leaving eureka . eureka, ca . canon 5d mk2

On day three, I was greeted in the morning with more fog, which again was on and off throughout the day depending where I was. My destination was Newport, Oregon, which was roughly 8 hrs away if I drove straight through, but of course, being on a trip like this I made many, many stops. That was one of the beauties of taking a trip like this on your own, I could do whatever the heck I wanted to. :) My first planned stop was Patrick’s Point, which absolutely took my breath away because it was thick with fog which gave the entire place this incredible mood that I was in awe of. I felt like I was transported into a different world. I ended up staying there TWO HOURS, which I did NOT plan at all!!

in awe . patrick’s point, ca . polaroid 420

the magical trees . patrick’s point, ca . canon 5d mk2

leaves . patrick’s point, ca . polaroid sx-70

fog over trees . patrick’s point, ca . canon 5d mk2

agate beach . patrick’s point, ca . canon 5d mk2

leaving patrick’s point . patrick’s point, ca . canon 5d mk2

As you can see, I was pretty enamored with the place. Apparently the beach that is there is famous for it’s agate rocks, and unfortunately I didn’t make the trek down to the beach – it would’ve delayed me longer. So I got in the car and headed north through the fog.

haze . highway 101, northern ca . canon 5d mk2

redwood burl . highway 101, northern ca . canon 5d mk2

elk . highway 101, northern ca . canon 5d mk2

the barn & road . highway 101, northern ca . canon 5d mk2

lighthouse . crescent city, ca . canon 5d mk2

the road to oregon . highway 101, northern ca . canon 5d mk2

welcome to oregon . oregon/california border . canon 5d mk2

Welcome to Oregon! Finally I made it to the border, and the minute I crossed, something happened to me internally. I don’t know what it is, and I honestly can’t explain it, but it just felt so good to be in Oregon. I can’t say I felt this way about Washington – it seemed to be only isolated to Oregon.

It just felt like home.

a glimpse of the sky . whaleshead, highway 101, oregon . canon 5d mk2

oregon coast beach . whaleshead, highway 101, oregon . polaroid 420

trees on rocks . highway 101, oregon . polaroid sx-70

beach grass . highway 101, oregon . canon 5d mk2

sea stacks . meyers creek beach, oregon . canon 5d mk2

The best part about Oregon beaches are definitely the sea stacks that are on practically on every single beach. The best ones are the ones with trees on them! Plus, can I just say how happy I am to see trees everywhere? Trees just make me feel safe. :)

isaac lee patterson bridge . gold beach, oregon . canon 5d mk2

oregon coast from cape blanco . port orford, oregon . canon 5d mk2

cape blanco lighthouse . port orford, oregon . canon 5d mk2

I made a detour to visit this place – I told myself that I would see a lighthouse like this – a classic looking one – on my trip!! There is just something about lighthouses – they seem so romantic in a dreamy – out at sea sort of way. I love them. They seems to contain so much history and stories in these places.

boats . coos bay, oregon . canon 5d mk2

mccollough bridge . north bend, oregon . canon 5d mk2

into shorewood . north bend, oregon . canon 5d mk2

I don’t know what it is about these, but the below two images make me giddy. Especially those fir trees & ‘moss’ on the rock.

heceta head lighthouse . florence, oregon . canon 5d mk2

tunnel . florence, oregon . canon 5d mk2

the view from my hotel room . newport, oregon . canon 5d mk2

After 12 hours, I finally made it to my hotel in Newport, which was amazing. Every single room has a view of the ocean (and it’s a pretty good deal too!). I arrived around the time sunset would’ve been – but unfortunately the sky was not cooperating with me. Would I see a sunset at all this trip?! I stared at the ocean for a while before heading out to grab dinner (Local Ocean Seafoods – had the Fishwives Stew, which was AMAZING. The seafood was so FRESH, and I fell for mussels because of this stew – they are usually too fishy tasting for me). I went to bed that night, full, happy, & listening to the sound of the ocean.

Perfection.

Day four, here I come!

Oregon, I love you.

