RV Adventures

Serendipity – luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for

Yup, we have experienced serendipity these past couple of days.  We made the decision to cut short our visit on the Oregon Coast because some foggy and drizzly weather was moving in.  Sure enough, we woke on the day of our planned departure and this is what we saw as we looked westward.

The fog is rolling in.

So where to go next?  We wanted to keep dry camping, so I consulted the directory for the Harvest Hosts.  This is an organization we joined that provides a list of wineries, museums and farms where you can dry camp for free.  The hosts hope, of course, that you will spend some money at their winery, farm store, etc.

We spotted the Evergreen Air & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.  Ok, we are geeks, that might work.  Oh boy, did it work!!!

The Air half of the museum is in one building.  The Space portion is in another.  Need a ride to get between the two?  Here’s your ride…

Your spacecraft awaits.

This museum blew us away.  It is now the home of the Spruce Goose, the largest wooden airplane ever built, designed and only flown once by Howard Hughes.  It was the acquisition of the Spruce Goose that started the creation of this museum.

The museum’s displays were extensive and well done.  By 4:00 that afternoon, our brains were on overload.

A mockup of the Lunar Module from the first Moon landing.

A model of the Wright Brother’s plane.

Need a break? Sit down in one of the may airline seats scattered around the museum!

Our overnight camping spot was pleasant.  Yes, it was a parking lot.  But it was quiet and scenic. There was a nice breeze blowing. Mission accomplished, we had an enjoyable day and a free spot to camp for the night.

The Blue Flame, with other happy campers, settling in for the night.

I almost forgot to mention the water park on the property.  Yes, that is an indoor water park under the Boeing 747.  If you look closely, you can see how the water slides originate IN the 747.  Now is that cool or what?

The Evergreen Wings and Waves Educational Waterpark.

We had one more night to fill before we could get into our campground in Portland.  If you ever want to camp near Portland, plan ahead and make reservations early!  We were lucky to get a spot when I called last week.  Anyway, we looked in the Harvest Host directory again and found a winery a bit up the road.  Yes, we scored again!

We are camping in a hay field at the base of the hill of grapevines.  Google maps will show you exactly where we are.

We are the blue dot on the left. The winery is a tad up the hill on the right. It is peaceful!

We did a nice tasting yesterday, purchased some bottles of wine, and basically relaxed.

A nice 2014 Pinot Gris.

It’s harvest time, we got to take a peek behind the scenes and met the head Vintner.

We can’t say enough good things about Harvest Hosts.  If you can dry camp, it is a wonderful experience.

The view out our window this morning.

We are off to Portland and Callie this morning.  Traffic isn’t looking good…but that’s Portland for you.