RV Raccoon Busts A Move At Fort Stevens Campground
Rvers will appreciate one of the largest and nicest state parks in the United States. 
Fort Stevens was formerly a US Army base and is now run by the State of Oregon. Truly magnificent in what it has to offer. Pacific Ocean beach access, Columbia River access, nine miles of bike trails, six miles of hiking trails, a fresh water lake, military museum with displays from the Civil War up to WWII. This park is also close to other attractions like Lewis and Clark National Park, the towns of Astoria and Seaside and to top it off, you can drive on the beach. 
Birdwatchers will be interested in the Brown Pelicans that hang out here in September. You can view these unique birds through the windshield of your car as you drive along the beach. That's right, you can drive on the beach here and I recommend you do it during low tide as the sand is firmer and driving conditions better. I parked the car in front of a flock of pelicans and gulls and enjoyed an ice cream bar. Now that's the way to go birdwatching! 
As you drive north along the beach you will encounter a ship wreck. The Peter Iredale was an iron sailing ship that ran aground here in 1906. 
Fort Stevens State Park is so large because it was previously an Army base. The State took it over and made it into one of the finest state parks in the United States.
You'll find old batteries that held huge "disappearing rifles" that would shoot over a wall then retract back behind the wall so an enemy ship would not be able to see it to return fire. The museum is restoring one of these and you'll enjoy these one-of-a-kind displays which are free if you are a registered camper, otherwise you must pay a day use fee. This is the only US soil on the mainland that was attacked by Japan during WWII. 
A Japanese sub surfaced here and fired several rounds that fell harmlessly on the base. This park also encompasses the jetty at the mouth of the Columbia River. Did I mention that this park is HUGE? The campground is excellent and they even have firewood sales that bring wood right to your campsite. I sat around the campfire with my grandkids making s'mores and thought about the times I did the same with my grandparents. RVing can bring a family together and create memories and doing it at Fort Stevens will be unforgettable.
Oh, about the raccoon, well, you'll just have to watch this video:
Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing, Dr. of RVology and ROAD Scholar and his faithful sidekick RV Raccoon
Fort Stevens was formerly a US Army base and is now run by the State of Oregon. Truly magnificent in what it has to offer. Pacific Ocean beach access, Columbia River access, nine miles of bike trails, six miles of hiking trails, a fresh water lake, military museum with displays from the Civil War up to WWII. This park is also close to other attractions like Lewis and Clark National Park, the towns of Astoria and Seaside and to top it off, you can drive on the beach. 
Birdwatchers will be interested in the Brown Pelicans that hang out here in September. You can view these unique birds through the windshield of your car as you drive along the beach. That's right, you can drive on the beach here and I recommend you do it during low tide as the sand is firmer and driving conditions better. I parked the car in front of a flock of pelicans and gulls and enjoyed an ice cream bar. Now that's the way to go birdwatching! 
As you drive north along the beach you will encounter a ship wreck. The Peter Iredale was an iron sailing ship that ran aground here in 1906. 
Fort Stevens State Park is so large because it was previously an Army base. The State took it over and made it into one of the finest state parks in the United States.
You'll find old batteries that held huge "disappearing rifles" that would shoot over a wall then retract back behind the wall so an enemy ship would not be able to see it to return fire. The museum is restoring one of these and you'll enjoy these one-of-a-kind displays which are free if you are a registered camper, otherwise you must pay a day use fee. This is the only US soil on the mainland that was attacked by Japan during WWII. 
A Japanese sub surfaced here and fired several rounds that fell harmlessly on the base. This park also encompasses the jetty at the mouth of the Columbia River. Did I mention that this park is HUGE? The campground is excellent and they even have firewood sales that bring wood right to your campsite. I sat around the campfire with my grandkids making s'mores and thought about the times I did the same with my grandparents. RVing can bring a family together and create memories and doing it at Fort Stevens will be unforgettable.Oh, about the raccoon, well, you'll just have to watch this video:
Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing, Dr. of RVology and ROAD Scholar and his faithful sidekick RV Raccoon
Labels: Campgrounds, Tourist Destinations
posted by Jim Twamley at
9/15/2007 09:47:00 PM
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3 comments
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How is a 5th wheel owner supposed to display it in the “driver’s side window” when he’s out driving his truck away from the campground? 
Well, here is how one 5th wheel owner solved the problem. He put “zee papers” in “zee plastic document protector” and hung it on the door to his coach. 
Plastic is good because when they turn on zee sprinklers in the wee hours of the morning “zee papers” won’t get wet. Jim
Jim’s advice for traveling on Alaska roads is to take your time and enjoy the scenery. Jim and Jeannie are from Bear, Deleware and they will be your camp hosts at Eagles Rest RV Park in Valdez. They have a very interesting dog named Sasha. She is an Akbash which is a breed from Turkey and introduced in the US in 1978. 
