Redwoods National Park

           If highway US 101 were a person, it would be Marilyn Monroe.  Both are long and lean, riddled with vivacious curves in all the right places and known across the country as a national treasure.  It not only winds down the breathtaking Oregon coast but then proceeds to lead you into the heart of the great Redwood Forrest of California. What more could you ask for in a woman, or road ;)

Come to find out the redwoods are not all consolidated (contrary to ones intuition) in one place but are actually spread throughout a patchwork of state and federal parks. The Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park being three of the larger more well known ones and I decided to hit up all three for the best they had to offer. I pulled into Crescent City on Tuesday afternoon and went straight to the local visitors center where the exceedingly handsome park ranger (in his little hat and uniform hehe) gave me advice on where to go.  He highly suggested I take Howland Hill Road (#1 on the map), which is a scenic dirt road through the Jedediah known for its extensive old growth and fab photo opps.  It added an extra 30 minutes onto the drive because only first gear is available on such a turvey road, but was well worth it!

 The first night I camped in the Jedediah Smith Campground.  That’s right people I camped all by myself…set the tent up….cooked over the fire (potatoes and bell peppers)…hid my food from bears, AND not only did I survive, but it was awesome!!! Charlie slept in his chair by the fire exhausted from the day’s activities while I set up camp and waited patiently to feed him bits of my meal.    So spoiled!

The next morning I went for a run in the redwoods, which was a highly humbling experience due to the stillness of the whole affair.  I went early in the morning and all I could hear in the entire forest for 45 minutes were my own footsteps.  It was almost spooky but for some reason, it feels like the trees are protecting you.  Like they are so big and old and wise and powerful that they would keep you safe and out of harm.  Too spiritual? Haha maybe, but it’s the oddly comforting truth! 

Anywho, when I got back Charlie chased squirrels while I packed up camp (not really a helpful little dude now that I think of it…) and went to #2 on the map.   In the Del Norte Forrest is a hike called  Damntaion Creek.  The trailhead is off the highway at mile marker 16 and is unmarked but pretty obvious once you pull into the turnout.  It is a 4.5 mile out and back trail that starts at 1100ft elevation and descends all the way to sea level and back up again on the return trip (a real calf worker).  It takes you through forest so thick it makes you wonder how they carved this trail out to begin with.  Every inch of everything was covered with moss and the trail was a bit muddy, but about halfway down it lowers you completely out of the sun and into this thick mist.  The kind of mist that makes you consider going back for you raincoat. It is so desolate and eerily lovely I think is has been a trip fav so far.

The hike took me about 2 hours after which my legs were just hating life so Charlie and I set off to find our next camp spot.  We chose #3 on the map, Elk Prairie Campground where we hung out for the evening and chatted with the other campers about our adventures in the redwoods then slept like logs in our tiny cozy tent.  Charlie likes to sleep all the way at the foot of the sleeping bag and honestly I don’t know how he doesn’t suffocate!

 Morningtime I made oatmeal and we loaded Stella again and took off on 101 through Avenue of the Giants.  I won’t lie it was cool and I am glad I did it because it is such a famous road, but truthfully; Howland Hill Road was a lot less crowed and touristy and just a spectacular.  I had the chance to drive through a tree but passed it up because they wanted to charge me $35!!! I was horrified so I put Charlie in this tree and took a picture of that instead :D  By the time we got off Avenue of the Giants, Charlie and I were redwooded-out so filled up on shockingly overpriced California gas (almost $5/gallon!!!) and were Danville bound!

The Oregon Coast

          Ah yes, and now I see why everyone makes such a fuss about the Oregon Coast…because it lives up to the hype.  Jenny and I arrived in Manzanita on Friday afternoon at their little beach cottage.  I had forgotten how the ocean makes your senses come so alive.  The air is thick and cool on your skin, the smell of salt and seaweed floats all around you and the sound of seagulls and waves abound.  It gets inside you.  It inspires you and makes you want to do things like write a novel and run on the beach and eat crab and bake hearty bread, at least that is all I want to do! 

