A year ago I was driving down the Oregon coast

Sigh. As if it has been a full year since that trip, and I haven't even posted one picture of it since I got back.

And I had such good intentions, too!

I was smiling quietly to myself about that trip as a group of friends and I sat around my backyard eating cherries last night; still a highlight for me was the impromptu cherry-spitting contest that we had at an unplanned beach stop that day.

*UPDATED July 2, 2015*

I shamed myself into writing about our trip - you can read about it here: Vancouver to the Grand Canyon and Back Again!

The cherry-spitting contest photos specifically are here: Oregon Coast

Day 3 - Bandon to Sacramento

Part of the series: Vancouver to the Grand Canyon and Back Again!

<<     Bandon, Oregon

Day 4  - Sacramento to San Francisco     >>

The Immortal Tree

The Avenue of Giants is a small road the follows along below and beside the 101. It is still amazing to me that two roads can be so close to one another, and yet be so completely different. The highway feels like any other highway, rolling along the coast and around the foot of the mountains, crossing bridges that surprise you every time with how high they are. The Avenue of Giants is very definitely on the ground, winding through massive trees in absolute silence. We stopped at one grove where Angharad and Juanita went for a walk (narrowly missing some poison oak) and I just rolled the window down and listened to the forest. It was beautifully peaceful, and I dozed off a bit, I have to admit.

Proof that I am short and those trees are big!!

Purple flowers on the Oregon coast

After leaving the Avenue of Giants, we had 4 hours of driving before arriving at our hotel on the outskirts of Sacramento. At one point, we left the coast and headed back inland through Lake County during sunset. The hills in the area were  covered in golden grasses, dotted with green leafy trees (where they hadn't suffered from flash fires) and watching the sun paint the sky with shots of pink and yellow was as beautiful again as anything we had already seen on our trip south.

We got to our hotel just after 10, crashing into our beds to grab some sleep before our next day's adventure.

Clear Lake, California

Sunset over the valley

<<     Bandon, Oregon

Day 4  - Sacramento to San Francisco     >>

Bandon, Oregon

Part of the series: Vancouver to the Grand Canyon and Back Again!

<<     Oregon Coast

Day 3 - Bandon to Sacramento     >>

Sunset at Bandon

We arrived in Bandon just in time to grab supper from Dairy Queen before it closed at 9pm and watch the sunset at 9:15pm while we ate.

The motel that Angharad booked for us was ideally situated along the top of a cliff at the edge of the ocean, and after being spellbound by the sunset, I set my alarm so that I could get up and catch the sunrise over the ocean.

I will say that watching the sunrise over the ocean on the west coast of anywhere is probably not quite the same as watching it on the east coast, but I just love watching the early morning mist burn off the water as the sun comes up, and so I thoroughly enjoyed myself exploring along the headland and beach.

First glimpse of the sun from the top of the cliff

Mist burning off the ocean

<<     Oregon Coast

Day 3 - Bandon to Sacramento     >>

Day 2 - Salem to Bandon

Part of the series: Vancouver to the Grand Canyon and Back Again!

<<     Day 1 - Vancouver to Salem

Newport, Oregon     >>

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:

1. "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.
2. "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.
   
3. 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.
4. 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.

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.

First view of the ocean

<<     Day 1 - Vancouver to Salem

Newport, Oregon     >>