Washington
Sunday, June 19; Milleylvania State Park, WA
After a few wonderful (sunburn aside) days with the Grants, I got back on the road, headed north for Seattle. My first day’s drive was not too eventful. I took the famous Hwy 1 along the coast. I can’t say I was too impressed as far as scenic routes go, but I must admit that the weather was gloomy (although that made for some impressive waves on the ocean). The real scenery came when I got back on 101 and into redwood country. Those trees are amazing. That has got to be the biggest tourist trap on Earth, though. Little town after little town is filled with cheesy burl shops (Burl-esque was the name of one HA) and amazing attractions (Live redwood chimney! Famous tree house! Tree restaurant! Etc.). I didn’t take any pictures, though, because the rain just wouldn’t quit. That same rain made my camping experience in Humbolt State Park somewhat soaked.
I woke up the next morning in a puddle and by the time I had packed up my camp (while in raingear), it looked like I had jumped into a lake. I drove to Eureka, CA looking for a nice warm chai. What I found was a quirky hippy couple running a bakery. I came to the door with my umbrella: locked, but on the other side was a guy motioning for me to just wait a minute. When he let me in, I was a bit puzzled. The bakery had your typical glass display cases, milk steamer, and whatnot, but there were no baked goods, no cups waiting to be filled, no nothing. They were closed. The guy asked me, “What would you like?” I was a bit puzzled, but I knew I wanted an oatmeal cookie so I said, “Do you have cookies?” Well, they didn’t have cookies, but before I knew it I had a selection of pastries laid out for my perusal, I was getting a tour of the kitchen, and Ellen was whipping some cream for my hot chocolate. Within another half hour/forty-five minutes, I’d gotten a complete history of Kevin and Ellen, the town of Eureka and a partial history of Jay, their friend and co-worker. Before I left, I had their phone number and an offer to call any time, knew Kevin’s theory about the link between logging and earthquakes/CA falling into the ocean, had homemade soup and bread packed for the road, and had been offered an early morning joint. Kevin and Ellen, Flower Garden Organics, most hospitable people alive.
It’s sort of amazing that I got out of there, but I did, and headed north. Before long, I was in Oregon, home of the grass seed capital of the world (new fun fact). By the way, it was still raining. I finally made it to Eugene, that temperate land of long intriuge (Dre will understand what this part means). The first thing that I noticed was the biking. There were bike lanes on every street, bike shops all over the place and people biking despite a near-tropical deluge. Incredible! The town is beautiful (I would compare it loosely to Ann Arbor). The first stop I made was at Hayward Field, the UofO track and field complex. It is amazing. Really! Everything is beautiful, and there is a ton of seating. You can tell they like (LOVE) the running there. I needed a few things, so I went to the grocery store next. The rain was starting to break my spirit by this time, and when I came out it was thundering and lightning(ing?) with no blue sky in sight. I called my mom and at her slightest suggestion I was convinced to get a hotel room. Good decision.
Today has been rather uneventful. I went to Mt St Helens. No eruption. I went to the Dairy Queen. No Georgia Mud Fudge Blizzard. I drove over a terrifying drawbridge (b/x Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA). But despite all that it is a wonderful day. Why: it’s not raining anymore, and it looks like I have a dry night in store.
Tomorrow, I’ll go to Seattle and meet my mom and grandparents.
After a few wonderful (sunburn aside) days with the Grants, I got back on the road, headed north for Seattle. My first day’s drive was not too eventful. I took the famous Hwy 1 along the coast. I can’t say I was too impressed as far as scenic routes go, but I must admit that the weather was gloomy (although that made for some impressive waves on the ocean). The real scenery came when I got back on 101 and into redwood country. Those trees are amazing. That has got to be the biggest tourist trap on Earth, though. Little town after little town is filled with cheesy burl shops (Burl-esque was the name of one HA) and amazing attractions (Live redwood chimney! Famous tree house! Tree restaurant! Etc.). I didn’t take any pictures, though, because the rain just wouldn’t quit. That same rain made my camping experience in Humbolt State Park somewhat soaked.
I woke up the next morning in a puddle and by the time I had packed up my camp (while in raingear), it looked like I had jumped into a lake. I drove to Eureka, CA looking for a nice warm chai. What I found was a quirky hippy couple running a bakery. I came to the door with my umbrella: locked, but on the other side was a guy motioning for me to just wait a minute. When he let me in, I was a bit puzzled. The bakery had your typical glass display cases, milk steamer, and whatnot, but there were no baked goods, no cups waiting to be filled, no nothing. They were closed. The guy asked me, “What would you like?” I was a bit puzzled, but I knew I wanted an oatmeal cookie so I said, “Do you have cookies?” Well, they didn’t have cookies, but before I knew it I had a selection of pastries laid out for my perusal, I was getting a tour of the kitchen, and Ellen was whipping some cream for my hot chocolate. Within another half hour/forty-five minutes, I’d gotten a complete history of Kevin and Ellen, the town of Eureka and a partial history of Jay, their friend and co-worker. Before I left, I had their phone number and an offer to call any time, knew Kevin’s theory about the link between logging and earthquakes/CA falling into the ocean, had homemade soup and bread packed for the road, and had been offered an early morning joint. Kevin and Ellen, Flower Garden Organics, most hospitable people alive.
It’s sort of amazing that I got out of there, but I did, and headed north. Before long, I was in Oregon, home of the grass seed capital of the world (new fun fact). By the way, it was still raining. I finally made it to Eugene, that temperate land of long intriuge (Dre will understand what this part means). The first thing that I noticed was the biking. There were bike lanes on every street, bike shops all over the place and people biking despite a near-tropical deluge. Incredible! The town is beautiful (I would compare it loosely to Ann Arbor). The first stop I made was at Hayward Field, the UofO track and field complex. It is amazing. Really! Everything is beautiful, and there is a ton of seating. You can tell they like (LOVE) the running there. I needed a few things, so I went to the grocery store next. The rain was starting to break my spirit by this time, and when I came out it was thundering and lightning(ing?) with no blue sky in sight. I called my mom and at her slightest suggestion I was convinced to get a hotel room. Good decision.
Today has been rather uneventful. I went to Mt St Helens. No eruption. I went to the Dairy Queen. No Georgia Mud Fudge Blizzard. I drove over a terrifying drawbridge (b/x Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA). But despite all that it is a wonderful day. Why: it’s not raining anymore, and it looks like I have a dry night in store.
Tomorrow, I’ll go to Seattle and meet my mom and grandparents.
posted by Ashleigh @ 6:27 PM
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