RVing during Pandemic and looking relocate

[Gnarley]

Thanks for your consideration!

My wife and I are in our early 60's, we hadn't planned to retire and are both unemployed, I have a little side income, and both plan to work into our 70's. We live in Sonoma County, CA and find the area great weather-wise, except for fires and very low humidity in the late summer. Finding suitable employment is the challenge! We have no children and enough equity to buy a home somewhere else. We never planned to be in this situation, did anyone? We could never afford to outright buy where we are with our equity, so why try restarting a career in this area, yet again!

We have a lot of reasons to move! We both like the ocean and milder temps and have considered the Oregon coast and maybe somewhere from Florence to Astoria. We also need to consider community and available resources and healthcare. I'd like to plan an exploratory drive for a 2 weeks and see what could work. I'm concerned about available places to camp and am looking for suggestions on how and where in our 1999 32' HR Class A, that's in very good condition!

I'd like to sell our home and move ASAP (60-90 days), we wouldn't need to buy right away and could even live in the RV for a while and it's that which I'm concerned about during COVID and if you can actually find a place to park for a while?

Please share your thoughts and questions respectfully,

Thanks!

[accsys]

As far as RV parks go, you may want to to check the blog in our signature. In particular the 2013 and 2016 trip spent considerable time along the NW coast. The 2016 trip concentrated on Oregon with a month each in Brookings, Florence and Lincoln City. We probably enjoyed the month in Lincoln City the most as it had the most amenities as far as restaurants, crafts stores, etc.

As far as traveling during the pandemic, I don't think you will have any problem other than finding RV parks that are not full. Reservations are pretty well necessary. Check in may be a little different but most RV parks are open and doing a busy season. State parks being open are hit or miss and difficult to stay in for any length of time.

[Ed_Gee]

As a resident on the Central Oregon Coast I would surmise you are going to have to make some consessions to your wants. Access to large airports is one. Large hospitals and top notch medical service is another. Here in Florence its just over an hour to a decent airport.....and while our local hospital can take care of most matters, serious medical attention is an hour and a half away. Jobs are also problematic. With your skills perhaps the local hospital would be interested.... and we do have a high tech ISP startup....but not many employees. Good luck, wherever you end up.

[Lwiddis]

Being from Southern California, it is inconceivable to me that the weather, environment, life style of Sonoma County, California is less than perfect. When seeking Valhalla beware of leaving paradise.

[Janss]

Ha ha ha! I don't know why that blinking smiley face showed up in my post. But when I click on that link, it goes to the right place.

[Janss]

Gnarley....Here is great Tripadvisor article listing all the campgrounds along the Oregon Coast. Read the whole thing...there are multiple sections, all listed from north to south. Note that this article was written a few years ago, so could have some outdated information.
Campground listing

You can look up reviews of campgrounds on Good Sam, Campendium, Campground Reviews, to name a few.

[wanderingaimles]

Try a search on campendium
They have listings specifically of which campgrounds are open in spite of CoronaCrud.

[thomasmnile]

Interesting thread. Is it possible with your training and background you could set yourself up as a consultant in the tech industry? If doable and with good internet access your office is wherever you are.

[wapiticountry]

The remote coastal towns of the Pacific Northwest won't have too much to offer in the employment lines you say you are certified in. By the time you get close to both the coast and the big cities of Portland and Seattle you are going to find the prices will get very big, very quickly.
If you can work remotely with the Internet Security certification, get the job first, then all you need to find is the right area for you. With a bit of advanced notice and some old fashioned digging around you will be able to find a place to stay with the RV, even if it isn't ideal. Once there you can start looking to move up to better accommodations. Moving and then finding a job is a bit of putting the cart before the horse especially if there isn't a specific area or property you have zero'ed in on.

[Gnarley]

2oldman wrote:
What would you consider suitable work in your 60s? At your age I'd be selling everything and hitting the Roads and Routes and forgetting about work.. if that's possible. Life is short.

I was working in tech, I'm a systems engineer/manager and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional, CISSP. Before tech I was an ASE certified Master technician, I can do anything to vehicles. I also can do pretty much anything around a home. With many skill sets I could add to my retirement. Full retirement is not in the cards if I desire to enjoy life at this point.

[2oldman]

What would you consider suitable work in your 60s? At your age I'd be selling everything and hitting the Roads and Routes and forgetting about work.. if that's possible. Life is short.

[Gnarley]

WNYBob wrote:
Come on East!
We have wonderful health care here. Cost of owning a home is one of the lowest in the country! Lots of camping, including the #1 & #2 State Parks on the country.
Where is this place, and it Western New York! Yes it gets cold here, but we have some of the best skiing east of the Mississippi.
Come give us a try, (after you quarantine for 14 days, that is)
WNYBob

The Eastern US certainly has some nice areas. Going east is not in the cards. It's too far, we don't want snow and there are NO affordable homes on the coast, they were taken long ago. It would be a logistail nightmare moving across the country. Staying out west we have better chances of getting what we want and not having to deal with larger populations.

I thank you for your suggestion anyway!

[Gnarley]

Janss wrote:
I am on the Oregon Coast right now. This private RV park is quite busy. Some of the State Parks on the coast are closed to camping, some are open. Life is going on almost as usual, with masks, outdoor seating, take-out, smaller groups, etc.

Have you traveled the Oregon Coast before? Not sure you would like the weather year round compared to Sonoma County. We come here in Aug. and Sept. because they are the two best weather months. I think the southern coast is more the "banana belt".


If finding suitable work in Sonoma County is a challenge, doubt it will be any better on the Oregon coast.

If you want RV park recommendations in specific towns, just ask. Lots of RVers on this forum have been to the Oregon Coast.

We love the Brookings area, but there are no airports close by. We prefer to be closer to a large airport. By selling our home and using the equity for an outright purchase we eliminate 2/3rds of our bills and can afford our life. I have many skills to offer anywhere we land and if I'm unable to find a good job there are many other ways to sell my services.

Do you know of any lists for campgrounds along the coast?

By the way, some of our summer days look like coastal Oregon due to the marine layer. Today is overcast and 66° 30 miles inland. If you haven't lived in this part of Sonoma County you may not understand but due to the fires of 2017 and 2019 and the increasingly dry humidity that time of year we would like to go somewhere that has more humidity such as a coastal area.



Thanks

[Lwiddis]

Tuff to get a home loan anywhere without employment. And have you priced Oregon Coast homes?

[WNYBob]

Come on East!
We have wonderful health care here. Cost of owning a home is one of the lowest in the country! Lots of camping, including the #1 & #2 State Parks on the country.
Where is this place, and it Western New York! Yes it gets cold here, but we have some of the best skiing east of the Mississippi.
Come give us a try, (after you quarantine for 14 days, that is)
WNYBob

[Janss]

I am on the Oregon Coast right now. This private RV park is quite busy. Some of the State Parks on the coast are closed to camping, some are open. Life is going on almost as usual, with masks, outdoor seating, take-out, smaller groups, etc.

Have you traveled the Oregon Coast before? Not sure you would like the weather year round compared to Sonoma County. We come here in Aug. and Sept. because they are the two best weather months. I think the southern coast is more the "banana belt".

Not sure about healthcare. Thank goodness, we've never needed it while here. But I do know that Samaritan recently expanded their hospital/healthcare facilities in Newport.

If finding suitable work in Sonoma County is a challenge, doubt it will be any better on the Oregon coast.

If you want RV park recommendations in specific towns, just ask. Lots of RVers on this forum have been to the Oregon Coast.