[suza]

Stopped by the Albany/Corvallis, Oregon KOA to scout out a kayaking excursion later this summer and found it truly is "a small world, after all" . . . . . .

After visiting with the owner for a bit, I mentioned that we lived along the Coquille River. He asked me if we were near Myrtle Point (that's our hometown!). Seems he lived there and attended kindergarten through 5th grade in the late 50's-early 60's, when his dad was pastor at the Lutheran church. I did not live there at that time, but he went to school in two of the school buildings where I worked and knows a lot of people I know now. The KOA he owns and manages is on land that has been in his family for over 100 years.

The campground is pretty nice. It is close to the highway that runs from I-5 to Corvallis, but well protected by trees. The grounds are tidy, though not emmaculate; the lawns in the sites were a bit unkempt, but everything was very clean. It felt homey and not too "Park-like". The RV sites are all pull-throughs with about half of them 50 amp and half 30 amp. Most have full hook-ups, including cable and WiFi with a few without sewer (there is a dump station on site). There are also a few cabins (just for sleeping - no kitchens or bathrooms) and quite a few tent camping sites. Ammenities include a heated pool, convenience store, propane, dog park, basketball court, a nature trail, and access to the Calapooya River. There is also a small minature golf course available for an extra fee.

Most sites were roomy and not too close together. I found some that would be good for our family group of RVs camping together. All sites are at least 60' long, so there's plenty of room for a tow vehicle.

The owners were very friendly and willing to take the time to answer my questions. They even suggested some possible places for getting in and out of the river with our kayaks. They checked availability during the summer and told me about weekends with busy summer events when the park is generally pretty full.

It looks like a good place to camp out for a few days while we do some kayaking on the Willamette and Calapooya Rivers. After that, we plan to head East past Lebanon and Sweet Home to spend several days at Sunnyside Park on Foster Lake where there are a lot of little inlets and streams for paddling and a spacious park for relaxing and enjoying the final days of summer. This park is very popular, being close to Salem, and pretty much booked until after Labor Day, but that's OK with us. September has some of the best weather here in Oregon and the crowds will be done for the Summer camping season.