            So the first thing we did upon our arrival was take Mr. Charlie Pants down to the water and OMG did he go crazy!!! He was absolutely beside himself with joy.  All I could do was laugh at him because I have never seen him so excited as he ran full speed along the edge of the water in pursuit of the gulls.  He dug holes in the sand and chewed up the beached seaweed.  He really had a ball.  After our stroll we wandered through the local farmers market and had lunch at a local Mexican restaurant before calling it a day.

            They next morning Jenny and I were buzzing like bees at the crack of dawn.  We chopped apple for applesauce and got everything ready before participating in the local tsunami drill! Haha I was actually kind of fun to hear the sirens and loud speakers clearing everyone out of town and up to higher ground.  Following the drill we did some shopping and make the first batch of sauce. 

 It was really tasty and I am taking some jars with me for the road.  When our tummies started to rumble we headed to Kelly’s Dock, which is a fishing shack, turned awesome crab restaurant on the bay.  We enjoyed a crab apiece and split a pound of clams all slathered in butter and lemon for our lunch and let me tell you it was soooooooo GOOD!!!! I forget how much I love seafood!  After that I went for a much needed run on the beach with Charlie then we made the rest of the applesauce and dinked around at home.  Later the two of us had a lovely candle lit dinner of lentil soup and cornbread followed by apples, cheese, and fig cake…honestly I can’t recall a more lovely day ;)

            Sadly the next morning it was time for me to be on my way so I said goodbye to my wonderful Aunt and Charlie and I sped off to Corvallis to see my no good mischief causing little brother at OSU!

            After I woke him up at 10:30am (such a sleepy head!!!) he gave me a campus tour of the OSU campus, which is reminiscently beautiful of the turn of the century due to all the red brick buildings and abundance of green grass.  He showed me all over including his dorm and introducing me to his dorm roomie Will.  All that walking congured up an appetite we had lunch at a Thai noodle house while we chatted about his upcoming classes.  When we were done I left him to his pile of laundry and headed south to Eugene.  I was planning on going for a run in the famous Alton Barker park but sadly I arrived in the heat of the day and full of noodle so I settled for a walk then drove the two and a half hours to Coos Bay to visit my old high school buddy Weston. 

Upon my arrival we went for a walk on the beach where we saw a dead beached sea lion (so so sad…) and a woman yelled at me and called us idiots for letting Charlie run around without a leash.  Even though there were numerous other unleashed dogs in the vicinity Charlie did ask for it and I told him that now he’s lost all unleashed privileges for the remainder of the journey.

Weston is a member of the US Coast Guard in Coos Bay at the small boat station (whatever that means but he told me to make that clear haha ;) and kindly showed me around all day Monday.  We hiked up to Silver and Gold Falls and all along the coast before having fish and chips and chowder for lunch at the warf.   We did a little salt water taffy eating and wandered around the historic part of Bandon until later that evening when he gave me a tour of the station.  I got to climb all over the Coast Guard boats and walk around the docks with the barking sea lions.  It was all very Perfect Storm and the air smelled like fresh ocean with the occasional waft of rotting fish.  When the fog rolled back in and we got too cold we headed back to his place for a dinner of leftovers a movie and a crackling fire. 

The next morning I was off the Redwoods National Forest and took US 101 south.  I stopped in Oregon Heads National Park at Port Orford to go for a short run and let me tell you, I am so glad I did!! I honestly try to give credit where credit is due but there are just no words to describe what I saw there.  It was so surreally beautiful it puts me in the category of speechless.  The photos don’t even really do it justice but allow me to say if you have never been, for the love of God get your butt in gear and go.  It is breathtaking. 

     

Portland

          On the way from Seattle to Portland Charlie and I stopped at the Mt. Saint Helens visitor center and did some exploring.  It was cool and I took Charlie on a walk through the marshes.  Sadly we did not get to see the movie which apparently is spectacular so that was disappointing but survivable.  When we made it to Carter and Jenny’s I realized right away that they have my ideal home.  They have a lovely elevated home with a full view of the city and a back yard filled with plants and a garden growing tomatoes, squash, and apples;     

not big enough to mow, but large enough for Charlie to snoop around.  Carter made us all dinner and we called it a day around 10pm.  My Aunt Jenny is a Doctor at Emanuel Hospital in Portland, my Uncle Carter is builds electric street cars in the city, and my Cousin Jack works for 2 political campaigns which all makes for fabulous dinner conversation and I found myself wondering if Portland could be the place for me....                 

