Valley River Center, Eugene, Oregon

Now this is the life!!.... parked in the back lot of Valley River Center.... I'm not kidding! It sounds a little strange I'm sure, to say that parking one's RV in a shopping mall parking lot is a good deal, but look at the facts:
1. We have more "privacy" (space to ourselves) here than in many private RV parks;
2. We are right on the Willamette River, with plenty of walking paths leading to the Owen Memorial Rose Garden and other beautiful locations, and a range of natural wildlife areas only a few feet away;
3. Security is constantly checking the area so it's safe;
4. Best of all.... it's free!

OK, so we are "boon-docking" - I can live without water and electricity for a day or two. We charged up and filled up before we arrived here so we don't miss the services. As it turns out, "2" is the magic number. Management of the Valley River shopping center allows RVer's to stay 2 nights out of 30 in their back lot, along the river, for no charge. Security will check you in and provide you with the very reasonable guidelines.

This is a great place to stop if you need to catch up on a few city chores - banking and shopping and the like. The mall has several of the major department stores and nice restaurants, and you are within easy driving distance of the Hult Center and museums if you want to take advantage of those cultural opportunities. We had decided our "to do" list was long enough that we needed to get back to civilization sooner than we had originally planned, and our reservation at Armitage, the county park we have stayed at before, doesn't start until Tuesday, so this is a stop-gap. You can't beat the scenery or the price! The walk/bike trail system is extensive here in Eugene, and runs along both sides of the Willamette, so there are plenty of opportunities for birdwatching or just plain stretching the muscles.

Interesting trivia: Valley River Center is actually a pretty cool location. It was used as the primary location for shooting the film How to Beat the High Co$t of Living in 1980. Eugene and environs have been used as locations for a lot of other films too, including the now world-famous Animal House, some of which was filmed in Cottage Grove, where we used to live, and on the University of Oregon campus.  

Check out the album for a leisurely walk along the river.