One of the drawback of owning a 4x4 vehicle is developing a taste for backcountry roads.  I've been researching for trails around Los Angeles that might be suitable for the Winnebago Revel.  I don't have the clearance and articulation for the gnarly trails, so I looked for easy to moderate trails that will hopefully lead to a nice view point.  Maple Springs Trail is the first one I'm trying out.  It passes through the town of Silverado in Orange County, and will lead you all the way to Santiago Peak, the highest peak in Orange County.

It took us about an hour going up a mostly single lane gravel dirty road.  Once in a while you'll encounter people driving in the opposite direction and everyone's real nice about making ways for others to pass.  We didn't drive all the way to Santiago Peak because my son and my mom, who were riding with me, was a bit tired of the bumpy roads.  So, I whipped up a quick lunch and we rest a bit at the end of the Maple Springs Road and turned back.  On this trip, I practiced lowering the tire pressure when we started on the dirt road and it really made the drive much more smoother.  While coming back down, I engage the low-range on the 4WD and it helped me come down in a controlled speed without hitting the brakes too much.  All in all, a successful first try at four wheeling, I'd say.

Finally got back from our 9-day roadtrip to the Pacific Northwest.  I've spent months scoping out the places we would want to visit and places to camp in our Winnebago Revel.  Driving the Revel enable us to go farther into the wilderness and not have to worry too much about rain or cold.  I specifically picked out a few remote boondocking camp spots for this trip.

Mossbrae Falls was our first stop, a place I've been eyeing for a long time.  The hike to the waterfall follows a train track which isn't exactly legal, so you could be risking your life, or a ticket.  However, the waterfall is BEAUTIFUL!  We could have stayed for hours, if we didn't have other destinations to go.

Crater Lake was just as majestic as the first time I visited it, about 15 years ago.  NPS has kept it up well and have built a lot more parking areas.  Although it's summer, there were still patches of snow on the ground.

Hole-in-the-ground in the Oregon Outbacks was a place I discovered by looking at the Google Satellite maps.  After more searching and reading about it, I found out that it was actually legal to boondock right by the edge of this amazing place.  I think we were the only ones there that night.

The Smith Rock is another must-see in Oregon and being in close proximity to Bend, that's killing two birds with one stone.  The Crooked River cuts around multiple near vertical cliffs and we could see many people scaling them.  We walked down the river trail and leisurely took in the beauty.

Near Portland, on the Columbia River, there are many waterfalls to visit, with Multnomah Falls being the most famous.  Parking was a bit of hassle, but the Revel allowed us to take the RV spot when available, and squeeze into a normal parking spot when needed.

Seattle was rainy when we visited, no surprises there.

The Marymere Falls by the Lake Crescent turned out to be a surprise highlight of the trip.  The trail was lush and mossy like the Hoh Rain Forest, in fact, I think it's better because I was disappointed at how much the Hoh Rain Forest has deteriorated since we visited 15 years ago.

The Tree of Life at the Kalaloch Beach was a sight to see.  The ground under the tree has washed away and yet it's still clinging on by the sides.  You can walk right underneath it and see the roots.  We also visited Ocean City where they allow people to drive on the beach, a first for us.

We can now proudly say that we drove the entire Oregon 101 Coast Highway.  There are tons of neat beaches to visit, sights to see.  I'm surprised that the Oregon coastal cities aren't more populated like California.

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