            The next morning Jack, Jenny, and I went to a restaurant for breakfast called Slappy-Cakes….coolest…thing….ever!! Each table has a large griddle in the center where, are you ready for this, cook your own pancakes!!! A variety of batters are available, including a gluten free option although we chose a whole grain batter and a whole menu of  toppings as well (we picked bananas, blueberries, walnuts, and chocolate chips).  It was a very fun and family friendly atmosphere and the staff was very great.  Post breakfast, everyone went to work and I went to yoga which was lovely, then Charlie and I tried to go for a bike ride. I say tried because unfortunately we had to abandon the endeavour after we lost rear braking power.  So instead we came home and made an apple blueberry crisp with fresh apples from the garden.  That evening we went to an informational gathering of sorts where we heard a woman from an organization called Pathfinder speak about the empowerment of women across the globe.  It was super interesting and I think I am going to do a bit more research on the group and see how they operate.

            Early the nest morning (Wednesday) I caught a ride downtown with Jack and made laps around the city.  I have to say despite the rather large homeless population and distinct smell of urine in some areas, I much prefer Portland’s city center to that of Seattle.  It is much more manageable and feels more like a hoard of small towns smashed together rather than a buzzing metropolis.  My first stop was a Whole Foods Market on Burnside where I wandered the isles and let the delicious organicness soak into my pours.  After getting my grocery store fix, I headed to Powell’s Books, and let me tell you, had I not been forced to leave to keep a lunch date with Carter, I may still be there.  It is a positively enormous bookstore with cement floors and shelves far to high to reach.  It blows Barnes and Noble right out of the water.  I bought two books and considered myself mostly unscathed seeing as when I got to the check out line, I had about twelve in my arms.  I settled on a cookbook and another book about food that I have been looking for since June. 

            After Powell’s I met Carter at his office and we went to lunch at a place called the West Café (soups and sandwiches and such) and he took me to the downtown farmers market. Two Tarts Bakery is a local shop that specializes in tiny cookies and everything mini. It was adorable and I tried two delectable treats before I cut myself off.  They were to die…of coarse.  When Carter went back to work I headed to REI to find a raincoat then to Pearl Bakery for fresh olive chibatta loaves (for the next day) and to Love Joy Bakers for a snack and wandered the city everywhere in between.

            By the time Jack came to retrieve me after work I was exhausted!! We only had a moment of downtime before being whisked off to a marvelous dinner at a Greek restaurant called Alexis.  I had never really had authentic Greek food before and now I am totally hooked.  It’s a bit heavy, but so so good.  We followed dinner with a play downtown called Sweeny Todd.  It was the coolest production I have ever seen although very dark and creepy.  The costumes and scene setup was right on the money and man can those actors sing!! I love watching people do what I am incapable of and honestly, those men and women are truly talented. That isn’t something I would get to do very often and I feel truly privileged to have the opportunity. Thanks Carter and Jenny!!!

            After such a hip day in the city, it seemed only fitting that the following day should be spend in the woods.  Charlie and I drove the shot distance outside Portland to Forrest Park where we went for a 6 mile hike on the Leif Erikson Trail.  I was very proud because I drove there and back with no GPS and never got lost AND because Charlie walked the whole way on the trail.  Forrest Park is a bit like Snow White’s Enchanted Forrest.  It is damp and drizzly and foggy and it seems the trees could come alive at any moment and snatch you up! If it were not for the numerous other hikers and bikers, it would almost seem eerie. After our hike I had a quite relaxing afternoon followed by a tasty home cooked meal.

            The next morning I said my good byes to Carter and Jack before Jenny and I loaded up the cars and headed to their cabin on the Oregon Coast in a tiny fishing town called Manzanita.

