RV Tips

[This article was originally posted for the Autumn of 2018. Due to technical errors, we have had to re-post it. Many of these locations and events may not be available or advisable at the time of this re-posting. Please take into account the current pandemic conditions and act accordingly.]

For many of us, Summer’s wiles are nothing compared to the beauty of Autumn. Its cooler temperatures and luscious colors make it a wonderful time to camp or travel. Also, with harvests just coming to an end, farms and vineyards are often welcoming guests as well.

So if you’re looking for that last trip before winterizing your RV for the year (or taking her down to warmer climates), here are a few ideas we find enticing:

Harvest Dinners – RV Tips

After the fields have been cleared, Pacific Northwest farms and wineries are often delighted to welcome guests and show off the best they have to offer. Field & Vine Farm Dinner Events helps farmers put together all manner of dinners and tastings extending through the eighth of December. Their chefs are able to work with the very freshest ingredients available. Ciders, wines and beers are all served with pride by their makers. You’ll be able to wander lush gardens and farmyards, meet the barn animals (plus alpacas and wild elk on some farms), then settle in for a splendid feast.

Dinner functions happen all throughout the region. To reserve your place at the table, contact Field & Vine Events at 971-258-8389, or email them at info@fieldandvineevents.com.

Trips to the Trees

New England claims to have the best leaf peeping – and to be sure, there are certainly beautiful sights to be seen there – but the Pacific Northwest can claim beauty that exists nowhere else. The trees here are ancient and enormous: inspiring.

Camping is one way to make the best of them in all their autumn glory. But that is far from all you can do:

Zip Lining – RV Tips

Just an hour from Seattle, Canopy Tours NW will help you experience the adventure of a lifetime. After ride in an historic Unimog forest vehicle, a short trail walk, and a log bridge, there are six different zip lines to safely bring you all the way back down to the forest floor.

Family owned and operated, you can contact Canopy Tours NW at 360-387-5807, or go to canopytoursnw.com to see all they have to offer.

Old Growth Forest

So many of the forests we’ve hiked and camped were beautiful and fun…and not quite what they should be. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have the privilege to visit forests as they once were. An ideal destination to see these untouched places is the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest near Blue River, Oregon.

Established in 1948, scientists have been busy studying and preserving this pristine environment. They have also set aside an intermediate difficulty hiking trail of about 3.5 miles. Lookout Creek Old-Growth Trail meanders through a vein of Douglas Firs, Cedars, and Hemlock Trees as it follows the creek.

To find out more, contact the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest site manager at 541-822-6303, or the McKenzie River Ranger District at 541-822-3381.

Campgrounds are available at the Mona Campground. For reservations call 877-444-6777, or go to www.recreation.gov.

Canopy Adventures –

RV Tips

For those who love the trees so much that staying on the ground won’t do, you can literally take it to the next level with Pacific Tree Climbing in Oregon. Pacific Tree Climbing Institute is a guide service/outfitter dedicated to the propagation of tree climbing as an activity. Their staff is made up of educators, biologists and arborists who will teach you how to climb, and show you the wonders of their daily world.

They provide several levels of climbing lessons available, from beginner to an overnight stay in the canopy! Eat lunch and dinner in the trees and sleep in the wild. This is definitely bucket-list material.

For more information or reservations, call them at 866-OLD-TREE (653-8733), or go to pacifictreeclimbing.com to find out more.

Avenue of the Giants

If you want to stay on the ground, but still want to experience the grandeur of the forest, there is nowhere in the world that can compare to the ancient redwoods of old Highway 101 in Northern California, better known as the Avenue of the Giants.

This is not a single attraction, but an entire region with over 50,000 acres of massive redwood groves. In addition, there are plenty of RV parks and campgrounds, restaurants, art galleries, and even the Trees of Mystery Museum & Sky Trail. There’s so much to see and do in this region, you’ll want to come back again year after year.

For more information on the Avenue of the Giants and surrounding services, go to avenueofthegiants.net. There you’ll find maps and links to everything you’ll need.

To find out more about the Trees of Mystery, you can contact them at 800-638-3389, or go to www.treesofmystery.net.

While You’re There…

For some, the crowning glory of Autumn is Halloween. The perfect place to get yourself in that spooky mood is right in the heart of Redwood country: “Old Town” Eureka, California. “Old Town” is known for its concentration of old Victorian mansions and 19th century storefronts. There are plenty of cafes, galleries, and restaurants that you can ride to in a horse-drawn carriage.

But the highlight of “Old Town” is the Haunted History Tour. The town has a colorful past (to say the least), and the 2-hour walking tour will let you relive “Eureka’s Other Side of History.” Stay overnight…if you dare.

For reservations, call 707-672-5012, or to learn more go to oldtownhauntedhistorytours.com.

If there’s a Fall destination you feel should be on this list, then please let us know at www.poulsborv.com/contact-us. We’re always delighted to hear from you.