They were bred for herding sheep and keeping predators at bay. She has a beautiful all-white coat and even has white eyelashes.
With a receiver hitch installed on the front this platform carrier attaches easily to the truck for added cargo capacity. 
If you’re in Valdez this year look them up. Jim
We were doing some repair work on the lights at his campground, Archway Campground in New Paris, OH. 
Here is Bob and his lovely wife Wanda in their very nice campground.
This is what my 40 foot motorhome looks like from about 55 feet. 
Now you know how your RV looks to these magnificent creatures as they soar overhead. 
Did you know that the State of Ohio has partnered with Passport America and provides 50% discounts to PA members at their state parks? It’s true, and here's an example:
You can find out more about Passport America by visiting their website here: 
He almost sheered off the utility pedestal when he pulled in. He spent the next 15 minutes pulling forward and backing up into this pull-through site until he had it where he "thought" he wanted it. After what seemed like a long time, a loud exchange erupted between the husband and wife, “What are you doing, you can’t pull forward!” “What do you mean? What’s it gonna hurt if I pull forward…” and on it went. It took him well over an hour to get it all hooked up. Not bad for a newbie – I hope this didn’t cause a divorce.
I usually stop, get out and survey the spot before I pull in.
Please don’t get in a hurry when positioning your rig into your campsite. Don’t take all day, but also don’t be intimidated by someone waiting while you back in – it’s an RV campground and the RV etiquette book says they must wait patiently until you are safely off the road. 
Before you pull into or back into your campsite look for low tree branches extending over the site. If you have a large rig and back under a tree branch, you could tear your roof, rip off an air conditioner, vent or solar panel. I’ve passed up nice camping sites and driven back to the office to request a different site just because a tree limb was too close for comfort. 
After I’ve done a visual inspection of the site, I like to identify exactly where I will put my street side (port or driver side) front wheel of our 5th wheel (this is the side of your rig where your hook-ups are located). Determine where you want to position your RV relative to the hook-ups. Is there a power pedestal where my slide outs will extend? 
I don’t want to bump into a power pedestal or a post with my slides. Also, I don’t want to have to put an extension on my electric power chord if I can avoid it. Notice in the next picture that the power cord barley makes it to the utility pedestal.
I also want the sewer drain to be relatively close to the sewer hook-up but that’s not always possible. Also, try to position the sewer drain on your rig uphill from the sewer hook-up at the site. 
Trying to make sewage move uphill is a challenging task – don’t try it unless you have a macerator. 
After all these determinations (which only take a few seconds once you’ve done it a few times) I usually mark the ground with a visual marker for where I want to line up the wheels of my coach. 
You can use anything as a marker, a rock or stick just as long as you can see it with your mirrors or you can have someone stand two feet off to the side and two feet behind (for a pull-through) or in front (if a back-in) where the wheels will eventually rest. You do this because you may need to level your RV and you need the two feet in order to pull up on the leveling boards.
Self leveling motor coaches skip this step unless you're on a slope: Once I have the 5er at this point I check to see if it is level and if I need to level one side or the other, I put the leveling boards in place prior to pulling forward (or backing) into the final stopping position. We also use handheld radios when backing into a site, and Marilyn can tell me when the wheels are on top of the leveling boards. 
Before we extend the slide I double check that we’re not going to hit any obstacles. If you are not 100% sure you will clear the obstacle, measure and reposition the rig if necessary. 
Following this procedure or something like it will give you confidence in you parking ability and actually make setting up faster. It will also set the tone for a happy camping experience! Jim
I have many places that I enjoy, but this year I am voting for Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina as my #1 favorite park. We absolutely LOVED this place!
The day we drove in, I snapped (no pun intended) a picture of this gator sunning himself in the fresh water lake next to the campground. 
Directly across from this lake is a salt water marsh that has some of the best bird watching I’
The campground is nice, most with electric and water only, although there are a few full hook-ups. The pristine white beach (where I caught blue fish and a shark) is about 100 yards from the campground. We saw dolphins jumping and feeding every day.
Across the street is one of our nation’s greatest art treasures, 
There is so much here that I haven’t even begun to describe it, so, you’ll have to load up the RV and discover it for yourself. You’ll love it (reservations recommended).
Second, the majority of the campgrounds only have 30 amp service. So, don’t plan on doing laundry, running the microwave, making coffee and blow-drying your hair at the same time.
Third, many campgrounds do not have sewer disposal at the camp sites. They all have dump stations, but we found many did not have sewer hook-ups in the actual sites. No problem, as long as your plan for it. 
Forth, they are more expensive than West Coast campgrounds.
