My Trip to Lincoln City

I had an amazing opportunity last week. The Oregon Campground Owners Association had their Spring Meeting in Lincoln City, OR from Monday to Wednesday, and I was lucky enough to travel down from Castle Rock, WA.

It was a rare sunny day in the Pacific Northwest, and I cruised down the interstate with music blasting and windows down. I was surprised to see so many RVs out on the road, given that it was a Monday, but I think after so much rain, outdoor enthusiasts everywhere were capitalizing on the sunshine.

I arrived in Lincoln City in the evening, and stopped at the Hotel where the OR ARVC (this is their new name, where as they were formerly known as ORCA) conference and meeting was to be held.

When I opened the back door of the hotel room, my heart raced and I became quite giddy, much as I imagine children would be excited searching for Easter chocolates on the weekend. Before me was the Pacific Ocean in all its glory; large waves crashing against the sandy beaches, the glare of a large sinking Sun reflecting of the endless expanse of water and life.

Any hunger, or fatigue was quickly forgotten, and I grabbed my camera and walked down the beach, restraining myself from running and jumping about with all the energy that was coursing through my body. I experience this energy quite often, and I believe most people get it as well. It is the feeling some get when listening to a beautiful piece of music. For some it comes when their favourite team wins a big game, or seeing a loved one you haven’t seen in far too long. Whatever the vessel that brings this energy, I believe it comes through the heart, and the closest feeling I can describe to it, is being a child again. As children we did not have the ability to think of the consequences of our actions. Now some may see that as a skill we have learned, and it certainly is, but at the same time it is a skill that we have lost. Too often I find myself dismissing opportunity because of the consequences. Sure I could run down that beach, but later my knees would just hurt. I don’t want to make a big dinner tonight if I have to clean up. I don’t want to move to the other side of the country because it would mean leaving my family behind, etc. We are all guilty of this and in a lot of ways it is a good thing. But when you think of jumping into a deep puddle, I bet the first thing you think of is getting your clothes wet, but a child only sees the joy of a big splash, and that is a beautiful thing. Sometimes I wish I could go back to that.

Alright so that was off on a rather large tangent, but necessary I believe. You see, when I saw that sun setting, and that beach, my mind didn’t think of consequences or reason; it didn’t have the opportunity. Instead, my heart silenced my mind by filling my body with pure joy. Yes, “joy” may seem like an abstract cliché, but it is the only word to describe that feeling (and everyone that knows the feeling also understands that words and language are unable to convey that feeling).

That night it was the full moon, and I had my first opportunity to see it brightly illuminate the mighty waters below. It was a moon that cast shadows onto the sand from my bare feet, and once again, the joy filled me.

The next morning I went to the conference and was greeted by Robin Schweiterman, the current OR ARVC president, and Angi Christian, the kind lady who was in the stressful situation of organizing the conference (and she did an amazing job).

I was also lucky enough to meet Jeff Sims, the Director of Membership and Public Affairs of the ARVC. A more personable and honest man I have never met, and he had me laughing the entire day. Jeff had spent an entire year travelling the United States visiting parks and spreading the word about the ARVC. He travelled to over 1800 parks over the course of a year, and had quite the adventure as I am sure you can imagine. He had so much quality advice to give to me (the Tents for Troops program hopes to embark on a similar journey across the country in the fall, reaching over 500 parks).

Half way through the day Robin asked if I would give a quick speech on the Tents for Troops program, and though it made me a little nervous, I jumped at the generous opportunity.

The Tents for Troops program gained a lot of momentum in last Fall in Oregon, when Charlie Curry (the founder of the program) gave a presentation to OR ARVC members. They were the first parks to join, and from there the program really got going. Right now there are parks in 32 States, and that number is rising.

The whole convention was a blast, and more importantly a great learning opportunity for me to get to know a whole bunch of interesting people, and some of the obstacles that the RV park owners are overcoming right now. I even was lucky enough to sit in on a workshop about Earthquakes and Tsunamis in coastal areas. It was very informative, and I was surprised at how naïve I am about natural disasters.

At the end of the day, I had to return home. Before that day, it had always been a dream of mine to travel along the highway 101 coastline (though I always imagined it on a bike). That day one of my dreams came true as I drove home North along the 101. I had lots of time, and made the most of it by taking every scenic route I could, and stopping whenever I wanted. Once again, pure and utter Joy filled my heart, and was renewed as I came around each turn and viewed yet another spectacular beach.

I stopped for the night in Long Beach, WA, and stayed with my friends Ed and Katie. They treated me to freshly dug clams, and crab cakes; a delicacy I had never experienced prior, and I have to say it was absolutely delicious.

The next morning I drove back to Castle Rock, and the sun even stuck around for a few more days (a luxurious bonus after nearly two months of straight rain). Over the weekend about 5 Active Military families stayed at the park, and it was great to see how much fun they were all having together on an Easter weekend. It made me really appreciate those who work so hard to enable me to experience a trip like I had just had.

So that was my big adventure, and over a week later there is still a grin on my face. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it,

Lucas.