CRYSTAL CRANE HOT SPRINGS, CRANE, OREGON (SOUTHEAST OREGON)

Our Opinion: Rave!  Relax in a natural hot springs pool in the wide open spaces of eastern Oregon.

Date of Stay: June 15-18, 2011

Weather During Stay: Sunny and cool (upper 60’s for highs) during the day; chilly at night.  This has been an unusually cool spring in Oregon.

Site Description: Seven RV sites total - five pull-throughs on level gravel have 30 amps and water; two 30 amp FHU sites are somewhat sloped back-ins.  No trees at the RV sites.  All RV sites face east.  Be forewarned: this campground does not have a dump station, and just two of the sites have sewer.  If you won’t be staying in an FHU site, come with empty tanks!

RV’s sites are just one part of the story here.  The Crystal Crane compound includes several cabins, a large area for tents or small dry camping RV’s, a “camp kitchen” for the use of the guests, and a cozy common area with comfortable seating, a small library, a computer, and a large screen TV with satellite service.  Coffee is often on.  A bath house has clean, modern bathrooms and two small, overused shower rooms for bathers and campers.  Private hot baths are available for an extra fee (hourly). 

The staff is extremely helpful and friendly.  You can rent swimming noodles for $1 for the duration of your stay, and we each also rented a big, thick, terrycloth bathrobe ($2 per robe for the duration of your stay) for walking from our rig to the hot pool, to the shower and back.  Towels can be rented for $1 each.  Besides the campers, day visitors can pay to use the pool between 9 am and 9 pm.  The pool is open 24/7 to campers; the temperature averages 95 or so, with much hotter spots near the inflow of the natural hot springs.

Rate: In theory, $18 per night for W/E - but a variety of discounts are available and we were able to use them.  For the first night, we paid $9, Passport America.  For the second night, we got a 15% Escapees discount.  For the third and fourth nights, we got a 10% Good Sam discount.  The price covers 2 people, including unlimited use of the hot pool, the common area, and the bath houses.  FHU sites are $20, and I don’t know if discounts apply to those sites.  AND, there is a separate charge for pets (except indoor cats).  I don’t know how much it is, but if you have pets that go outdoors,  be aware that there is an additional charge. 

Phone/radio/TV: Here in the middle of nowhere (25 miles from a town of 4,000 people), Verizon just installed a new cell tower!  Great signal for phones and aircard, but the campground provides high-speed WiFi as well (which we used when our aircard broke!).  No obstacles for TV satellite, and two PBS stations (and nothing else) are available on the air antenna.  NPR on 90.1. 

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain:  Crystal Crane Hot Springs is in Harney county, a very sparsely populated area of eastern Oregon at 4110 ft. elevation.  The campground is a small oasis in a vast western landscape.   Views are very open, across miles of flat, scrub-covered ground and occasional mountain ridges.  Wide open, spacious, relaxing. 

Lighting/Noise: Very quiet at night.  Unfortunately, the camp compound is lit at night by 2 or 3 tall streetlights - a shame since this would be such a perfect “dark sky” situation.

Favorite Sites: We were in site 2, one of the 4 identical W/E pull though sites.  The two FHU sites might be nice for a longer stay, but a not as level as the W/E sites.

Hiking/Walking: The grounds of the campground are spacious, but no hikes in the immediate vicinity. 

Comments: Harney County has plenty of beautiful scenery, historical sites, interesting geology, the well known Malheur Wildlife Refuge, wild mustangs, and the Steens Mountain - all spread over a very large area populated by very few people.  Fuel up, and bring food.  We loved it.

PRINEVILLE ELKS LODGE, PRINEVILLE, OREGON

Our Opinion: Recommend.  Private; you must be an Elk to stay here.

Date of Stay: June 14, 2011.

Weather During Stay: Sunny, cool, and breezy.

Sites:  There are four electric boxes on two telephone poles at the back of the lodge lot, but sufficient space for only 3 RV’s if they have slides (4 Class B’s could squeeze in side by side).  We were the only rig there, so had our choice of where to park.  Electric only (no water or sewer at sites); nice new boxes with 20/30/50 amp outlets and excellent voltage. 

Parking is on level blacktop.  Your rig probably would be surrounded by cars if there was an event at the small lodge.  Located in a nice neighborhood two blocks off the main street and a couple blocks from the Crook County Courthouse.

