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Archive for August, 2011

Oregon Rv Parks Help Travelers Get The Most Out Of Their Vacations

Oregon is one of the most diverse states in the country with a wealth of fun amazing and beautiful attractions. Here you will find towering mountains volcano craters old growth forests pristine rivers and lakes and of course a spectacular coastline. With so much to see in Oregon it helps to be mobile. RV camping is an especially popular option for exploring and some of the best campgrounds and parks in Oregon cater primarily to RVers.

With a Large Number of RV Parks Oregon Provides Statewide Camping Network
Oregon is home to an impressive number of RV parks and campgrounds with RV hookups located across the state. With nearly a dozen RV parks in the greater Portland area alone more than 60 Oregon coast RV parks and dozens more across the state Oregon is a motorhome travelers jackpot. A statewide list of RV parks in Oregon is available at rv clubs us.

Many RV parks in Oregon have gone to great lengths to add to the fun and comfort of your camping experience. Backed by a desire to preserve the lush beauty of the state most have created campsites specifically designed to provide enough space and pullthrough parking for your rig while still maintaining privacy in a natural setting.

The Many Different Types of RV Parks Oregon Has to Offer
Some Oregon RV parks are geared specifically toward families with young children and offer playgrounds game rooms organized kids activities and other services to help keep youngsters happy and entertained. Other parks and campgrounds cater to the senior crowd with activities such as golf bingo and dances. Some are located on a lake or river and offer boating rafting fishing and other water activities. Others feature horseback riding birding or offhighway vehicle excursions. Theres something for everyone.

Camping in an Oregon RV Park the Best of All Worlds
Those who have joined the motorhome community know that RV camping gives travelers the best of all worlds. You have access to the full range of attractions in the area all from a home base furnished with electricity running water and other comforts of home. You can go out to eat at one of Oregons many notable restaurants or you can catch your dinner in one of the lakes or rivers and cook it up in your own kitchen.

After a long funfilled day of exploring you can return home to a warm shower an evening around the campfire and a good nights rest in your own soft bed. If it rains the next morning you can stay snug and warm curled up with a book or a good movie rather than worrying about leaky tents or soggy sleeping bags.

Once you have explored an area fully you can simply fire up the engine and move on to the next location on your itinerary. Each region of Oregon offers something different so you can create a vacation that fits your needs and interests.

With RV Parks Oregon Regions Are Easy to Explore
If youre looking for wideopen spaces the eastern part of Oregon has just what you need. Central Oregon is sunny and desert like with scenic mountain views. In northern Oregon youll find the Columbia River Gorge and nearby Mount Hood. Here you can rock climb ski and snowboard year round and visit beautiful waterfalls.

Portland Oregon RV Parks
In Portland itself the states most populated city you can enjoy art and cultural events a wide range of food and shopping choices organized or selfguided history and architecture tours sporting events and a host of other entertainment options. For exploring Portland Oregon RV parks are often a convenient and economical choice.

Wine Dine and Relive History
History enthusiasts can follow the Oregon Trail through the Willamette Valley located at the foot of the Oregon Coast Range where agriculture and wine growing also are thriving. The southern part of the state is also rich in historical attractions as well as an abundance of wildlife sanctuaries and other natural areas.

Oregon Coast RV Parks
For those who love ocean shorelines deepsea fishing sand dunes whale watching and other marine activities the Oregon coast is not to be missed. The area is filled with state parks and private campgrounds designed for RV travelers. Driving the 400mile coastal highway is a vacation adventure in and of itself and the plentiful offering of scenic and welcoming Oregon coast RV parks in the towns and parks along the drive make this trip fun and easy.

Whether you have a weekend a couple weeks or an entire season traveling in an RV and staying at campgrounds RV parks in Oregon can help you and your family get the most out of your vacation and see all that this diverse state has to offer.

Watch For Travel Club Discounts and Off Season Specials
RV clubs such as Happy Camper Good Sam and Passport America offer up to 50 discounts at participating RV parks in Oregon. If youre a member of an RV club be sure to check out their list of approved Oregon RV parks and campgrounds. And planning your trip for the cooler months when things slow down could result in substantial savings as well.

Rent an RV From One of Many Locations in Portland and Across the State
Yearning for an RV vacation but dont own a rig? Numerous businesses geared specifically toward renting RVs to vacationers. Renting provides an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of RV life without the price tag or storage issues. An Internet search for Oregon RV rentals turns up thousands of results.

So with RV travel in Oregon so fun easy and affordable theres nothing stopping you from planning the vacation of a lifetime to this diverse and beautiful state.

