Trip to pick up!

[harleyrk]

We are leaving Athens, Texas August 24th, stopping to see my brother in Denver and continuing on to Sumas. Our pick up date is the 31st. Does anyone have suggestions for a reasonable priced motel in the area on the 30th? Is Bellingham the best town to stay in? After pick up we are headed toward the coastal area of Washington/Oregon. Again, any thoughts on a rv park for our 1st night....to get organized. We are so excited to meet our 21C!!!!

[JStelly]

Good luck! We have made that trip twice from the Houston area. If you are retired military or DoD there is no place better than NAS Whidbey Island. Otherwise, I will leave it to others to recommend other campgrounds.

[harleyrk]

Soooo sad! Only 10 yrs. In the Air Force.

[diannelgraham]

Originally Posted by harleyrk

We are leaving Athens, Texas August 24th, stopping to see my brother in Denver and continuing on to Sumas. Our pick up date is the 31st. Does anyone have suggestions for a reasonable priced motel in the area on the 30th? Is Bellingham the best town to stay in? After pick up we are headed toward the coastal area of Washington/Oregon. Again, any thoughts on a rv park for our 1st night....to get organized. We are so excited to meet our 21C!!!!

For the first night a lot of people stay at the Lynden KOA, close to Escape if you have any issues.

[dfandrews]

Bellingham: We stayed at the Best Western Heritage Inn, I-5 at Meridian St., and although we use and like Best Western more than other chains, this one is not one we can recommend. (It was converted or upgraded from another use, and has steep and (IMHO) hazardous stairs, oddly configured rooms.)
After we picked up our Escape, we stocked up w/food at Bellingham Costco and Trader Joes, then made our way to Bay View SP along Puget Sound. Spent some days exploring, especially Whidbey Island and Deception Pass. Tip: get the WA state annual Discover Pass if you're visiting state parks, etc. in WA. Ours paid for itself in parking just during our first 3 day explore.)
We took the ferry from Coupeville to Port Townsend, the camped and explored the Olympic Peninsula-north and west sides, for 2 weeks. We followed US-101 south all the way to Oregon.
Edit: taking the ferry to the Olympic Peninsula causes you to completely miss the typical Seattle traffic mess (and other activities).

[Bobbie54]

Don has some great ideas- but get a reservation if you want to go to a Washington State Park as they are hard to get into until at least mid-September.

[Bea]

When we picked up our Escape last year, we drove north and spent the night before pick up in Bellingham. We liked this Marriott and recommend it. (TownePlace Suites Bellingham - https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...es-bellingham/ ). It has covered parking with gate control for security, the rooms have a full size fridge/freezer, and being a Marriott property, the service and rooms were very good.

Also recommend the Lynden KOA for the first night with trailer. -Bea

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by Bobbie54

Don has some great ideas- but get a reservation if you want to go to a Washington State Park as they are hard to get into until at least mid-September.

True that!


We picked up on Sept 21, and other than reservations at our 1st stop at Bay View SP, we found FF (1st come,1st serve) spots throughout the Olympic Peninsula and along coastal Oregon; but it was late Sept.

[davidmurphy02]

Since you will be picking up your trailer at Bob's Burgers & Brew, staying in their motel - Sumas Mountain Lodge - would be very convenient. We stayed there on one trip to Sumas and it was fine, and you can't beat the location.

[sherminator]

Washington Park in Anacortes is in an absolutely beautiful place. It is a city owned and operated park. You can make reservations through the city website, and they do have first come-first served sites. Avoid B loop sites as they generally are very sloped.

https://www.anacorteswa.gov/560/Washington-Park

If you are headed for the Pt Townsend ferry, Ft Ebey is a nice campground with excellent views a short walk from the campground. Deception Pass is crowded, but the park has the best scenery in the state. Ft Casey is very convenient to the ferry, but can be a bit exposed.

[Glens]

We picked up at the end of March right after the border closure and stayed in Bellingham. After we picked up in Sumas we went to get propane within 20 miles and then went to Blaine to camp at one of the sites on the bay with electricity. Glad we did because the heater did not work and we used a portable heater that was fine. There are many fine places to camp along the coast of Washington and Oregon. We like state and federal parks but on our way home because of covid we used commercial parks mainly. New Mexico state parks have been closed on and off and Im sure California is a bitch also. Just remember stay safe and have fun.

[Killercook]

Originally Posted by harleyrk

Soooo sad! Only 10 yrs. In the Air Force.

Look on line but the dod now issues ID cards to veterans to use the Commissary and the exchange. Not sure about mwr luke camping but its worth a shot.

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by diannelgraham

For the first night a lot of people stay at the Lynden KOA, close to Escape if you have any issues.

Originally Posted by sherminator

Washington Park in Anacortes is in an absolutely beautiful place. It is a city owned and operated park. You can make reservations through the city website, and they do have first come-first served sites. Avoid B loop sites as they generally are very sloped.

Thanks for the suggestions, I just made reservations at KOA for the night of pick up, and at Washington Park the following night. Then we'll head east on WA 20 toward Glacier National Park, before heading home.