Oregon Caves and Beyond

     From the Redwoods, we travelled north and then turned on US 199 at Crescent City. Now I thought that a US highway would be OK for my rig. Well, the GPS differed with me. Seems that there are stretches that total lengths of 60 feet or over are a bit too much and not recommended. With our tow vehicle attached, we are right at 60 feet. Portions of the road turned narrow and filled with tight winding curves. To top things off, there was very little shoulder and it dropped off to a very steep and deep cliff face. Needless to say it was a long 60 miles of white knuckle driving until we finally arrived at our stop for the day, Lone Mountain RV park near Cave Junction, Oregon. We knew it was going to be a short driving day and that we would arrive pretty early at our destination so we had called them and they were more than happy to let us check in early. The park is very nice with paved roads, level gravel pads, and nicely landscaped. They also have several camping TeePees out back. Now these aren't your average Boy Scout TeePee. They are very large and nicely furnished.

Outside view

Inside view

     They have a picnic table and grill also on the site with water and bathrooms nearby. All in a forest meadow setting. Unique and well done. 

     After setting up we drove off to our destination visit for the day, Oregon Caves National Monument. Tucked away far off the beaten path you drive and come to the Cave. You explore over 1/2 mile of twisting passageways. There are 500+ stair steps and the cave is quite damp. Cave temperature hovers around 40 degrees so it is also a bit chilly. There are several large rooms and many narrow passageways, some no more than 48 inches high. About as different as you can get from Carlsbad Caverns! You enter the cave through the original entrance discovered in 1874. Story has it that Elijah Davidson was hunting bear in the area and the bear went into the cave. Elijah's dog followed, hot on the bear's trail. He called to the dog but he didn't come out. After a bit, Elijah went in the opening and armed only with matches, began looking for his dog. About 4 matches into the search Elijah realized that he was out of matches! Suddenly in total darkness, he had to find his way out. Resourceful guy that he was, he followed the stream as it flowed out of the cave and eventually came out. Over the years the Park Service has built pathways through the cave so visitors don't have to trek through the stream, but the cave still seeps groundwater and you will get wet when you get a "cave kiss." There is evidence of people on tours in the early 1900's that took souvenirs or even wrote their names on the rock. The flow of water over the years has covered this vandalism with a thin layer of protection and now it is a part of the rock. In another 100 or so years the cave processes will completely obliterate the marks and it will be swallowed up into the cave. 

     What is interesting in the above photo--notice the two colors, brown and white, in the formations. The white is the original color of the formation. The brown is the result of human contamination (touching the rock or just the process of being in the cave oils and chemicals are released that stain the formations). There is one place on the tour that has never been touched by human hands (as it is too inaccessible ). It is pristine white and almost glows compared to the other formations. You exit the cave 220 feet above where you entered and can choose to walk back to the Visitors Center or continue on a short hike that takes you to the top of the ridge where the entire valley and surrounding mountains can be seen in a breathtaking vista. We took the hike!

     After our day exploring the caves we returned to the campground and packed up.  We left early the next morning and drove to Eugene, OR in final preparation for our arrival at our summer destination. We trusted our Good Sam directory and its ratings, and didn't check the campground reviews for the Park near Eugene or look at the campground on Google Earth, or we would have chosen something else. Seems that it went bankrupt several years back and was sold to a church. They are building a church and slowly demolishing the RV slots. They still have them but it is a nightmare getting in or out of the "park". So if you are traveling, River Life RV Resort is not RV friendly nor much of a Resort. If you want to see how the big "Rock Star" tour busses are made, you can tour the Marathon RV manufacturer in nearby Coburg, OR. They start with a Prevost chassis and build from there. After $1-2 million of work you can have a new motorhome!! No, we did not go there. Kind of like eating a steak dinner in front of a starving man. Why torture yourself??

     So we moved on to Depoe Bay and have set up at Sea & Sand RV Park. We will be here through mid September and will enjoy, once again, what the Oregon coast has to offer for the summer.