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Saturday, June 21, 2003

 
5:42 PM: [#] [0]

welcome to the longest day of the year. i didn't realize portland had rain like a light switch: on/off, on/off all day.

so i guess i should talk about the last day driving up the coast, because it turns out northern california and southern oregon are stunning, dramatic landscapes. kristin was absolutely right about taking the 101, though i have to say it's a more comfortable drive on the california side because it's more often 3 or 4 lanes.

as to the sites: first i stopped at the drive-through tree which i never got to drive through because people kept getting their pictures taken in it with their arms outstretched. paul bunyan & babe the big blue ox were surprising things to find in klamath falls. so was hobbiton, just up the road, of which the only evidence i could find was the sign. i passed 6 elk grazing in a glen which seemed unphased by my drastic turnabout and subsequent parking job. they were less than 100 feet away, and though dusk was falling and the mist was rising, i could almost hear them breathe. then i stopped by a lily-choked lake and let the chilly dark gather around me like a blanket.

after the oregon border, it turns out the rogue river is worth mentioning, especially the rogue river bridge. i suspect that if oregonians do anything exceptionally well, it's building bridges, and certainly portland has more than its fair share of pretty ones. and then (and this qualifies as quite possibly the strangest thing i have ever seen) there was a man on a bike riding hard on the side of a windy road with a big fluffy siamese cat standing on his shoulders! john had said walport was the innsmouth of oregon, but i didn't see it. it was convenient at that point to take the 34 through corvallis, which gave me a chance to see what rob would be getting himself into, and it strikes me that corvallis is the kind of place he would like quite a bit. and the 34 was a wonderful, wild road with nobody ahead or behind me.

but after salem, every mile closer to portland just seemed to get longer. after i missed the exit from yahoo maps, i took the next one and was able to find my way from memory, which i take as a good sign. and when i got to michael's door, there was a "welcome home gretchin" sign and a plate of chocolate chip cookies waiting for me (awwwww!). a few quick trips out to the car, a purple & red sunset, and a trip up to the roof rounded out the night and i fell asleep quickly. but i haven't wanted to drive for the last few days. :)