Homeless and on the Road

After Hawaii, I loaded the car with two backpacks of clothes and 'stuff', camping gear and food, and headed northwest to Astoria. The plan was to take some time touring the Oregon coast then head east to Crater Lake, over to Bend and wherever else I had never been and was so inspired to go.

Astoria was surprisingly nice and surprisingly expensive. The stopping point of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the town is rich with history. Many of the homes are 100-year old wood structures painted in colors of white, blue, yellow, pink and green. I was feeling fortunate: I managed to arrive in Astoria on one of the 50 sunny days it has a year and was greeted by four sea lions at a pier. Hostel type accommodations were secured and a quiet evening was spent in the room as I planned to make the most of the following day. I woke up to the sun shining and blue skies. It promised to be a beautiful day! I showered, bought an almond croissant and set off for The Column with the intent to walk through the woods to Cathedral Tree. About the time I got there the skies had turned grey. By the time I climbed the 164 winding steps to the top of The Column and stepped out to take some photos of the landscape, the wind had picked up and it started to rain. It was much too muddy to walk the trail to the tree so I left. Since everything I wanted to do was outside I decided to head south.

On the outskirt of Seaside, the next town, I picked up a hitchhiker headed "south". Although he desperately needed a shower (or at least some deodorant) the company was good and he gave me some excellent suggestions on other places to see in Oregon. We stopped along the way to enjoy the beautiful vistas where available and I took him as far as Depoe Bay, another town which I wasn't able to enjoy because of the rain accompanied by a whipping wind. I did sit in my car for a bit, listening to the roar of the waves as they crashed against the rocks and watching the spray shoot up about 40' into the air, sometimes even hitting the road. It was a beautiful and mesmerizing sight.

Perhaps I am made of sugar: with rain forecast for at least the next five days I decided to go to California--it's always sunny there! So I called my friend Dan (the same one from my August backpacking trip) and invited myself to visit him in Eureka. But first I stopped in Bandon, OR, a cute town on the water, known for the nearby cranberry bogs. Unfortunately it was raining in Eureka too but so much more enjoyable when with a dear friend. The next day, however, was sunny and beautiful and for the weekend I joined him as he drove down the incredibly scenic Route 299 to Willow Creek in Bigfoot country along the Weir River where he works. It rained most of the weekend and we were stuck in a tiny trailer with an outside canopy. It was a true test of our friendship--get along or want to kill each other by the end? So we drank wine and played a lot of cribbage, which was reminiscent of our Ventura days. Test passed with flying colors!

A lifetime ago, when I lived in CA, Dan and I were part of a group of friends that lived in the same apartment complex and often hung out together. We all camped, cooked and biked together and at one point he and I even became roommates. Over the 20+ years, though everyone had drifted apart, he and I remained friends. But every time we are together we always talk about Laura, one of the sweetest people in the world who was part of the CA group. She and I were best friends for many years but about 10 years ago we lost touch and, try as I might, I hadn't been able to find her. So during this visit we talked about her again and he remembered enough information about her parents to find them through the internet. We called them three times over the next two days, determined to find out what happened to Laura. Long story short, I got hold of her and since she only lives two hours from Napa, which was my next stop, we coordinated it so I would be there the following weekend.

The drive South down the 101 is quite a spectacular drive. Although it takes you through the Redwood Forest, the Avenue of the Giants parallels it and you can hop on and off to drive on the Avenue through the foot of these amazing old growth redwoods. It is indescribably beautiful! I found myself stopping to take pictures, what seemed like every 500 feet, trying in vain to capture the beauty and enormity of these trees. It's really quite something and if you ever have the opportunity, I'd suggest planning to spend the time to motor along the entire road. But I wanted to get to my destination before nightfall so I hopped back on the 101 and took it to the starting point of Highway 1. The road was extremely twisty through the redwoods for the first 26 miles where the top speed I could safely navigate the turns was either 20 or 30 mph and maximum speed at any point through the 98 miles of forest was 50. It took few hours on that stretch of road, through the dark, red, brown and green trees with lush fern undergrowth before it finally reached the ocean. And what a welcoming sight that was! Blue sky, calm blue water and a turn out to stretch my legs and enjoy the breathtaking view. The next several hours I drove along the high cliffs with the ocean below and was reminded of just how much I miss California. Only three years earlier I was driving on the Pacific Coast Highway with my son on our San Fransisco to San Diego trip so I was very much missing his company on this one. I know he would have enjoyed it...