Rate: $10 for electric hookup; $5 to dry camp.  Dump at the county campground about a mile south for $5.  There is a hose bib on the side of the Elks which could be used to fill your tank if not obstructed by cars in the lot.

Phone/radio/TV: Strong Verizon phones and aircard signal.  No obstructions to block TV satellite.  One station (from Portland) on TV antenna.  NPR from Eugene on 88.1 FM.

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: Level, paved parking in a nice neighborhood in a small town at 2,830 ft. elevation.  This is the dry side of the Cascades, but close enough to the mountains to have lots of pine trees around.  Views are of the lodge, the cupola of the Crook County Courthouse 2 blocks away, and a couple beautiful, substantial older homes across the street.   Pleasant neighborhood.

Lighting/Noise: Quiet at night; the lodge leaves outdoor lights on the building all night long.

Favorite Sites: No difference between them, other than proximity to the driveway or the sidewalk.

Hiking/Walking: Nice walking around this small town (10,000 population).  Likely to be hiking opportunities in the area, but we didn’t seek them out.

Comments: This was our first visit to Prineville, passing through on our way east.  Home to Les Schwab, the tire dealer, Prineville appears to be a friendly, prosperous small town with a beautiful golf course and lots of recreational opportunities in the area.  This friendly lodge made a great overnight spot.

ARMITAGE COUNTY PARK, EUGENE, OREGON

Our opinion: Rave. We first discovered this Lane County campground in October of 2009, and we returned for six nights on June 8, 2011 and another week in August, 2011. 

This is our choice if we want FHU when we visit this Eugene.  Spacious, close to town, usually quiet, with a combination of sunny and shaded sites.  The camping area shares the park with several picnic areas, a group camping area, and a dog park.

The only drawback to this park for us?  Our Verizon air card is on National Access here (read: slow), and the new (unsecured) WiFi provided at the park doesn’t reliably reach to our favorite site!  So maybe we’ll pick a new favorite site.  :)  Updated 8/2011: we are in site 14, and the WiFi signal is strong and fast.  Our friends in site 32 find it unusable, so pick lower numbered sites if WiFi is important to you.

In 2009, word was that showers would be built soon, but that hasn’t happened yet and we saw no sign of construction during this visit.  Click here to read our full review from our first visit, which has been updated to reflect changes since 2009.

UMPQUA GOLF AND RV RESORT, SUTHERLIN, OREGON

When we first visited this small, friendly park in August of 2009 (click here to read our full review from that stay), we made a mental note to return when we had time to stay longer.  We came back on June 3rd, intending to stay 3 nights on our way north.  By the time we had settled into site 9, an east facing back-in, we had decided to add two more days to our stay. 

Why?  Start with the camp host here, Lonnie Brock, friendly, mellow and extremely helpful.   After a 5 hour drive, it is nice to be welcomed with a big smile, helpful suggestions for site selection, and the opportunity to settle into the site before returning to the office to pay.  Sites are comfortably large for a commercial park.  Then there is the view, out towards the emerald green golf course and pine covered hills.  AND, it must be the best deal in all of Oregon if you are a Passport America member, as they continue to honor a Passport America rate of $15/night (50 amp full hookups, cable TV and blazing WiFi included – so fast that we used it instead of our Verizon MiFi). 

I particularly like the hilltop location, the reason we choose this park over the SKP park nearby (same price).  Odel likes the proximity to the golf course.  The only drawback is the moderate traffic noise from nearby highway 138, a main route to the coast.  Fortunately, traffic noise drops considerably after dark.  We could happily stay here longer… but have an appointment to keep in Eugene.

REDDING ELKS LODGE, REDDING, CALIFORNIA

We’ve used the Redding Elks Lodge many times in the past as we travel I-5.  This was a two-night stay, long enough to stock up at the Redding Costco before heading north and to take a couple of walks along the river.  Nothing has changed since our visit in 2009 (click here to read our full review from that visit).

Redding has many choices for RV’ers, including at least one RV park that participates in Passport America (1/2 price).  Although $20/night seems high for an E/W/cable TV/WiFi site (we just paid $20/night in Napa for FHU with cable TV and WiFi, in what seems a more desirable location), we continue to patronize the Redding Elks Lodge because it is friendly and easy – pull in, take any open site, pay using a payment envelope or at the bar.   This lodge’s RV parking is heavily used, so we try to arrive before 3 pm to be assured of a site.  Elks only.