May 7th through 16th, 2026
The drive from Redding to Klamath Falls was gorgeous, and we couldn't stop staring at Mount Shasta.
We had a nice, big site in Klamath Falls. We started our visit with a lovely dinner in town for Monica's birthday.
There are times when we want to visit a place but don't want to take the trailer with us. We left the trailer in Klamath Falls for a weekend to go to Cave Junction with the motorhome while Monica followed in the car. The roads were winding and steep in spots, but it was a great drive.
One of the reasons we went to Cave Junction was to get closer to Redwood National and State Parks. The park is on the coast and not really near any major towns, so we made the special trip. We had already been to Sequoia National Park and Muir Woods, so we really wanted to see what the coastal redwoods looked like, too. The park is really big, and we drove from the north end all the way to the southern end. It was gorgeous.
We stopped by the visitor center on the north end and then did a hike along the River Trail. Margot's feet cooperated, and she's doing great. It's so nice to be able to do short hikes again.
After our hike we drove south through the park. We took a few diversions on the way, and we got up close and personal with the trees. It even got foggy as the day got later, which made things look so interesting. We found a pullout that gave us views of the ocean, and another one that took us to a beach. It was chilly but verey pretty.
It was time to stop for lunch, and we had a great meal at a diner. Coincidentally, we were across the road from one of the old trees they cut through so people could drive through them. Of course, the trees are protected now, but we were there so why not? It was expensive for what you got, but now we can say we've driven through a redwood. We did it twice before moving south.
There was another visitor center at the southern end of the park. We spent a bit of time there because you could walk out onto the beach. It was a pretty cool experience. We saw elk on the way home, driving back the way we went.
The next day of our Cave Junction excursion was spent at the Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, the reason for the name of the town we were in. It was a nice drive into the mountains next to the town, and the drive ended at a parking lot that required some walking to get to the visitor center and our cave tour. We got there in time for our reservation and did the tour.
It ended up being a lot of walking, including a long walk back to the visitor center after the tour. We even had some deer cross our path on the walk back. It ended up being a really great day, and Margot was exhausted from the walking. But it was worth it.
The owners of the KOA in Cave Junction were really great. They upgraded us to a patio site when we got there (for free!) and they let us check out late without charging us. That gave us time to go to the Lava Beds National Monument. After some of the other caves we'd seen in the last year or two, the little cave we saw at this place wasn't much though they let you wander through it on your own. It was in an interesting area, hot outside but cool in the cave. We also saw a huge lava field there that was mind boggling. That park houses a big geological wonder, and we were glad we got to see it.
We were interested in Tule Lake National Monument, but the visitor center was short staffed and closed. The National Park Service is creating memorials at sites where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II, but we hadn't been to one yet. We are fairly uneducated about it, so we drove to the areas we could, but it was just foundations without any signs. We're interested in finding other locations in the future to learn more about this part of our country's history.
We drove back to our trailer and other site in Klamath Falls, and the last day we were there we went to Crater Lake National Park. The weather up there is not always cooperative, and unfortunately, we were there on a day when you couldn't see much of the lake most of the time. We were able to drive as far as Discovery Point to get some photos before it was completely covered in fog and clouds. We always take the good with the bad and we enjoyed our time learning about the lake at the fantastic visitor centers. It even snowed while we were up there!
We had a sad meal when we were at the lake, but they can't all be winners. On the way down, we stopped at a couple pullouts and saw some cool places that were carved through canyons. It's a pretty amazing place.
Oregon was turning out to be a great time. Off to the next adventure!
