Valley River Center, Eugene

 Blue herons and snowy egrets fishing in the pond, mallard ducks puddling about at the water's edge, laughing at each others jokes, Canadian geese flying overhead and calling out to the stragglers, a river otter fishing for his breakfast.

Does this sound like a nature preserve?

Well, it's actually the east leg of the Eugene bike path. It runs along the Willamette River and crosses the Delta ponds.

We're here for just a one night stop, waiting for our reservations to open up at the Armitage Park campground. It sounds a bit strange to some that we are "camped" on the back-side of a shopping mall, but really, the view is better than we've had in many RV parks, and you can't beat it for people watching.

Wild sweetpeas near the path

The bike trail is a wealth of sporting equipment of all kinds. There are bicycles, skateboards, scooters, walking poles, and backpacks of every shape and size.

The bike path is heavily used, by bicyclists as well as walkers, and it extends for a couple of miles in both directions from the mall, so offers a nice opportunity for a long walk,with a nice view, in a really safe environment. It's completely paved, so safe for those who have trouble with uneven ground.

River Otter

VRC allows two nights a month for RV parking, free of charge. All you have to do is register with the security staff who patrol the lots constantly.