About the writer:  David Nool a proficient Oregon outdoors writer is a frequent contributor to loonlakerv. This site has information and advice on camping and traveling the Oregon Coast.

California Recreation Clear Lake

California is known for its pristine coastline but the state also has plenty of great freshwater lakes including Clear Lake just a couple hours drive north from San Francisco.

A friend visited Clear Lake not too long ago and came back raving about the area’s unexpected scenic and natural beauty so we had to investigate. On a recent swing through Northern California we dropped in on Clear Lake staying at a small unpretentious waterfront resort that brought back childhood memories of vacationing at lakefront resorts in Central Washington state. It was like vacationing in a simpler place at a simpler time.

At 43000 acres Clear Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in California and some say it may be the oldest lake in North America. The lake is the centerpiece for several communities in the Lake County area including Lakeport Clearlake Kelseyville Glenhaven and several others. Taken together these communities and several parks in the area offer a wide range of family vacation activities.

Chief among those are boating fishing and swimming three main reasons people stay at the Seabreeze Resort in Glenhaven headquarters for our brief stay in the Clear Lake area. Owner Steve Nash happened on the resort many years ago as he was looking to buy a waterfront house. His accountant advised him that the income from the resort would go a long way toward helping to pay for his new waterfront home and so Nash who had never operated any sort of lodging facility took the plunge.

Today Nash divides his time between Clear Lake and San Diego where he lives during winter months. But every year April through October it’s back to Clear Lake and the roundtheclock chores of managing the resort. With only one housekeeper for help Nash is up at dawn each day working to well past sundown. But as we discovered he always finds time to chat and joke around with his guests many of whom have been returning to the small resort for many years.

Since we were traveling with a fouryearold we were booked into the “family wing” of the resort some housekeeping units a little further from the water and from the guests in the waterfront adult wing. Our cottage was like a small apartment maybe 1950s vintage but nicely remodeled and cheerfully decorated. A full kitchen was included as well as a living room bath and a bedroom with two queen beds. Thankfully on this summer visit the unit was air conditioned.

Our cottage had a grassy area lunge chairs and several individuals just outside the door. Nearby was Steve’s fragrant flower garden which he obviously takes great care in maintaining and then a few steps further was the boat launch dock and swimming area. In short the Seabreeze offered everything you need for a restful lakefront stay or a base of operations for your boating holiday.

But we were visiting Clear Lake to explore. Just why was everyone raving about this lake?

The first thing we discovered was that as advertised the lake and its surroundings are beautiful. The bluewater lake is in the middle of a hilly mostly treed landscape that is especially interesting when approaching from the east. We also noticed that this lake is big. On the map it looked like it would be fairly easy to circumnavigate since there were highways roadways and towns and villages on almost every part of the lake. Once we were driving however it soon became apparent our trip around the lake was going to take us at least a half day.

Along the way we stopped in several little lakeside towns including the largest city Clearlake which is the largest population center in a region that only has about 12000 yearround residents. Each town is different but all share the beauty of Clear Lake and recreation opportunities are never far away.

Along most shores of the lake you’ll find a combination of private residences and small motels and inns like the Seabreeze. We did note however there is a large timeshare resort on the northwest shore as well as the famous Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa known for bringing headline musical acts in for performances in the Outdoor Konocti Field Amphitheater as well as the resort’s indoor showroom. Altogether the resort puts on about 100 shows per year.

We noticed that parks are abundant throughout the region. Many are located on the more than 100 miles of shoreline but in addition to camping and watersports several parks offer other features. For example the Anderson Marsh State Park is known for nature walks and birdwatching while the Middletown Trailside Nature Preserve offers the “EcoArts Lake County Scupture Walk” conducted on 107 acres of natural park. The area’s history is highlighted at the Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.

There are plenty of other opportunities to learn about the history of Clear Lake including two county museums the Lake County Museum in Lakeport and the Lower Lake Historical Schoolhouse Museum in Lower Lake. Learn about the stars at the Taylor Planetarium and Observatory in Kelseyville.

For those who enjoy visiting wineries this region has several that are all within easy driving distance of the lake.

No matter which shoreline there seemed to be plenty of anglers taking advantage of what the locals say is the best bass fishing in the West. The bass fishing is so good that several professional bass fishing organizations have designated Clear Lake as the best bass lake in the country. But it’s not just bass catfish blackfish Sacramento perch hitch crappie and bluegill are all caught at Clear Lake.

