8-7-2024
H: 67ºF L: 58ºF
Thousand Trails Long Beach, Seaview, Washington

It’s a travel day! We are staying for two weeks on the border of Washington and Oregon.

One thing I have enjoyed seeing is all the old cars that are driven in this area of Washington. My first car was a bright red Geo Metro and I loved that car. It was small so I could park anywhere, it had great turning radius, it was cheap to fix and maintain ($163 for 4 new tires), and it got 52 MPG (I could drive from Memphis to Michigan on one 8 gallon tank). I have seen several Geo Metros while we explored the area around Elma, WA.

We got set up at our new campground and then took the boys to the beach using the trail directly from the campground.

8-8-2024
H: 63°F L: 57°F
Thousand Trails Long Beach, Seaview, Washington

We drove around to explore the area and see some properties for sale. We saw some beached watercraft just left to rot in the water.

We took the boys for a walk in Astoria, OR and found a neat town. Astoria is named after John Jacob Astor, a wealthy entrepreneur who was from New York, and is the oldest settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. We liked the laid-back vibe of the town. We read that there are “Goonie Trails” which are hidden sidewalks and roads that have been covered by vegetation and move over the years as the hillside slides toward the river. We weren’t able to find any though. We wondered at the cost to maintain the homes in the beautiful neighborhoods we drove through, some of which surely have foundation issues.

We went to Walmart for some groceries and then drove back to the Long Beach peninsula. There is some property for sale at the end of the peninsula but it turns out it was in a gated community so we couldn’t do a drive by. We did drive through a neighborhood with houses and small plots of land which people put campers on some with elaborate landscaping. We looked at the real estate listings for the neighborhood and the camper properties were pretty expensive. The neighborhood had a magical ambiance because there were bunnies everywhere.

8-9-2024 H: 64°F L: 58°F Thousand Trails Long Beach, Seaview, Washington

We stayed at the camper most of the day watching Netflix and relaxing. We took the dogs for a walk and found some condos /with a view of the ocean.

8-10-2024
H: 63°F L: 58°F
Thousand Trails Long Beach, Seaview, Washington

We went to Long Beach, WA and did some thrift store shopping. While we enjoy a good deal, we did pass up the opportunity to buy 6 pairs of underwear for $1 at one of the thrift stores. Lol!

We found some neat things in Long Beach including Big Foot in a telephone booth, the largest skillet in Washington, and the arch to the World’s Longest Beach.

8-11-2024
H: 62ºF L: 59ºF
Thousand Trails Long Beach, Seaview, Washington

Today we learned more about Escapees. The group offers learning opportunities for new campers, large meet-ups, etc. What piqued our interest are the 11 affiliated campgrounds where you can buy a lot ($10-15k), pay annual dues ($1200-3200), and if you decide you don’t want the lot anymore, you can contact the office and get your purchase price back. Elsewhere, you can spend $100,000 to purchase a campsite so the Escapees campgrounds seem like a good deal. We found all the campgrounds have a 4-5 year long waiting list.

8-12-2024
H: 70°F L: 52°F
Thousand Trails Long Beach, Seaview, Washington

We went Longview, OR and found bridges for squirrels! The first one was made by a construction worker who was sick of seeing squirrels get run over on a busy street so he got approval from the city to build a squirrel sized bridge. The bridge was successful as the squirrels used it.

Next we stopped at Mt. Saint Helens Visitor Center and listened in on a park ranger presentation to a group of Geo Girls. It was very informative. We learned that the May 18, 1980 eruption was so powerful that:

• ash from the eruption traveled all the way around the world in 15 days
• an ash cloud billowed 15 miles high
• people 200 miles away heard a loud boom

Other interesting facts include lupine was the first plant rising from the ash after the eruption and the diversity of plant and animal life exceeds that of the pre-1980 landscape. The Cascade range includes over 13 volcanoes in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California with Mount St. Helens being the most active.

We also went on a nature walk out to a marsh.

Next we went to Mt. Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument. It continued to be overcast so we didn’t see the top of the mountain but it was a pretty drive.

We saw a large stand of Noble Fir which almost looked computer generated.

Stats

Expenses:

• Tow vehicle fuel: $0
• Campsite: $0
• Camping memberships: $22.38
• Food: $92.65

Miles driven: 454.7 (171.5 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 2

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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com