Week 1 complete: Redwoods, Craters, and Vortices

My goal for this road trip was to see (or taste) at least one AMAZING thing per day.

Cue John: “Oh, well that’s easy, since you’ll be seeing me every day.”

Well, I had to let him down in the easiest way possible. Sorry John, what I mean is I wanted to see at least one NEW amazing thing every day. So, you do not qualify, although you are an amazing boyfriend ;-). Since I’ve last updated, we have driven to northern California, through Oregon, back to California, and back up through Oregon. Seems counterproductive, but let me explain.

We visited the Shasta Dam (the second largest in the U.S.), which was beautiful, but a quick trip. We quickly headed west towards the coast to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (and sort of National Park too). We camped in a Redwood forest near the coast and made a 7 mile hike through the forest and along the California coastal trail… BEAUTIFUL. We were even stared down by a herd of elk…. Terrifying if you ask me. While on the California coast, John drove north while I was fast asleep in the quest for ice cream (I had a terrible craving for some cookie dough). While on this journey, we found the MOST beautiful beach along the Pacific Ocean.. really. This beach was a completely random finding (perfect road trip material) and had the biggest waves I have ever seen in my life! We walked the boulder ridden coastline for an hour or two and of course we got some amazing pictures (to follow)!

The next day, we headed further north into Oregon, which is an extremely beautiful and picturesque state that I now believe does not get enough credit (but perhaps this is what makes it such a beautifully undiscovered area). A couple of hours into Oregon, I spotted a sign for the “Oregon Vortex” and “House of Mystery”. HOW CAN YOU TURN THAT DOWN?? I couldn’t, so we immediately left the highway on course for the Oregon Vortex, which is “A strange place where the improbable is commonplace and everyday physical facts are reversed”. John (the skeptic) and I (the gullible one) were in for most likely the cheesiest tourist trap in the west (although they call it “the west’s most-discussed attraction”). In this naturally occurring phenomena, people grow and shrink while walking across a level platform, a ball can roll uphill (I saw it, but do I believe it?), and standing level appears crooked. I don’t know what I thought of it, but judge for yourself with the pictures to follow.

I dunno... maybe I'm a skeptic

After that zany excursion came the long trek across part of Oregon and back into California to Lava Beds National Monument. We didn’t spend long here, but I must say, it was more impressive than I expected… once we found it! It took us a while to get to and I’ve never seen more mosquitoes in my life… they literally formed clouds. We did, however, get to see craters, chimneys, and giant beds of cooled volcanic rock formed thousands of years ago, pretty cool.

After that quick trip, we drove back into Oregon and north to Crater Lake National Park. We arrived very late and stayed in a “cabin”. I say cabin in quotes because, lets face it, it was more of a hotel than a camping experience… I NEEDED a real shower! We woke up early the next morning and left the “cabin” to greet even MORE mosquitoes! Apparently they lay their eggs in the snow and when it melts… it’s a giant mosquito party! Fun… huh? Since there was still about 10 feet of snow up here, we were not able to hike around, but we drove up to the lake and it was stunning! This lake was formed thousands of years ago after a massive volcanic eruption where the mountain collapsed. The lake is like glass and reflects much of its surroundings. These were the makings for some beautiful pictures. We were able to enjoy the lake for a bit while we lounged in the rocking chairs at the lodge. I was NOT upset that we were not able to hike around… I was more than ready for a relaxing rocking chair at the edge of a lake.

With some stunning acts of Mother Nature behind us, we headed out with some exciting cities, wineries, and views ahead of us. Stay tuned for my “amazing” things of the day for the second week of the road trip up the west coast! (... Trivia below...)

Trivia: Portland, Oregon was named after the city in Maine after a coin toss landed in favor of that city. What city was the other choice for the name of Portland, Oregon?