<< Day 1 - Vancouver to Salem
Sunday morning we successfully found our way to the home where meeting was held, and then we were on the road to Bandon, where we would spend the night.
To get to there, we drove west from Salem to Newport via Eddyville, then down the coast road to Bandon.
Allow me to point out that when traveling in a group, it is a very good idea to establish some ground rules in order that at the end of spending 12+ days together in very confined spaces you go home and still want to speak to each other.
We had established our "rules" on the road Day 1, and they were as follows:
- "Pineapple" was our safety word, to be used by any one of us to immediately and without questioning by the rest of us change the topic of conversation. Trust me, this is necessary.
- "Onion" was our "HOT GUY very close, but I want to be a bit subtle about it" code word.
As a note for anyone trying this one out, "Onion" is not actually an easy word to just slip into casual conversations."Check out that onion at 2:00"
... see what I mean? Doesn't actually work.
- Driving shifts were to be 2 hours in length ideally, and a maximum of 3 hours in length. For anyone who has not been on a road trip, let me tell you that as the driver it is really easy to lose track of time and distance and end up driving yourself into an exhausted, stressed-out mess. And once your companions realize the state you are in, it is very difficult for them to convince you that the trip will not end in catastrophe if you give up the wheel. I've seen it happen, including to myself.
- All activities are optional or unanimous, wherever possible. Which is just another way of saying that ideally, if you're going to stop the car for an extended period of time, everyone agrees about it, and if an activity is suggested, not everyone needs to participate.
If you start a trip with these expectations, it goes a long way towards avoiding hard feelings. Also something I've picked up through experience.
Which leads me in a very round-about way to telling you about our drive from Salem to Newport.
It was Juanita's turn (see Rule 3 above) to drive, and so she was dealing with the last of our mountain or interior driving for the next couple of days. Which just means that the roads were winding and narrow and closed in by trees on either side with the odd passing lane.
And just as we were coming up to Eddyville we got stuck behind an oil (or gas) truck. Which was very frustrating for Juanita, as both our speed and our vision were affected. So when the truck slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road(ish), before Angharad and I could even think the words "uncontrolled railway crossing", Juanita zigged over the train tracks, zagged past the oncoming traffic, and thus we missed our photo op by the Eddyville sign.
All in all, Eddyville was breath-taking, and none of us feel the need to return.
All in all, Eddyville was breath-taking, and none of us feel the need to return.
Eventually, we crested the last hill before Newport, and a cheer swept through the vehicle. We could see the ocean, and that meant that we could breathe again.
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| First view of the ocean |
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