice for someone thinking about doing this?

Any other ideas/advice/words of wisdom is greatly appreciated.

[OldGal3]

Crater Lake NP has just started opening up services this week. Be sure to visit their website and take note. Some roads are still closed because of snow, no ranger talks, no food. Depending on your time and interests, there is a State Park with camping a bit north of KFalls on Hwy. 97, Collier SP
https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index....age&parkId=165
If you decide to go into Crater from the North Entrance, there are a couple parks at Diamond Lake that are open and just a short drive from the NE.

The drive to Medford is my favorite pass in the Cascades. Good road, less traffic and beautiful. Stop at Becky's Cafe in Union Creek if they are open. To get to I-5 you don't have to go all the way into Medford, unless you want. Check maps for the cut off to Gold Hill, you can take back roads all the way to Rogue River. Then you are on big road the rest of the way to Eugene.

If you have any questions send a PM. Traveled a lot in that part of the country, happy to share.

[Foreverhoneymooning]

Originally Posted by OldGal3

Crater Lake NP has just started opening up services this week. Be sure to visit their website and take note. Some roads are still closed because of snow, no ranger talks, no food. Depending on your time and interests, there is a State Park with camping a bit north of KFalls on Hwy. 97, Collier SP
https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index....age&parkId=165
If you decide to go into Crater from the North Entrance, there are a couple parks at Diamond Lake that are open and just a short drive from the NE.

The drive to Medford is my favorite pass in the Cascades. Good road, less traffic and beautiful. Stop at Becky's Cafe in Union Creek if they are open. To get to I-5 you don't have to go all the way into Medford, unless you want. Check maps for the cut off to Gold Hill, you can take back roads all the way to Rogue River. Then you are on big road the rest of the way to Eugene.

If you have any questions send a PM. Traveled a lot in that part of the country, happy to share.

Thanks I will PM you.

[cboss]

Originally Posted by Foreverhoneymooning

4. Should we replace the Castle Rock tires our Mini Lite came with (30/18 date) or chance it (we do have. TPMS)?

ABSOLUTELY! CRs are a recipe for disaster, especially in the summer heat.

And take a look at the inland route for your trip (RT 395). We had fun on that route a few years ago.

[Foreverhoneymooning]

Originally Posted by cboss

ABSOLUTELY! CRs are a recipe for disaster, especially in the summer heat.

And take a look at the inland route for your trip (RT 395). We had fun on that route a few years ago.

Ok you've convinced me. I'm going to switch to GY. I'm in 205/75/14 now. Thinking about going up to 215, but can't find anyone who has in stock and only have until Wednesday to get it done. Any thoughts on 205 vs 215. I've read a bunch of forums and seen all kinds of debates. Class D is the best you can get on 14s. But at 2000 each I'm thinking a 205 should be good. I need to find the axel specs.

[aircommuter]

Don’t forget Yosemite and highway 49 through the gold country. Make sure you check the weather before you drive all the way up to Crater lake. Been there 4 times but three of them the place was fog covered.

[Dirt Sifter]

From Eugene, if you have not experienced the OR Pacific coast, go over to Florence and down Hwy 101 to Coos Bay. The Old Mill Casino's RV park has always been a good stop for us. And there are a number of sights and activities around the bay for a couple night stop if you want to take the time. Then you can either come back east to the I-5, or continue down south on Hwy 101 thru the Redwoods south of Brookings and into CA.

[formerFR]

Internet, cellular signal, wifi, or hotspots, whichever you choose to name it, is the single biggest 'technology' issue that those with high needs for fast internet struggle with, while in a 'mobile' environment... you have no option for 'land based' 'unlimited' and 'fast' cable/fiber internet, so you have to rely on cellular.
Without a good cellular signal, and because many who 'RV' are not typically in 'metro' areas, the signal is the primary issue... once a good signal is found, then the question is what 'speed' is the internet going to move at, even then.

There are many who work 'from the road', but I'll bet that most have found that they really need to be 'close' to a metro area, ESPECIALLY if what they are doing is based on video/streaming needs. Basic email and web sites might work fairly 'o.k.' on a weak or slow connection, but the aforementioned 'conferencing' requirements may pose the biggest problem.

There's no way to 'increase' cellular speed. It is what it is.
There's 'some' ways to increase signal capability, but those are also spotty.

You basically have to 'go' and 'be' where the signal is. That probably rules out 'most' rural areas, especially national and state parks, and places where 'off-gridding' is allowed, such as at BLM lands.

