On May 31, 2023, I left Morro Bay State Park in California, en route to my next volunteer gig at Fort Vancouver, Washington. Hunker Downs was transported by a carrier from UShip.com, so the dogs and I took Vinny Van Go-Go, towing Toad behind us.

Photos: Michelle Arrants

(If you haven’t seen Vinny recently, he’s looking pretty spiffy – beefed up suspension, powder-coated and re-stained deck, tinted windows, and new graphics.)

The drive from Morro Bay to Vancouver takes about 14 hours, and, while I could have barreled through it in two days, I wanted to stop for some fun along the way. What that means to me is revisiting favorite places, exploring new ones, communing with friends, and taking part in entertaining, interesting activities. This trip had it all.

Day One: Morro Bay to Pinnacles National Park (2 Hours)

I added a check mark to my National Parks list with a visit to Pinnacles – home of the California Condor. Pinnacles was established as a national monument in 1908 by President Teddy Roosevelt, then redesignated as a national park in 2013 by President Obama.

I stayed in the campground at the east entrance, and be aware – if you enter Pinnacles from the west,  off Highway 101, you will not be able to get to the campground, as there is no road connecting the two areas.

The one hike I really wanted to do, Balconies Cliffs-Caves, was closed due to baby bats! Oh man, would I have loved to see those little cuties.

I took a driving tour, but Pinnacles is more of a hiking park, and since dogs are not allowed on the trails, and I hadn’t yet worked out the air conditioning situation in Vinny, we stayed close to the campsite. (More on the air conditioning in a moment.)

Day Two: Pinnacles National Park to Santa Cruz (1.5 Hours)

Driving through the Salinas Valley to the coast takes you through chaparral and farmland until you reach Santa Cruz – a first-time destination for me, and I am smitten!

What’s not to love? Oceans, redwoods, a college town, thriving arts and culture, AND where “The Lost Boys” was filmed? It’s my kinda place, and I hope to volunteer there one day.

I stayed at the Elks, went to the Wharf for lunch at a tiki bar,

visited the surfing museum and the surfers at Pleasure Point,

took the dogs to the beach,

drove through Capitola, where the pier is still badly damaged due to the January storms,

toured the Harbor,

and walked among the Redwoods at Henry Cowell State Park.

Day Three: Santa Cruz to Sacramento (4 Hours)

If you’ve ever driven through the Bay Area, you know what an absolute bitch the traffic is, but it was a little easier for me to bear, knowing what was waiting for me on the other side: Sacramento, and Michelle & Scott.

Michelle and I have known each other since college. She and her husband Scott played an integral role in the acquisition of the van; they went with me to see it for the first time, and Vinny stayed at their house until I could get him shipped to Santa Barbara.

Now I had returned with the new-and-improved Vinny, and we celebrated with happy hour on the deck, followed by a scrumptious dinner on their patio while the pups gots lots of backyard time with their dog, Shasta.

The following morning Michelle took me to one of her favorite breakfast places, and I’m proud to say we were too busy enjoying the food to take photos of it.

Day Four: Sacramento to Ashland, Oregon (5 Hours)

After eight years on the road, I have experience from which to draw when I’m planning a road trip, and anytime I’m near Ashland, Oregon, I stop. My favorite place to stay is Emigrant Lake,

and I went into town to see “Twelfth Night” – part of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Ashland is another place I would love to volunteer, and I chatted up the current host at Emigrant Lake for all the details.

Our campsite was in direct sun, and it was terribly hot inside the van – so warm, I was afraid to leave the pups and go to see the play. This was the perfect time to try out the new Zero Breeze portable air conditioner (Vinny’s deck prohibits a rooftop unit).

With a combination of the new window tint, putting Reflectix in some of the bigger windows, and the Zero Breeze, the van stayed very comfortable! (We had shore power, but the unit can also be purchased with one or two battery packs for off-grid use.)

Day Five: Ashland to Eugene (3 Hours)

Eugene was the only stop with a hiccup. I intended to stay at the Elks Lodge, where I camped five years ago, but the lodge wasn’t open, even on a Sunday, the electrical and water hookups had not been maintained, and there were too many people pushing shopping carts around in the parking lot, even though there was no grocery store nearby.

I pulled up Hipcamp on my phone, and there was a site six miles outside of town, but I was seeing a show in downtown Eugene that night, so I kept looking.

I know Coburg and Eugene pretty well, due to one of my numerous breakdowns in Nellie the Newmar, when I was held hostage for 10 days in a heavy trucking parking lot, waiting for some part or another. One of my daily activities back then was to take the dogs to Armitage Park, a lovely county park with a massive off-leash dog area.

I doubted Armitage would have any vacancies in the middle of summer, but I phoned anyway, and they had a spot for one night!

If you’re ever in the Eugene area, I highly recommend Armitage Park. There is a reasonably-priced laundromat, and free showers.

The dogs got some time out of the small confines of the van and ran off some steam at the dog park, after which I went into Eugene to see Post Modern Jukebox.

If you don’t know who they are, they perform jazz and swing renditions of popular tunes, and their live performance had a real variety show vibe, with singing, dancing, and comedy. Five stars!

Day Six: Eugene to Fort Vancouver (2 Hours)

On my last day on the road, the person in charge at Fort Vancouver phoned to ask what time I would arrive. I told him I was in Eugene, asking if I had time to see the peony fields in Salem. He replied that I should always stop to smell the flowers, and at that moment, I knew I was headed to the right place to be a volunteer.

Only a few days before, my friend Marsha posted the Salem area flowers on her Instagram page, so I have her to thank for the heads up. I have seen tulips and sunflowers growing in fields, but never peonies. Adelman Gardens was a delight.

Thanks for riding along with me on my little road trip! More on Fort Vancouver in the next installment.