Seattle

          Ok so I want to start of this entry by re-enforcing my hatred of driving!!! I know, I know, it’s ridiculous because I am DRIVING across the one of the largest countries in the world but to be quite honest, if it were up to me I wouldn’t even own a vehicle! Walking and riding a bike are greener alternatives and better for your health anyway! Future living area requirement #1: Good public transportation system! Why am I making this so clear in my little rant of the day might you ask? Today I am of the belief that driving through Seattle to my friend Mary’s house took a year off the span of my life.  Seriously, I think I almost became the youngest heart attack victim right there in the drivers seat.  On a positive note, I only missed my turn and got lost one time making it to Mary’s apartment with only slight mental trauma.  So dramatic, I know.  Bottom line, I am not a skilled city driver…yet…check back in a month or so… :D

             I was so excited to see Mary who moved to Seattle about 2 years ago.  She not only lived in the sorority with me but also was my faithful college running companion until she graduated.  Mary works for Boeing and lives with her charming beau Craig who is getting his doctorate in Multicultural Education at University of Washington and works as a security supervisor at night.  When I arrived Mary and I went for a walk to calm my nerves then to this awesome Indian restaurant called Saffron, which contrary to first impression due to its lackluster exterior serves the most delicious garlic naan bread and chicken chile masala that I have yet to come across. 

            The next day Mary had an overnight wedding to attend so I took a bus downtown and played tourist for the day! What a treat that was!  I visited Pike Place Market where I spent almost 4 hours just taking it all in.  Let me tell you, it is truly everything you’ve ever heard about and on a Saturday morning the vending stalls are thick with curious people milling around.  The fish throwers sing and the fruit sellers yell.  Samples are available at nearly every turn of everything from ceviche to habanero jelly to lavender body butter.     

  

           I bought a beautiful bouquet of flowers and 4 of the sweetest peaches probably ever.  However I did make my first guilty pleasure purchase of the trip: a hand bound leather journal.  The guy had a whole bunch and I said I made very similar journals where I was from and we chatted about where the best places to get paper and the different types of leather while I picked out the perfect one.  I settled on a red cowhide book with a black strap and told him I would fill it by the time I got to Georgia.  After I forced myself to leave the market (I could have lingered ALL day) I walked down the warf to pier 52 where I caught the ferry to Bainbridge Island (about a 25 min ferry ride) where I had lunch at a little place called Fork and Spoon.  I had soup and salad, which were so good I wished I had tried on of their specialty sandwiches! 

             After the ferry ride back I went to the top of the Columbia building which (little known fact) is actually taller than the Space Needle and less crowded!  However I only spent enough time on the observatory deck to snap some photos before heading back down to earth because it was scary and gave me vertigo.  

        Sadly, Charlie did not get to come on my downtown adventure because I wasn’t sure he’d be allowed on the buses and such. Turns out he totally could have come and I saw dogs everywhere, but I think it may have been to much for the little guy so it turned out ok.

I had some issues getting home because I waited at the wrong bus stop for about half an hour then it took me awhile to find the right one and by then it was rush hour and the city was hectic.  Luckily Craig came to my rescue and directed me where to go then met me on the street when I got off the bus.  We wandered a section of the Burke-Gilman Trail (big long waterfront trail) with Charlie and had Vietnamese Pho noodles for dinner chasing it with cake pops at Cupcake Royal.  Needless to say, after such a big day I was exhausted and was passed out by 10pm.

The next morning was a lovely lazy Sunday morning filled with football, walks, quesadillas, and coffee.  When Mary got home her, Craig, and I all wine tasted at a nearby vineyard then went out out to dinner at a downtown sushi place called Japonessa.  I discovered I do not have a very refined taste in wine but I do enjoy the very best of sushi! 

Monday morning Mary and I went for a run around Green Lake after which she went off to work and Charlie and I tried to go to the zoo only to discover dogs were not allowed in.  It was for the best I suppose because instead we just loaded up, programed my faithful GPS and were Portland bound!