July 4th in Oregon/California/Nevada?

[jordanmfox]

Hello everybody, ( July 4th, 2008 ) 07/04/08
I was just wondering if anybody had any recommendations on some July 4th celebrations along the west coast. I doing a roadtrip down the coast for 2 weeks this July from Winnipeg to Seattle to LA to Winnipeg with stops along the way. I am probably going to be in Cali, but if there is any July 4th event that you think is exceptionally enjoyable along this route please let me know.
There are going to be 3 mid twenties guys on this trip, who all appreciate cold beer and the outdoors. In Winnipeg, they close down our main street and have concerts, beer gardens, street shows etc. which is kinda my idea of a good time. Camping is favorite pastime as well.

I am coming from Manitoba, Canada, and this is the first time I will be to the coast ever!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I just did a simple search on 'July 4th celebration California' and came up with thousands of possibilities. You'll know far better than I where you expect to be on the 4th itself, so you should do a similar search yourself and maybe narrow it down a bit. Or, you could just wait to see where you are on the road as the day nears. You should have no problem finding any number of local small town fireworks displays, parades, pancake breakfasts, etc., etc., etc.

AZBuck

[jordanmfox]

Thanks, for the feed back.
I don't know why I thought one place would celebrate July 4th any different than another.
I'll just ask the first person I see waving a miniature flag.

[PNW Judy]

Virtually every small town and area will be doing something on the 4th. If I were you, I'd just do my trip and then on the 3rd or morning of the 4th, find out what local happenings are going on and go to 'em.

Now, if you want a real kick, you could come to a beach near me. Ocean City, WA, just north of Ocean Shores (closest actual town).

Hundreds, if not thousands, of people show up on the beach putting off their fireworks. YOu can watch people with simple sparklers, people with big M-80s from the nearby tribal sales, and folks with their own small rocket spectaculars shooting up in the air. And then the big show starts with fireworks exploding high in the sky while lots of people continue to do their own fireworks, too.

If you stand on a dune, you can watch this going on up-and-down the beach for what seems like miles in both directions. Add to that, you can also see the Westport fireworks show off in the distance.

I've been to bigger, fancier, more expensive shows in a few cities, but nothing beats this display. Honest. It's amazing. It's a real assault on the senses since the fireworks are going off in all directions. Thrilling.

[roadie]

What better place to spend the 4th of July than Independence, CA.

Actually, I've never been to Independence, CA for the 4th of July, but
it's been on my to do list for years.

In case you don't know, Independence is one of the small towns
along Hwy 395 in the beautiful Owens Valley.

Check out their webpage.

[jordanmfox]

Hey Judy... you know that does sound really interesting. I am a huge fireworks fan, and the fact that you are encouraged to bring your own makes it even more fun. This is something that you wouldn't be able to do in Canada (legally). We have such a weak display in Winnipeg for our July 1st. I think we will likely be in the area too because we are going to shoot over to Victoria for Canada Day on the first, then head down to WA on the 2nd.
Thanks.

[jordanmfox]

Roadie,
Independence, CA? Never heard of it! Thanks for posting a link to their website, I will check it out later today.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Independence, CA? Never heard of it!

Well, if you wanted to travel a bit farther....
There is an Independence in California, Oregon, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, & Michigan.

And maybe more....

Mark

[PNW Judy]

Hey Judy... you know that does sound really interesting. I am a huge fireworks fan, and the fact that you are encouraged to bring your own makes it even more fun. This is something that you wouldn't be able to do in Canada (legally). We have such a weak display in Winnipeg for our July 1st. I think we will likely be in the area too because we are going to shoot over to Victoria for Canada Day on the first, then head down to WA on the 2nd.
Thanks.

If you make it here for it, here's some tips:

On your map, Ocean City is the first community north of Ocean Shores, WA. It's the first public beach approach north of Ocean Shores as well so it should be easy to find.

You will want to get there fairly early, probably no later than 7pm. It will probably already be a madhouse but then so even earlier is better. Once you get there, you will be there awhile. It's too crowded to leave quickly and expect a long time waiting for the crowd to disperse before you leave at the end of the night. So bring chairs, blankets, refreshments (or, heck, even bring your stove/BBQ and make a good dinner). It may be cold and even rain is not unusual so wear warm coats. A hat and gloves may even be needed. Even if it's been warm all day, the wind off the ocean can get real cold at night.

You will be able to buy your own fireworks at many temporary fireworks sales stands along the way. These will all be "safe and sane" fireworks. Although I sometimes question how accurate that description is. If you really want to get crazy, you'll want to stop at one of the native American reservations and get the the ones they sell there. Not safe or sane, imho, but my kids and most other people I know go out there and get them. (I never let my kids get them when I had control of their actions but they're young adults now. So I cross my fingers and hope they keep their's.) Technically, these are illegal. However, I have never heard of anyone getting arrested for bringing them off reservation land and using them. You will be fine and you won't be alone. But, also, don't get crazy with 'em and draw attention to yourself when you're out on the beach putting them off.

Potential places to buy them are: just north of Forks, go west to the coast to the Quilleute Nation town of LaPush. I don't know for sure if they sell them but it wouldn't surprise me. If not, it's an interesting detour anyway. Another option might be the Quinault National village of Queets, just a few miles south of the Kalaloch beach area. I've never been up there on the 4th either so I can't guarantee they sell them but I'd be kind of surprised if they don't. If neither of these have them, I know for a fact that the Quinault Nation village of Taholah will. (directions to get there below)

The best way to get down this way from Victoria/Vancouver Island is to take the ferry over to Port Angeles and then go west, then south on 101. Just south of Lake Quinault is the small "blink and you'll miss it" community of Neilton. Just a few miles past the main part of this area will be a road going right (west) called the Moclips Highway. I think the signs will direct you to Taholah, Moclips, and Pacific Beach. So take this road.

When you get to the end of it, go right (north) about 5 miles to Taholah and buy your fireworks. Then turn around and go south, staying on the coastal road (don't go back on the Moclips Highway) for about 25-30 minutes until you get to Ocean City and then take the beach approach out to the fireworks area.

Of course, if you've already gotten your fireworks and don't need to go to Taholah, you will just turn left, going south, at the end of the Moclips Highway.

BTW, the name Moclips Highway is a bit of a misnomer. This is a relatively narrow, curvy 2-lane road on which quite a few people have told me they've seen bears. I've been on it a lot and have never seen bears but I have seen lots of elk and deer. Don't let that worry you. None are dangerous, even the bear if you're in your car, but you dont' want to drive this road recklessly fast or in the early dawn or at night because of the potential of hitting one of them and wrecking your car and/or getting injured yourself.

There are plenty of hotels/campgrounds out at the beaches but they do tend to get filled up during the holiday weekends. Especially if the weather is good, warm and dry.

[jordanmfox]

So it seems I should have no problem getting fireworks from what I've read. I think I'll stick to the tame stuff, I feel I don't have the expertise garnered from many July Fourths over the years. I am familiar with avoiding wildlife as well as hitting wildlife :(... so thanks for the heads up.

One question I have is how to go about traveling by ferry? Can I leave my car in Port Angeles? Is it better to prebook the pass or can we just buy one at the station? Is the cost <$100 round trip (hoping)?

Thanks.