Accommodations

Our goal was to be as frugal as possible without sacrificing a good night's sleep! I made motel reservations for the first two nights. Everything else was on the fly, and it worked out well, probably because it was fall and midweek. Here's an itinerary of where we stayed by night:

1. Redding, CA Travelodge motel (@$80)

- passable but overpriced for what we got. I would have rather saved $20 and stayed elsewhere.
+ we enjoyed the breakfast at Lumberjack the next day, even though had to drive a few miles to get there.

2. Albany, OR Comfort Suites motel (@$80)

+lovely town near Corvallis, new hotel, clean and comfortable, good free breakfast on-site (can you tell I'm really into free breakfast??) :)

3. ~Newport, OR Beverly Beach State Park yurt (@$30)

Our first time in a yurt. It's like a round building with a wooden floor and canvas teepee top. Had electricity, furniture and a wall heater. Campground was beautiful and woodsy, and we could walk to the beach.

4. ~Yachats, OR Carl G Washburne State Park car (@$20)

Another beautiful campground. Woodsy and near the beach. Could see a million stars. Quiet, and near Heceta Head lighthouse. Remote, so if you go, bring food unless you want to drive 15-20 minutes each way for your meals.

5. Bandon, OR Best Western Inn @ Face Rock hotel (@$75)

This was the most luxurious place we spent the night. Guy was able to request an upgrade to a beautiful suite which included a jacuzzi tub, fireplace and an ocean view! It was more like an apartment. And of course, a free breakfast. The location was perfect for trips to the beautiful Bandon beach.

6. ~Gold Beach, OR Turtle Rock RV Resort  car (@$22)

This area didn't have many accommodations to select from. I didn't know that you could stay at an RV resort if you didn't have an RV. Ideally, we'd have driven south to another state park (Harris Beach or Alfred Loeb) farther south. But it had been drizzling all day. Since the final stretch was reported to be the most scenic, we decided to hold out for the next day (and were rewarded with beautiful views). This was probably my least favorite stop, but I must mention that the folks here, as well as everywhere else on our trip was incredibly friendly and authentic.

7. Santa Rosa, CA Uncle Johnny's house

What a soothing way to end our trip - in a comfortable bed at a family member's home. We got to spend a few hours at night with John and Susie and a leisurely morning with Uncle Johnny before winding our way home through Sonoma.

The Oregon state park system is incredible and well-organized. I was really impressed.