At Stewarts Point, I took the 46-mile slow, twisty and beautiful Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Road all the way to the end then turned onto 126 through the charming Sonoma Valley to Calistoga in Napa Valley. Certainly not the fastest route from the North but by far the most scenic! Never having been to Napa I had no idea what to expect. I immediately fell in love with the place! Definitely an area I could see myself settling in! And since I was alone every time I was in a tasting room, I had the opportunity not only to be educated on wine but to learn the stories of the winery owners. More than one ran along the lines of, fed up with corporate America, moved to the valley and started making wine. I love it! The people there are so laid back and nice. I have to give special mention to Chris (and Eric) of Trinchero (which also owns Sutter Home and 31 other wineries) and Patrick of Cairdean for their kindness and generosity that made my trip so very memorable.

Placerville, formerly Hangtown--so named for all the hangings of thieves and murderers during the gold rush days--is less than two hours from Napa. It is a cute town with many buildings over 100 years old and close to Coloma on the American River, the spot where gold was first discovered in California. It was a joyous reunion with Laura and wonderful to meet her hospitable husband and awesome son. We reconnected like we had never lost touch. The best part was the way her family embraced me as well. They made me feel so welcome and included! As someone once said, "The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of the respect and joy in each others life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under one roof." This is so true for me!

Next stop: Tahoe! As recommended by my friend, Matt, I drove the 77 miles around the lake with stops at beautiful Emerald Bay, and Tahoe City for lunch. Then I drove over the Kingsbury Grade into the stunning valley in which he and his wife live. They opened their home to me and it was a wonderful two days. Dinner our first night was unparalleled! Our waiter was the best! As we were the only people in the restaurant, he hung out and talked with us almost the entire time, and was a total riot! Between him and Matt, I was in stitches! Two hours later while watching t.v. I was still laughing, remembering the dialogue. In fact, I'm laughing as I write this! There is more to the story but the blog is long enough and I'm not done yet. You'll have to wait for the book. ;-) Tahoe was great in other ways, too. Renee invited me to yoga the first morning there and I said yes before she even finished her sentence. It had been months and I was curious to try it since my bike accident in Victoria as I'd been babying my arm for five weeks. Although my motions were limited, I was pleased with how much I actually could do. Then I went for a hike, a relatively easy 7 miles at high altitude along the Tahoe Rim Trail. I was pleased to get in the workout but ashamed at how out of shape I've become. I've done a lot of sitting in the past month and it is evident!

Kinda stressing about all I have to do before heading to South America, on the second day I headed north, back to Oregon. It was an incredibly scenic route up 395 to 139. Short days and cold nights make for a very short tourist activities. And since I arrived at Crater Lake National Park in typical Oregon weather-grey, cold and rainy-I found cheap accommodations outside the park and discovered the dynamic Rouge Gorge. The next day was sunny and brisk so I headed to Crater Lake. With only a dozen or so other people in the entire park, my 9 mile hike along the rim to the fire watch tower was almost a spiritual experience. God, Oregon is beautiful! Breathtaking! Stunning! Indescribable! I just can't handle all the rain that makes it so. It's a love-hate relationship. After all, if it weren't for the 44', yes feet of annual snowfall, Crater Lake would not be what it is today. Nor would the Gorge be so green and lush. Since I was alone I limited my visit there to just the one day and left in the afternoon for Bend, OR, arriving just in time for First Friday Art Walk where I was able to get free food and wine in the different galleries and stores through town. It was one of those rare occasions when I actually had good timing! Two nights in Bend, one day hiking around Tumalo Falls then to Smith Rock State Park on my way out. Despite the fact that the Deschutes River runs through there, Smith Rock (as well as Bend) is in the high desert so although trees aren't as abundant, there is usually sunshine, and 50-60 degree days make for excellent hiking. My fourth hike in five days, I was so happy to be back into it!

Not really able to continue paying for motel rooms, I decided to head back. As I drove north along Route 26, the dividing line between the sunny high desert and rainy Oregon was remarkably clear. The Cascade Mountains to the east and north were covered with rain clouds. After 2,290 miles in exactly three weeks I returned to my starting point. What I thought would be a nice trip turned into an amazing time of reunions, new friendships formed and intake of some of the most beautiful scenery in this country. There are definitely places to which I want to return and explore further but I know next time around I want to have company, because the best times I had were the ones shared with others. I think I may be starting to like people ;-)