3,000 Miles of Beauty
Destinations
San Francisco, CA
Lake Siskiyou, CA
Silver Falls State Park, OR
Seattle, WA
Beverly Beach State Park, OR
Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park, OR
Harris Beach State Park, OR
Fremont, CA
San Diego, CA
Sights & Stops
Pismo Beach, CA - Old West Cinnamon Rolls
Morro Bay, CA - Paddled with sea otters and ate at Shine Cafe (Get the veggie spring rolls!)
Silver Falls State Park, OR - Trail of Ten Falls, an 8 mile hike with 10 waterfalls (AKA Heaven)
Richmond Beach, WA - Paddled in the Puget Sound
Lake Washington, WA - Paddled from Logboom Park - saw 5 bald eagles!
Brackett's Landing North, WA - Beautiful views of the Olympic Mountains
Meadowdale Beach Park, WA - Loved the small hike before getting to the beach
Cannon Beach, OR - Walked the beach and ate at Crepe Neptune
Yaquina Head Lighthouse, OR - Became a lover of lighthouses
Seal Rock, OR - Amazing tide pools
Eel Lake, OR - Paddled with dragon flies
Avenue of the Giants, CA - Marveled at the height and width of the Redwoods
Bixby Bridge, CA - Officially fell in love with bridges
San Simeon, CA - Delighted over the sounds that come out of elephant seals
Moonstone Beach, CA - Sorted through pretty rocks
And every two miles on Highway 1 & 101 - Went picture crazy
♫"I was born to be wild and free. Traipsing the coastline of some craggy beach."♫ ~De Joie
The picture above pretty much sums up the trip. I took the 101 up the coast of California and couldn't drive 5 minutes without pulling over. Every bend sparked new oohs and aahs. It took me a total of 13 hours to get from San Diego to San Francisco, which included a stop for a cinnamon roll and a paddle session with sea otters in Morro Bay.
I spent a day frolicking through San Fran with a good friend and highly recommend checking out the following:
Take in the architecture and have a picnic at the Palace of Fine Arts
Walk along Crissy Field and East Beach for beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge
Catch the sunset at Coit Tower
From San Francisco, I cut inland and began taking the 5. I originally planned to camp around Lake Shasta, but when I got there and checked out the campgrounds I decided the noise from the highway and the power lines over the lake weren't what I was looking for. I opened up the map and spotted the next body of water: Lake Siskiyou and set forth. That was one of the best decisions I made on the trip.
I became giddy as I was driving up the 5 towards Lake Siskiyou. The views of Mount Shasta were incredible. It turns out that Lake Siskiyou has one of the best darn views around and the water was perfect for paddling.
The next best decision I made was deciding to camp in the rain. I am a sunshine lady and when I saw it would be raining in Oregon, I thought about driving straight through to Seattle. Luckily the calling of waterfalls was stronger than my Wicked Witch of the West worries of melting in the rain.
The Trail of Ten Falls in Silver Falls State Park is absolutely magical and rain makes it even more majestic. I won't spoil your experience by showing you all the falls, but this was one of my favorites:
Recharged from greenery and the power of the falls I continued on to reach the purpose of my trip: 2 lovely little ladies in Seattle (my nieces). I was thrilled to get to spend a week with them which included fun in the sun at Richmond Beach, Brackett's Landing North, and Meadowdale Park.
I am not sure how I was able to get myself back on the road after receiving more hugs and love in one week than I'd received in the past 3 months. Maybe it was Clara's shirt's encouragement: "You got this, Girl!" or perhaps thinking of her quoting Daniel Tiger:
"Take a moment. Take a breath. Make a plan and try your best!"
My plan for the next three days was camping along the Oregon coast. I had given dispersed camping a go near Lake Siskiyou and wound up sleeping in my truck. Fear had crept in my mind and despite multiple efforts to "breathe in faith" and "breathe out fear," I realized I feel a bit more comfortable in official campgrounds when traveling solo. I booked campsites at Beverly Beach State Park, Jessie M. Honeyman State Park, and Harris Beach State Park to get me through the next three nights.
Timing influences the way we see and experience the world.
One of the things I love best about traveling is that it makes you open yourself up to the Universe. Life lessons come at you in a variety of forms. Cannon Beach reminded me of the importance of timing in life. When I arrived to the beach there was a mystical rock formation drawing me to it. As I walked back, I noticed the rock had disappeared amongst the clouds. This moment made me grateful and understand the way I experience and see the world is unique. (Which is one of the reasons why I like sharing my experiences.)
I slept well at the three campsites along the coast. My favorite of the three was definitely Harris Beach State Park mainly because of the tide pools. I saw more star fish than I had seen in my entire life. (Timing also played a part in this, but I planned for this experience by making sure I stuck around for low tide in the morning.) The campsite offered lots to do with trails and the city of Brookings just a mile away.
Sights are great, but people are even better.
My last stop was Fremont, CA. While the city itself doesn't rival the lush greenery and coastlines of Oregon, it became a stop because a friend lives there. We did what I like to call a "Hike & Brew". We hiked in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park and got a beer at Jack's Brewing Company while reminiscing about our time in the Peace Corps and our shared loved for Kansas sports teams. As I have traveled around the world, I have come to realize that views often call me to a new destination, but the people I meet and connect with along the way are always the best part of my trip. Here's to many more journeys that involve connecting with friends and taking in the beauty of the world.
Beauty
coastline, lakes, waterfalls, family love, redwoods, starfish, elephant seals, friendship, moonstones, the open road, sand dunes, wildflowers, the feeling of being free
Gratitude
My sister-in-law for letting me join the family plan on Spotify (music with no ads while driving was a game changer!)
Signs from the Universe
My friends and family for opening up their homes
Hugs and love from my nieces
The multiple turnout points along the 1
Reconnecting with my faith
Liberation
Thanks for checking out my adventure. Until next time!