When we are on the move, we change our basic 3gb AT&T cellular plan to the 'Unlimited Elite' plan, which is up to 100gb per line per month, giving us up to 30gb per device for hot spotting, and making sure that we don't run into monthly throttling of the speed, probably RIGHT when we need it the most. We change the plan back when we get back 'home', to our land-based cable internet, which really SPOILS us!

We also, for a time, had a Netgear mifi device, with AT&T Unlimited(truly unlimited, no caps) with Netbuddy.co, but they show that their service is no longer available. It was good while it lasted, as at $60 per month, INCLUDING all taxes and fees, and able to disable the service any month, it provided some great 'gap' time between our travels and our land-based cable internet.
Since, though, we've found that AT&T's Unlimited Elite does basically the same, and for only about a $50 increase in our plan monthly rate.

[JimMorrell]

You have some really good suggestions, so just some notes:
1. Eugene area sucks for RV parking.
2. The Or / CA coast is one of the finest travel areas you can find. Go west out
Grants Pass ( very good road).
3. Mt Lassen NP should be open and is absolutely beautiful.
4. Lake Tahoe area (south side for RV's).
5. Hwy 395 from Reno to Socal is a wonderful trip. Stay at June Lake and
Bishop.
6. Monterey with its aquarium is great.
7. I'm from Socal (not now). Careful of the traffic with a trailer. Its awful!

These are just some things to look at. I'm an 85 year Californian., I left out Yosemite, but it will require reservations. Busy. Take your pick on coast route, Central (I 5) route or Sierra (395). You can't do all in one summer.

[McCormickJim]

Following to read more Wifi and internet suggestions . . .

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by Foreverhoneymooning

in Sacramento area Saturday,

Sutters Mill, where Gold was discovered in California. Also Auburn, Grass Valley and Nevada City the heart of the Mother Lode country!

then other friends in Shasta area Sunday (probably until Thursday for the workweek).

Lake Shasta Caverns. Most people have never heard of them

https://www.lakeshastacaverns.com/

The staying with friends part during the week is because of the need to have wifi access for work. We do a lot of video conferencing so not too sure about hotspots or wifi in parks.

We use our unlimited Hotspot on our phones to get access to the internet (of course you have to have cell service)

From there we are going to try and make our way south to Southern California.

Id suggest Highway 101 south while pulling your camper. You can venture over to HWY 1 (Don't take your camper on Hwy 1, when you see it you will know why) when you are stopped to see things like:

the Redwoods, Ft Bragg (the Skunk Train),

https://exploreredwoods.savetheredwo...UaAi-wEALw_wcB

Eureka (the Samoa Cookhouse, on the island of Samoa which was a logging camp. They still cook on the original wood burning stoves that they used when the logging was in full swing)

https://www.samoacookhouse.net/

The Wine Country, IMHO the best winery tour is the Charles Krug Winery. The finest wines, overall) Grgich Hills (a small winery noted for their Chardonnay. In the Ronald Reagan White House it is all he served to guests as it was his personal favorite too)

Golden Gate Bridge, Big Sur, etc.

What is your #1 piece of advice for someone thinking about doing this?

Get out there and do it, Take the time to smell the roses. Have a good time so much to see and do in this great land of ours!

Sorry (not really ) if this is a bit long winded but............You Asked!

[Foreverhoneymooning]

Originally Posted by aircommuter

Don’t forget Yosemite and highway 49 through the gold country. Make sure you check the weather before you drive all the way up to Crater lake. Been there 4 times but three of them the place was fog covered.

That's good information. We have to go in that direction anyways, but maybe it will divert us to a different area.

[Foreverhoneymooning]

Originally Posted by formerFR

Internet, cellular signal, wifi, or hotspots, whichever you choose to name it, is the single biggest 'technology' issue that those with high needs for fast internet struggle with, while in a 'mobile' environment... you have no option for 'land based' 'unlimited' and 'fast' cable/fiber internet, so you have to rely on cellular.
Without a good cellular signal, and because many who 'RV' are not typically in 'metro' areas, the signal is the primary issue... once a good signal is found, then the question is what 'speed' is the internet going to move at, even then.

There are many who work 'from the road', but I'll bet that most have found that they really need to be 'close' to a metro area, ESPECIALLY if what they are doing is based on video/streaming needs. Basic email and web sites might work fairly 'o.k.' on a weak or slow connection, but the aforementioned 'conferencing' requirements may pose the biggest problem.

There's no way to 'increase' cellular speed. It is what it is.
There's 'some' ways to increase signal capability, but those are also spotty.

You basically have to 'go' and 'be' where the signal is. That probably rules out 'most' rural areas, especially national and state parks, and places where 'off-gridding' is allowed, such as at BLM lands.

