Current Location: Crescent City, CA
Today’s Song: Colin Hay – I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You
Portland, Oregon was such a wonderful town I hated to leave it, but the road trip must go on! And so I jumped in the car bright and early, hit the road, and…sat in traffic.
#PortlandTraffic 😕 pic.twitter.com/dXofDcNkDI
— That Husky Guy (@DuncanDaHusky) July 12, 2017
Portland is connected to Vancouver, Washington (a large suburb) and many other suburbs by only two bridges, Interstate 5 and Interstate 205. The next closest bridges over the Columbia River are an hour in either direction. This produces traffic chaos like clockwork, unfortunately (and that doesn’t even take into account that I-5 is also an active drawbridge!).
After a pit stop in Salem, Oregon, for gas and a small bite for breakfast (and coffee, of course), it was onward to the coast.
I made it as far as Salem before I had to stop for sustenance. pic.twitter.com/ok4KFSP8EK
— That Husky Guy (@DuncanDaHusky) July 12, 2017
Well, almost. 5 minutes from the coast I stopped in the tiny town of Toledo, Oregon, for an early lunch. I didn’t realize the name of the place until I saw the sign on the door, but it seemed simply perfect for me! I ordered the “Working Man’s Breakfast” which was potatoes, onions, green peppers, and scrambled eggs, covered in sausage gravy. It tasted a lot better than it looked!
This seems an appropriate place to stop for an early lunch. pic.twitter.com/QHoe8en892
— That Husky Guy (@DuncanDaHusky) July 12, 2017
I have made a horrible (but delicious) mistake. pic.twitter.com/7CCPmAFmOD
— That Husky Guy (@DuncanDaHusky) July 12, 2017
Then it was back on the road, and the Pacific Ocean quickly put in its appearance.
First glimpse of the Pacific ocean. pic.twitter.com/hBqjzRgRAB
— That Husky Guy (@DuncanDaHusky) July 12, 2017
Well, I guess this is as far west as I can go. Time to head south. pic.twitter.com/K641YI8cDR
— That Husky Guy (@DuncanDaHusky) July 12, 2017
(The pedants of Twitter immediately chimed in with all of the locations in the US that are further west than where I was. I ignored them. Protip: If you are about to tweet something that could easily be prefaced with, “Well, actually…” delete it and sit on your hands until the urge to post passes.)
Then it was the long down the coast on US Highway 101, which will eventually carry me to San Francisco. I stopped at numerous beautiful locations along the way, including the spectacular Cape Perpetua, waaaaay up over the shoreline.
Beautiful views, at @Thumperbun’s suggestion - Devil’s Churn first. pic.twitter.com/nvG5l7de7X
— That Husky Guy (@DuncanDaHusky) July 12, 2017
Cape Perpetua, with views 35 miles in all directions. (Not shown: annoying woman yammering on cell phone behind me) pic.twitter.com/rJfexkwq43
— That Husky Guy (@DuncanDaHusky) July 12, 2017
Oh, and there were other sights too!]
There I was, minding my own business when suddenly…beer! pic.twitter.com/Flpau8pp7u
— That Husky Guy (@DuncanDaHusky) July 12, 2017
South of Florence, Oregon I decided it was time to make up some time so no more stops after that. I rolled in to The Lighthouse Inn in Crescent City, California, at a little after 7 PM. With stops, that was about 12 hours of travel and pretty exhausting! I decided to reward myself with a tasty dinner:
Darn it, it happened again. Man, I sure am beerclumsy today. pic.twitter.com/dSBgZA1wdg
— That Husky Guy (@DuncanDaHusky) July 13, 2017
I probably shouldn’t have, but dang that was some good beef! pic.twitter.com/fqd6koGEqv
— That Husky Guy (@DuncanDaHusky) July 13, 2017
#BadIdeas pic.twitter.com/mcdJJnplxx
— That Husky Guy (@DuncanDaHusky) July 13, 2017
Then it was back to my hotel room, which despite its questionable design choices was clean, comfortable, and quiet. I’m glad I sleep with a white noise generator though because there was a lot of incidental noise from the hallway and upstairs.
Long day on the road - nearly 12 hours. All checked in, though the room is…well, it’s clean so there’s that. Actually it’s quite nice. pic.twitter.com/AHLaqeOo7G
— That Husky Guy (@DuncanDaHusky) July 13, 2017
I drove a lot in silence down the coast, doing some of that Deep Thinking I knew was part of this trip. I got pretty down because I kept thinking that, despite all of the hours in the car, Dan would have loved this trip – seeing old friends, visiting beautiful locations, and just experiencing the adventure of it all. His smile and laughter are with me always. I’ll need to think more about how how all of this makes me feel beyond “sad”, because it is of course it’s much more complex than that.
One good cry and a sound night’s sleep later, I am up and ready to hit the road. Today will take me down US 101 through Redwood Country and then to Sunnyvale, California, where I’m staying with my old friend Ford Shepherd. I’m looking forward to seeing him again!
Miles Driven Today: 384 miles
Time Driving Today: 8:52
Total Miles Driven: 2,419 miles
Total Time Driving: 54:50