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California Wine Country

Napa Valley is a great destination from anywhere world wide. San Francisco Airport SFO is just a few hours away from your holiday in wine country. Transportation can be arranged from a stretch limo to a SUV for the adventurous.

Many travel internationally to SFO for business southbound in Silicon Valley the hitech valley with uncountable leading Hi Tech companies so why not mix your travels land on a Friday night and enjoy wine country over the weekend as you catch up with the time zone change.Why do I sound a bit thrilled with the opportunity to write this article and share some highlights. Very simple I grew up in California and know these areas like the back of my hand. I work in the hi tech industry and travel internationally to many countries quiet often.

Well actually I have many business associates and true international friends and a long time ago I picked up a few travelers I knew very well and did in fact what I just recommended spent the weekend in Napa Valley and did every highlight Im going to touch on.

Now this started back in the 1980s but once the word got out a jam packed weekend to be remembered then onward to business on Monday guess I should have changed careers travel guide limo driver Spa or Resort operator because I still to this day have not seen it all and enjoy every time I get the chance to visit and show people a super adventure.

So in a nutshell here are some real life things to do if you ever get the chance to visit Napa Valley. Note this is not an advertisement but a real short cut adventure and can save you lots of wasted time in your travels and even save you some money.

Winery ToursSimply there are so many you cannot see them all in two days. I recommend do some research online find the ones you would enjoy visiting over the weekend or longer if time allows. Now caution nowadays many do charge a fee approx. 10 for tasting typically so unless you are visiting smaller wineries allow an hour plus for planning. Second caution make it fun but use common sense someone needs to be a designated driver since we are talking about wine tasting. Think this through for safety and fun. Hire a limo go as a group.

Ballooning The ValleyNow I fly a lot however I did have one Doctor friend who really wanted to do this in a bad way and I am not really crazy about heights like many.

However I did set it up with very experienced people and what a rush this adventure was. Early morning very clear and calm no wind at all so time of year for this adventure needs to be considered.

I might add there is always a risk but I saw everything from this adventure alone and took the most pictures of the vineyards possible which I still have today enlarged and framed. So this one is a special reward different from all others.

Next to this there are flight excursions around the valley but the Balloon allowed a peaceful noise free natural adventure moving very slow pictures were very clear. I recommend this for the real brave adventurer you will never forget this one.

Tour PackagesI thought I would mention this again a bit different but to be considered. Limos Stretch SUVs Buses can all be arranged in advance whether you fly in need a Resort to stay and tailor your visit in any manor can be setup in advance.

This works very well for small groups and surprisingly wine tasting by Limo is reasonably priced as a group. Drivers know where your destinations are. Yes the Valley is big you could get lost so lots of good considerations when planning your trip.

Resorts Spas BBsThought I would also touch on any overnight planning. Some of these resorts are up to 5 star based on your budget and plans resorts can sometimes be at a winery with restaurants on site which makes for a relaxing setting on a real working vineyard. Just the scent of wine and the oak barrels alone is a great experience.

BBs are quiet common all around the valley area. Its difficult to recommend anyone specific simply because there are so many and I have enjoyed many different ones so no complaints people are very friendly and kind. I can recommend search online pictures package specials off season etc. will get you started.

Travel the Valley By TrainYes in fact they have a very old refurbished train package available. I did this once many years ago. It all depends on your style if you do not like driving this is an option to consider.

The train not only takes you sight seeing around the valley but also serves gourmet meals to anyones liking. That was a treat I remember well.

I do not usually make specific recommendations but I rated this adventure right between a 4 and 5 star level and was really impressed how well everything went. So in this case go check them out at their website address at winetrain. Great to kick back and relax for the entire day adventure and no traffic problems Im aware of.

Head SouthWell my home city is actually south of Napa Valley in Santa Barbara truly a resort city on the ocean backed by mountains and island views. Santa Barbara is about a 6 hour drive from Napa Valley but well worth itsimply Napa Valley has its history and many vineyards however is not the largest wine producer in California did you know that ?

I will tell you it is somewhere in between which I will cover in my next article heading south to Santa Barbara.

I hope you enjoyed these highlights of Napa Valley things to do places to go. Sometimes there is so much information it is overwhelming and I wanted to help sort things out for anyone planning a trip there.

Now there are certainly many more great things and places to go but these I have experienced so feel free to consider my adventures in your trip and hopefully save some time costs and help plan a memorable adventure.

About the writer:  Anil Gupta recommends that you visit http://www.bookings.fr/city/fr/paris.html?aid=305255 for more information on Paris hotels.