When we are on the move, we change our basic 3gb AT&T cellular plan to the 'Unlimited Elite' plan, which is up to 100gb per line per month, giving us up to 30gb per device for hot spotting, and making sure that we don't run into monthly throttling of the speed, probably RIGHT when we need it the most. We change the plan back when we get back 'home', to our land-based cable internet, which really SPOILS us!

We also, for a time, had a Netgear mifi device, with AT&T Unlimited(truly unlimited, no caps) with Netbuddy.co, but they show that their service is no longer available. It was good while it lasted, as at $60 per month, INCLUDING all taxes and fees, and able to disable the service any month, it provided some great 'gap' time between our travels and our land-based cable internet.
Since, though, we've found that AT&T's Unlimited Elite does basically the same, and for only about a $50 increase in our plan monthly rate.

We currently have Sprint and through this month we get 20GB of hotspotting per phone. We are looking at either Verizon or ATT as a back up, but like you said a lot of stuff is no longer available. Good information though. Gives me some ideas.

[Foreverhoneymooning]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

Sutters Mill, where Gold was discovered in California. Also Auburn, Grass Valley and Nevada City the heart of the Mother Lode country!



Lake Shasta Caverns. Most people have never heard of them

https://www.lakeshastacaverns.com/

We use our unlimited Hotspot on our phones to get access to the internet (of course you have to have cell service)



Id suggest Highway 101 south while pulling your camper. You can venture over to HWY 1 (Don't take your camper on Hwy 1, when you see it you will know why) when you are stopped to see things like:

the Redwoods, Ft Bragg (the Skunk Train),

https://exploreredwoods.savetheredwo...UaAi-wEALw_wcB

Eureka (the Samoa Cookhouse, on the island of Samoa which was a logging camp. They still cook on the original wood burning stoves that they used when the logging was in full swing)

https://www.samoacookhouse.net/

The Wine Country, IMHO the best winery tour is the Charles Krug Winery. The finest wines, overall) Grgich Hills (a small winery noted for their Chardonnay. In the Ronald Reagan White House it is all he served to guests as it was his personal favorite too)

Golden Gate Bridge, Big Sur, etc.



Get out there and do it, Take the time to smell the roses. Have a good time so much to see and do in this great land of ours!

Sorry (not really ) if this is a bit long winded but............You Asked!

Not long winded at all, I got some great ideas from your post. . I think we will come home down the 101 and make some stops along the way that you suggest. All of them sound amazing.

[Foreverhoneymooning]

Originally Posted by JimMorrell

You have some really good suggestions, so just some notes:
1. Eugene area sucks for RV parking.
2. The Or / CA coast is one of the finest travel areas you can find. Go west out
Grants Pass ( very good road).
3. Mt Lassen NP should be open and is absolutely beautiful.
4. Lake Tahoe area (south side for RV's).
5. Hwy 395 from Reno to Socal is a wonderful trip. Stay at June Lake and
Bishop.
6. Monterey with its aquarium is great.
7. I'm from Socal (not now). Careful of the traffic with a trailer. Its awful!

These are just some things to look at. I'm an 85 year Californian., I left out Yosemite, but it will require reservations. Busy. Take your pick on coast route, Central (I 5) route or Sierra (395). You can't do all in one summer.

Yosemite we are going to save for another trip. We were going to do June Lake, but everything is sold out. My wife has done half dome and I may join her for a hike on it next year (recovering from a foot injury this year).

Definitely going to do the Oregon Coast with all these recommendations.

[Foreverhoneymooning]

You guys are all awesome. So many great ideas. Just a few days from take off and can't wait to see even 1/2 of what you recommended.

[aircommuter]

Did someone mention the Tillamook cheese factory on the Oregon coast, ice cream too. Also Evergreen aircraft museum.

[OldGal3]

As of today 06-13-20, the Tillamook Cheese Factory is still closed with no opening date listed.

The Evergreen Museum in McMinnville is opening on Monday 06-15-20.

Really have to check each and every place since they are changing rapidly.

[Dirt Sifter]

Originally Posted by aircommuter

Did someone mention the Tillamook cheese factory on the Oregon coast, ice cream too. Also Evergreen aircraft museum.

Both of those are north of Eugene which he listed as his turn around point.
Both are great places to visit when one has the time and they are open.

[aircommuter]

Originally Posted by Dirt Sifter

Both of those are north of Eugene which he listed as his turn around point.
Both are great places to visit when one has the time and they are open.

Yes but it’s travel, things can change. No loss in throwing it out there?