Toutle River RV Resort

Toutle River RV Resort is the campground we WANTED to LOVE.  It's also the park that taught me to check Google Earth as well as various RV Park site reviews.

 There is much to love here.  The Tents for Troops program originated with this Resort. They gave us two free nights of camping - we stayed four. Their fees are not posted on the website - but from what we were charged I would guess $45 - $47 a night. This was a great deal for us at $23 a night average. Toutle River RV Resort is located directly off I-5 in Castle Rock, WA. It is one exit away from the exit for Mount Saint Helens. We expected road noise.

 We had trouble trying to make a reservation on the phone, but decided to just drop in. There were LOTS of spaces available and the lady in the gift shop was the friendliest with which we've done business.

This location is loaded with amenities and the facilities were the nicest we've seen. This is a very family friendly resort, right along a river. We met families who come here often on weekends. We could tell how well-organized and maintained this location was as we drove in.

There is much to show from this spot - here are some photos showing some of the amenities.

Private Saunas

Dog wash

Volleyball

Covered Picnic Areas

 

Basketball

Disc Golf

Fun playground

Soccer and "Big Foot" Croquet

RV Wash?

Huge covered area - and covered badmitton, Ping-Pong, basketball

Free to use smoke house

 

Sites

Great fire pits at sites and around resort

Free G rated movies and popcorn for kids

Horseshoes

Hot tub



Pool

The one thing we did not realize is that a train travels behind the Resort every 20 - 30 minutes. Our spot was about mid-way in the park between I 5 and the Train.  Even being a ways from the tracks, we did shake, rattle and yell every 20 - 30 min. The monthly residents say you get used to it. Quite a few have their trailers parked permanently against the fence which runs along the tracks, so I assume they are right.

 We enjoyed our stay here. The kids were happy to have the pool. I was happy to have the hot tub and laundry. The river trail was a great bike ride. We didn't get to use all the free amenities offered as we were busy exploring Mount Saint Helens each day. Some of our kids actually say this is their favorite spot - and judging by the families we met, they are not alone in their assessment.

I'm not sure if we would choose to stay here again. I think if one is driving through  and needs a quick spot to stop, do laundry and let the kids run - Toutle River RV Resort is for you. If one is looking for a destination spot - lots of fun things to do without leaving the location and doesn't mind the train noise - Toutle River RV Resort is a great option.  If one is looking for a bit of quiet - there are other parks which appear to be quieter on the way to Mount Saint Helens: the Mount Saint Helens KOA park (not the other by that name), Silver Cove Resort, Kid Valley Campground to name a few.

  

We loved this park and we hated the train noise....still not sure how to rate the experience.

For more campground reviews click "campground" in the category section in the side bar.

Heceta Head Lighthouse & More

The Heceta Head Lighthouse is one of the most photographed lighthouses (in Oregon? The county? The West Coast? America? The World? They didn't qualify).  It was originally opened on 30 March 1894 and was automated in 1963. It is 13 miles north of Florence and 13 miles south of Yachats, Oregon on Hwy 101.

The lighthouse is only 55 feet tall (approx - 17 m) but stands on a mountain making it 250 feet above sea level. We parked in the Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint. A $5 fee per vehicle is required for the day use area; this is waived if you are staying in the State Park.
 

Assistant Keeper's home from parking lot

 It's a nice .5 mile hike to the lighthouse. The Keeper's house is on the way up. There are 7 miles of trails to hike if desired. We went up the trail enough to get a good vantage point for photos.

College seems to have taken away Arielle's hiking ability

Check out the retro selfie stick

 We stopped and read each info board. Doesn't my baby girl Arielle, look thrilled to be home and in the midst of a homeschooling expedition once again? ::snort::

 

The views are stunning from this vantage point.

 

The tour guide was eating lunch, so we toured a few exhibits at the top and grabbed some photos....and waited for our free tour.
 

 

The tour was interesting. It was fun for those of us who had recently toured the Grays Harbor Lighthouse to compare notes. Grays Harbor is taller and operated by the Coast Guard. Heceta Head has a bigger lens - first order Fresnel lens and is run by the state parks - no longer an official lighthouse. Grays Harbor's beam can be seen for 6 miles; Heceta Head's for 21 miles.

She insists it was interesting and she paid attention

 

I was intrigued by the Keeper's Library. Big wooden boxes were filled with 40 books and swapped amongst the various lighthouses on a quarterly basis. This allowed entertainment in isolated places. Library boxes continued to services lighthouses until radio arrived.