*

Previous road trip posts:

the beginning.
day one.
day two.

bolinas lagoon . bolinas, ca . canon 5d mk2

So begins day two. I meant to combine day two & three together as a post, but I had way too many images to be one post, so it will have to be two posts. :) After leaving the San Francisco bay, I encountered the Bolinas lagoon, which was one of the first spots that actually had sunshine (I was driving through some thick fog before that). The lagoon was gorgeous with the fog rolling over though.  I weaved in and out of fog pretty much my entire drive along the coast.

fog between the hills . somewhere along highway 1, ca . canon 5d mk2

fog . somewhere along highway 1, ca . canon 5d mk2

floating boats . bodega bay, ca . canon 5d mk2

fog in trees . bodega bay, ca . canon 5d mk2

Bodega Bay. I really only stopped here because of Hitchcock’s movie “The Birds.” It did not disappoint.

the birds. bodega bay, ca . canon 5d mk2

california coast . somewhere along highway 1, ca . canon 5d mk2

california coast . somewhere along highway 1, ca . canon 5d mk2

the california coast road . somewhere along highway 1, ca . canon 5d mk2

a note left behind . somewhere along highway 1, ca . canon 5d mk2

california coast . somewhere along highway 1, ca . polaroid sx-70

the view in the side mirror . somewhere along highway 1, ca . canon 5d mk2

a thin layer over the ocean . somewhere along highway 1, ca . canon 5d mk2

headlands coffeehouse . fort bragg, ca . canon 5d mk2

The last time I saw the ocean before plunging inland, heading towards Highway 101. Looking at google maps, it’s only 15 miles, but ohmigoodness, that drive was by far, the most INSANE & stressful drive my entire trip. So many pin turns, and I was basically on the edge of the road. Plus it was hot. But it was gorgeous to see the lovely mountains filled with trees.

leaving the coast for the time being . somewhere along highway 1, ca . canon 5d mk2

bridge & water . somewhere along highway 1, ca . canon 5d mk2

All of the craziness was worth the drive though, to step into this world.

the giants. avenue of the giants, ca . polaroid sx-70

the giants. avenue of the giants, ca . canon 5d mk2

Avenue of the Giants. There are moments that I have, where I wish I was still driving along this road, listening to Greg Laswell, & enjoying the trees that surround me in stillness. Yea, it felt like home.

go . before eureka, ca . canon 5d mk2

Last moments of daylight, and the last time I saw the sun that day, for shortly after this image, I was plunged into fog, yet again. But I was exhilarated from the day, and looking forward to the next day, where more adventures waited. <3

*

Previous road trip posts:

the beginning.
day one.

i-5 & beyond . the grapevine . iphone

So.

Here I am in the beginning, the beginning of all of it.

What is all of it exactly?

Well I’ll tell you. :)

If you didn’t already know, I recently partook in a soul searching, life changing roadtrip. I drove all up and down the west coast, all on my own. I had a lot of time to think, to look, and to see. Why did I take this roadtrip? Well, there were many reasons… reasons that I will be revealing as the sharing of this trip unravels.

Before I began the trip, I honestly didn’t fully know what to expect. I would be driving about 3000 miles over the course of two weeks, seeing various friends, new and old, as well as having a lot of alone time. I put all my expectations aside, really. One of the things that I’ve been trying to work on with myself is expectations for things – often I expect certain outcomes or emotions, or things to happen, and often I just get disappointed because my expectations don’t meet reality (if you’ve seen 500 Days of Summer, I loved the split screen scene with Expectations vs Reality – SO TRUE). So with this trip, all I told myself was that I would be here these days, see these people, and put aside all other expectations and agendas. My only agenda? To enjoy what came. :)

I started Sunday afternoon & jetted off to Berkeley, where one of my oldest and closest friends lived. I would spend a two nights there before heading off on the main stretch along the coast. I was nervous and excited before leaving, mostly because I knew that I would not be the same person I was when I return. I knew things would be different. The night before leaving, we were at a farewell bonfire for some friends who were moving to Chicago that week and in a small way, it almost felt like a private farewell bonfire for myself as well. Goodbye to what I knew; hello to the future.

The photo above (taken with the iPhone) was what it looked like right after I got past the Grapevine, when my stomach started to stir because the trip was becoming real. Once I went past LA (which I drive to fairly often), I began territory that I have never done on my own. And it felt liberating.

I will be slowly blogging my trip in the coming weeks, and I will also try to keep updating with my usual wedding & other posts. But for now, this is only the beginning, with much more to come.

Away I go. :)