Redwoods!

On Monday we drove from Portland all the way down the coast to northern California. It was a beautiful drive; however, the wind was strong, strong, strong. We rolled in to Jedediah Smith State Park around 8 o'clock at night. We and our tent and Geronimo were dwarfed by the massive redwoods on our site. We were amazed to see mosquitoes and other insects flying around in our tent, a welcome change after shaking frost out of our fly a couple weeks ago. We slept well, especially with the peaceful sound of the falling rain on our tent.

Unfortunately, the peaceful rain made a huge puddle in the middle of our campsite. Our tent was like an island in the middle of a cold, brown sea. So we packed up quickly and hit the road. After a total gongshow of misleading signs, we made it to a Chevron and got the slow leak in our left rear tire patched for $16.00. Huzzah! Then it was back to Jedediah Smith State Park to pay the $35.00 (!!!) we owed for the pleasure of sleeping in a cold puddle. Grrr...

We hiked in the Stout Grove, a beautiful forest of redwood trees preserved by a woman in memory of her lumber baron husband. The redwoods were beautiful and awe-inspiring, like nothing we've ever seen before. Then we drove on to the Ladybird Johnson Grove, where we hiked through many more amazing redwoods.

Despite the rain, the drive today was great. We drove through grove after grove of redwood trees. After a quick stop for coffee and Internet-ing, we drove a long and winding road through dark and fog out to the coast. Geronimo and I handled the curves fabulously. We did see a number of deer, including a couple staring straight into my highbeams. as well as a skunk that scuttled across the road in front of us, but we made it to Fort Bragg just fine.

Peter and Haley in Portland.

We visited our friends Peter and Haley in Portland on Sunday. They've got a super-cool place with a great garden and chickens in the backyard. Huzzah!

We went out for dinner and some of Portland's famous microbrews that evening at a Wisconsin-themed bar. The 1984 Green Bay Packers team photo in the washroom was a highlight.

Peter and Haley cooked up a fabulous breakfast on Monday morning. It was delicious, and we're grateful to them for it. We even got to put our tent in the dryer. Thanks to you both, Peter and Haley, for your friendship and for letting us stay with you. It was great to see you both. Finally, a very happy birthday today to Haley!

Portland.

We checked out Portland on Sunday afternoon. Although it was cool and gray, we walked around the city and had a great time. We visited Voodoo Doughnuts and Powell's Bookstore. Huzzah for doughnuts and books! We walked into Old Town from across the bridge, since parking was free on the other side. By around 5 o'clock or so, we'd had our fill of downtown and were eager to go see our friends Peter and Haley. So we did.

Cape Disappointment.

We stayed at Cape Disappointment in southwestern Washington on Saturday night. In terms of living up to its name, it did not disappoint. It rained more or less the entire time we were there, and we woke up with a lot of water on the floor of our tent. Boo-urns. We packed up, paid up, got a quick look at the beach, and hit the road. We breakfasted at Laurie's Homestead Cafe, and then made tracks for Portland.

Olympic National Park.

We visited Olympic National Park for a couple of nights last week. We lucked out, with sun during the day and rain only at night. We saw a lot of big trees covered in moss. The sea was angry when we went to the beach, with lots of spray and foam. We hiked a few different trails and took a drive out to the Hoh Rain Forest. We saw a lot of bald eagles out there, including a pair sitting on a gravel bar in a river eating a salmon. We also saw a beautiful elk buck walking gracefully in the woods ten feet from us. The forest was the definition of fecund, and it reminded me of the setting for the Ewok parts of Return of the Jedi. All in all, our time on the peninsula was great and awe-inspiring.

Seattle.

We visited Seattle last week. Our friend Josh was kind enough to show us around the city. We enjoyed seeing Pike's Place Market, the wall of gum, and the Space Needle. We also went to Gasworks Park, where we enjoyed the view of the cityscape. Overall, we think Seattle is a pretty cool town. Huzzah for the mighty Northwest!

Kevin and Young/Eric and Carrie Jo in Seattle.

We visited our friends Kevin and Young while we were in Seattle. We've been friends with Kevin since we were in college, and we met Young while we were in Seoul. It was great to see them, and we had a great time visiting them. They've got a great apartment in Fremont, a really cool neighborhood in the city.

We also got to see our friends Eric Birdsong and Carrie Jo. Thanks for coming out, and it was great to see you both!

We want to say thank you to Kevin and Young for letting us stay at their place. We really appreciate your friendship and hospitality. Take care, and all the best with the new house!