..driving, huge trees, and the Pacific Ocean.

Thursday and Friday consisted of a lot of driving. I waited for a little while Thursday morning in Portland before deciding to leave but I finally left around 11am.

The drive was filled with on again, off again rain.  I originally planned to check out Crater Lake in southern Oregon, but the rain changed my plans.  I didn’t want to drive 160 miles out of the way for a “lake” that I might not be able to see very well.  I weighed whether it was worth it or not, and I decided not to go.

I left Interstate 5 at Grants Pass, Oregon in favor of a highway that would lead me through Redwood National Forest.

A side note about Grants Pass: I stopped at their Wendy’s and it was very disappointing.  It was the first time that I can remember receiving cold fries and it was the first time in 18 states and 2 Canadian Provinces that my order was wrong.  Thanks Grants Pass Wendy’s

I digress….  Winding through the pine trees in southwest Oregon was getting to be business as usual. I think I have reached a certain level of desensitization. If I had seen these roads, mountains, and forest in the beginning, my viewpoint would surely be different.  I have been driving through mountains and forest for over a week straight and it’s unfortunately becoming routine.

California lighthouse

With the air smelling like a Christmas tree and my concentration on the hairpin turns that lie ahead, I was completely shocked and scared when I rounded a corner and saw what appeared to be a giant!  The giants started appearing randomly amongst the pine trees. The enormity of these giants in dusk’s weakening light literally startled me. While I was rounding a turn and focusing on the road, something with a shadow this size felt like a truck. It took me a couple of seconds to get over the fear of the tractor trailer appearing out of thin air to realize that it was a tree!

These trees were creepy! I was miles before the Redwood Forest so I didn’t expect to start seeing them for a while. The trees are as large as you would imagine.

The next hour was spent driving through these trees of over 1,000 years old. There were signs mentioning how one of these 300 foot monsters could be used to build several homes.  I also saw a hotel that claimed to be built with one Redwood tree.  I believe it.  They are over 15 feet in diameter at the base and don’t appear much thinner at the top. With one tree being wider than my driving lane, you can imagine why I was initially frightened when I rounded a corner and saw two of these trees flanking the road.  In the shadows, they combined to appear as a wall.

It should be mentioned that it didn’t matter whether it was sundown or not because there are signs to keep headlights on during the days too.  I found out the following day, that the trees are so enormous that they block out much of the light, making it appear dark in the middle of the day.

I winded through the 30 story trees for an hour or two before seeing skylight straight ahead. I had timed the drive just right. I popped out of the woodwork to reach the Pacific Ocean at sunset. The rocky cliffs, tornado winds, and freezing air were a lot different than the Florida beaches. The jagged edges and boulders in the water made for a more scenic setting than back home, but I don’t think I’d care to spend any time in this water.  It was the first time on the trip that I had to get my winter jacket out.

Pacific sunset

Instead of taking the main highway, I opted for “Highway 1,” which had so many twist and turns it would make an astronaut lose sense of direction. There was a 25 mile stretch that never reached speeds above 25mph and most of the time, the speed was 15mph.  My GPS had me facing north, south, west, and east.  I truly never knew where I was.  It was fun, but a challenge for the car.  The results were worth it.  It was a “scenic highway” that rode along the edges of cliffs, which dropped straight to the ocean.

I spent a few hours on this stretch of scenic highway before I decided I need to drive on a road that is faster.  I wasn’t getting anywhere at the snail’s pace that the road allowed.

After leaving the coastal highway, I drove on another back road, but faster.

Along this road, I stumbled across a herd of elk.  There were about 50 of them feeding in the open grass.  I had to stop and watch for awhile

This is part of the trip where I’m glad to be alone.  Most people I know would have been bored out of their mind watching the elk interact for 30-45 minutes.  I found it fascinating.

I had no idea how structured their herds are.  I saw two younger elk playing off to the side and an elk that appeared to be the leader of the group walking around keeping the group in a specified area.  At one point, three elk decided they wanted to leave the group and headed up a path to another area.  The “grandfather” elk ran with hobble across an area of about 75 yards to catch up with the young escapees. He managed to get in front of them, make noises while raising his head, and persuade them to turn around and head back to the group.  There were so many different elements of this herd and they all seemed to be kept in check by the old man.  It was truly fascinating and I’m not sure most of my friends would have wanted to sit and watch these interactions for as long as I did.

Massive Redwoods

I found my way through another group of Redwoods.  I’m now used to their size and it’s not so startling anymore. I saw a sign for a drive-thru tree, so I had to check it out. Sure enough, it was a drive-thru tree.

There were no burgers or fries at this drive-thru, but it was still neat nevertheless.

The day was getting late so I decided to jump back on a main highway so that I could get as closer to San Francisco before it got too late.  I broke down and got a hotel, I needed a shower and a bed.  Besides, I can’t say that I feel safe enough to sleep in my car in these areas.

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