There's an article in the Oregon Life section of this week's Sunday paper (http://www.registerguard.com<nbsp;called ) called "One-Tank Wonders." It talks about some of the many interesting places you can get to from the Eugene area on a single tank of gas.
We loved that aspect of living in Lane County when we were raising our children here in Springfield. Back then, it was time constraints rather than the high price of gas that made it so wonderful to be able to do and see so much in such a short time.
It's an easy sixty miles from Eugene-Springfield to Florence on the beautiful Oregon Coast and about the same distance the other direction to the mountains, where there are lots and lots of wonderful campgrounds on both the Willamette and McKenzie Rivers. We've always loved the outdoors and camping, so it was a great place to live for 30+ years!
(Winchester Bay on the Coast has the best crab and oysters anywhere!)
There are also a lot of outdoor recreation opportunities without ever even leaving the metro area. Lane County is well-known for its excellent bike and walking paths, many along the two rivers. These pictures are of a few of them. Left to right (click to enlarge): Alton Baker Bike path between Springfield and Eugene; Rose Garden on the bike path across from Valley River Center (the area's largest shopping mall); the Willamette path at Buford Park, south of Eugene; plein-air painters on the South Shore Bike path.
We are always surprised when we meet RV people who have never been to Oregon and we always tell them to come and visit. It's best to be here in the summer, when it doesn't rain — just leave an RV Space for us, please!
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