Day 33 – We decided to pack-up & leave, go to a different campground, one of the places we visited Wednesday that’s further up river. It was still raining and a bit windy when we arrived at Quosatana National Forest Service Campground, by the Rogue River, about 30 minutes above our previous campground. It was a narrow, winding road – wouldn’t want to do that in the RV every day. We drove thru & picked site #40, were all set up by 12:30 p.m., light rain & 55 degrees.
12 miles
Secret Camp RV Park, 95614 Jerry’s Flat Road, Gold Beach, OR 97444, (541) 247-2665, http://www.secretcamprvpark.com. Small campground 3 miles from Gold Beach with different kinds of sites ranging from tent to full-time, with & without hook-ups, some in the shade & some out in the open. We had a very large, shaded, private site by a creek, it was called Honeymoon site, electric & water, no sewer, but there was a dump station. The owner was an extremely nice man, somewhere between 70 & 80 years old. He lived in a mobile home on-site – said he’d built the place himself 36 years ago. When we were checking out, he gave us a nice map of the Redwood Parks in northern CA, and told us about all the places we should see. In summer season, sites are $39 per night; the campground is full. Off-season begins Oct. 1, sites drop to $35 per night or $32 per night for weekly stays. About half the Park is seasonal and/or full-timer sites. We stayed 3 nights. The first day there was lots of noise from machinery & dogs barking. The next day was quiet (but it rained all day). The third night was quite loud & we opted to leave the next day. Our site was very nice, but it didn’t outweigh the noise potential, unfortunately.
Our new Park, Quosatana, is large and a hangout for fishermen. There is a boat launch; the Park is right on the River. It’s located within National Forest Service lands. There’s very little around here – it’s wild and dense with forest. There are 42 campsites in the Park; only six are occupied, plus the camp host. $7.50 per night with the National Parks senior pass. No hook-ups but there is a dump station and water spigots are located throughout the Park. Very quiet. Birds & wildlife abound. Hiking trails, boating, biking. All is good.
After we had lunch, because it was still somewhat rainy & windy, rather than sit inside we drove south to the area which will be our last campground in Oregon before we head into California. Incredible scenery on the way to Brookings, OR with many small roads & scenic areas to investigate when the weather improves. Saw a bald eagle, geese, & the usual suspects.
There will be lots to do when we camp here. There’s a beautiful river which goes inland from Brookings & supposedly great fishing & birding opportunities are here, too.
Turtle Rock, Gold Beach, OR
Along US-101 below Gold Beach, OR
Brookings is a larger city than we’ve been around & we’ll be wise to stock up on supplies before going to the redwoods. When we first arrived in the Crater Lake area, we’d heard about a large wildfire that was threatening the Brookings community & that they were currently evacuating & closing roads. We were afraid we wouldn’t be able to explore this area. We asked around and people said the roads were open again & the fires were 98% contained, they were getting rain & expecting more the following week, and the two State Parks had reopened. There were signs throughout the City thanking the Firemen/women. They were all talking about the Santa Rosa fire because they knew too well how it almost happened to them.
We stopped at several campgrounds & checked them out. The Independent RV Parks that we looked at were fairly crowded with sites crammed together. The two State Parks were beautiful: Harris Beach State Recreation Area, the one with sites overlooking the Ocean, was nearly full & the park host said people line up as early as 7:30 a.m. to wait for sites to open up. As of Oct. 1, ½ the campground is closed for upgrades. Most sites have hook-ups. 4 loops, most sites are not very private but still nicely arranged for quiet. Loop C takes reservations (sites there & in Loop D are close together); all of Loop B and parts of Loops A & C were closed. ½ half of Loop A has large sites overlooking the Ocean, full hook-ups, no reservations, first come first served.
Alfred A. Loeb State Park was located 8 miles east of Brookings on the Chetco River. A beautiful drive to get there. Only a few sites were occupied as this campground had just reopened to the public. Wooded sites, some on the River, 53 sites, one loop. Electric & water, no dump station. No reservations, first come first served. Beautiful, looks like a quiet Park.
We decided, after seeing the two State Parks, not to look at any more Independent Parks. When we decide to leave the Gold Beach area, we’ll just come to one of the State Parks. If we can’t get in at the Ocean one, we’ll go inland by the River to the other Park. We drove back to Quosatana Campground; the rain had turned into a mist & it was gorgeous out. Tomorrow we take our jet boat ride up the Rogue River. The weather is supposed to be nice for several days, but if it was going to change, we wouldn’t know it. We have no cell phone & no internet signals. No way to check the weather forecast. Just peace & quiet.