 Yes, we used the "retro selfie stick," for some family photos. We don't really trust strangers with Michael's camera and I'd left mine at the Caboose. ::gasp::

 



F - De'Etta, Krista, Arielle, Stacia
B - Michael, Alex, Nolan

 

 This is a beautiful lighthouse.

 

 The assistant Lighthouse keeper's home is now a bed and breakfast.  We think we could happily have lived as lighthouse keepers.

Our next stop was Old Town Florence.  A trip to Florence must ALWAYS include a trip to Mo's. We had a window table and enjoyed visiting while we watched harbor seals.

 

We walked along the harbor...this boat caught my fancy....

 

This one caught Michael's. It was a good size....bedrooms et al. I finally told Michael I would not be o.k. moving onto a boat...not with my stomach.  ::grin::

 

We rounded out the day with naps, sand dunes and roaring campfires.

 

#WYFF Moving Down the Coast

 

It's Friday - and we're on the move.  We haven't found a prettier stretch of road than Hwy 101 - Pacific Coast Hwy - yet. It's winding - but we're taking it slow and only driving a couple of hours a day. This makes it much more enjoyable for Alex and I and our tummies. OK - the mifi with unlimited data also makes driving much more enjoyable. ::Snort::

Travel days are pure joy when you are on roads as pretty as Hwy 101.

 

 

Our lunch stop proved to be a good chance for Michael to take care of a bit of new maintenance needs.

 

We passed down the coast until we came to Jesse M. Honeyman Memorial State Park. It was a tight fit to get the Caboose and the Beast into our campsite. Michael is a pro...look at this....up on blocks....middle of the blocks....and we're level. We are very close to nature in this spot - trees/shrubs right up against the windows.

 

It's true - while the men figured out how to fit us into the spot, leveled us and hooked up....Stacia and I ran up the trail to see the sand dunes. This is another beautiful campsite.

 

Michael and I made a trip to Florence for groceries, while the kids waited for Arielle and Krista to arrive.

#WYFF is sponsored by Fulltime Families. View more of our Friday exploits by clicking the #WYFF tab above.  

"Michael" Update

I've been saying God is writing this story - a friend pointed out God has already written the story - and he's revealing it to us at this point. I think, in either case, the comfort is a loving, all-knowing God has a plan. Each sentence, paragraph, page and chapter contribute to the full plot-development.

It's no secret, we would choose to leave out the Parkinson's Chapter of this story, but we are coming to see God will be glorified in it and we will be matured in our faith as we walk it out. We are learning to live fully in the present and not borrow trouble from the future.
There are a few paragraphs in this chapter which have caused a bit of unease.

We were told a local physicians board would submit Michael's package of conditions to the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC), they would convene a medical board, decide on Michael's disability and help us work through the VA claim before they discharged him from Active Duty. This meant another 6 - 18 months of active duty. We weren't thrilled about going back on Active Duty.  We WERE thrilled at the idea that men and women, whose job is to work these claims through the VA system, would be handling the details.

We were surprised this week when we were told the local physicians board decided Michael should be "returned to duty," rather than have a medical evaluation board. His package was not forwarded to AFPC. This means he will report back to Beale, continue terminal leave and retire on 1 Nov as planned. He will pursue treatment and the VA claim on his own.  The local board felt, I'm sure, they were doing us a favor by letting us retire rather than brining us back on active duty.

This part of the story is done. We cannot change it. We will return to Beale, try to make connections with a VSO (Veterans Service Organization) which may have answers for us.  We know there are GOOD VA offices and people who work in the VA system who want to help vets. We are praying to find these people and offices. Some questions we are working through....we currently have a neurologist in CA who we trust. The plan had been we would be active duty and continue with her as treatment begins and then transfer to another neurologist when we were discharged and moved to a new state of residence. As retirees, we want to establish residency in another state. We need to decide if we stay in CA or try to find a reputable neurologist in another state. We also need to go to that state in November to get vehicles and licenses updated as we'll not be active duty any longer and must dot the i's and cross the t's again. ::grin::  We aren't sure if we need to submit our VA claim in the state we plan to be our legal domicile or if we can submit it anywhere.....and we have to be nearby for VA docs as well. Lots of details to consider - details which we thought would be taken care of at a slower pace while Michael was active duty.

We've been told by one doc to "continue living life" when he starts treatment and another doc seems to think he'll be incapacitated and needs to stay in the area.

The good news is as retirees, we can make our very own decisions about Michael's care and we aren't tied to the Beale AFB area for that care. There is also a chance that we'll be able to get back to Japan as missionaries sooner if we aren't active duty for the next year.