Chapter 9 - My Way On the Highway

Lessons learned and adventures started. That's gonna be it for today. Because adventures happen any time you do something. Honest, they do. And taking a minor road trip is rife with adventure and discovery. Hahaha, simply rife!!

First off, lessons learned. Again. Hahaha, I'm not a slow learner, much.

I have been planning on traveling down the coast to Redwood City for the birthday celebration for my Grandkids, Quinn and Max, for some time now. It's a simple drive - you either drive down I-5 or you go down The 101.

I chose The 101.

So the hard part was done. I picked The 101 because, well, because I'm really tired of the Interstates. Booooorrrrrring.

So my grand plan was to leave early so I could take my time and stop for pictures along the way. It is 360 miles from LCO to the Best Western in Fortuna and, according to Google Maps, it takes 7 hours and 21 minutes to drive it at the legal rate of speed. I figured I could leave early and have plenty of time to stop along the way as I chose. This way, I could stop, get some pictures and then motor on.

That was the plan.

And so, to the first lesson learned. I've done this so many times before and been flummoxed by it every time that, well, I should have known better. Once I get on the road I am hell-bent to get to my destination. Once I hit the road, I wanna get to where I'm going and I am loath to stop and smell the roses, so-to-speak.

What this means is that I left uber-early so I would have plenty of time available to stop along the way but...and here's the rub...I get on the road and I don't want to stop.

And it was early...like 0555 early when I made it out to the Mini.

And so I set off with high hopes and great expectations. Oh, the places I'd see. Oh, the fun I would have.

And, because of the early hour I would have the roads to myself; more or less. Like this, as I motored through the business district of LCO.

And crossed the bridge at Newport.

And it was fun, cruising along and watching the day break. The miles rolled by and I was content to let the cruise control push me along at a steady 52 MPH.  And the skies were beginning to lighten as I pushed through Yachats.

And past the Heceta Head Light. Where I was conveniently stopped for some road construction long enough to turn around in my seat and get this picture of the light house.

As you can see, there were no stops so far. I had it in my head that I was going to Fortuna, California and, well, there wasn't anything to see, yet. It was still dark and so I kept on a keepin' on down the road.

It's kind of a treat, every so often, to watch the day break. To watch the sun begin its daily traverse of the the sky.

Rolling down Oregon's Pacific Coast Scenic Byway, aka The 101. There's something to be said for an enjoyable ride through the countryside..on The 101.

A sleepy Florence, just waking up.

And it was time for breakfast. Mmmmmmm, Old McDonald's.

The back side of The 101, and by back I am referring to the 'posterior' view of The 101, the strip on both sides of Oregon's Pacific Coast Scenic Highway, aka The 101. The view inside the small cities is less than stellar. Much, much less that stellar.

But, hey!! Gas is only $2.09 a gallon here!! Woo, woo!!

It was a magical morning. I say that because it was a morning spent driving in and out of fog. It was a morning made for an adventure and, therefore, magical. 

It was great.

And part of an adventure is exploring, in my case by driving through, new places.

See, here's the problem with me. I had planned on driving down The 101 and arriving at my destination, Fortuna, sometime that day. And I didn't stop. No where. Except for gas. And food.

I figured it out, hence the 'Lesson Learned'. If I'm to stop somewhere on my road from this place to that I must have it scheduled in. I must expect to stop before I hop in the mini. I'm not good, when I'm on my own, at being spontaneous and stopping here and there for this and that.

And so, I drove.

Over hill and over dale.

Through the cities and the towns. Hahaha, it's fun and a part of the adventure to slide through other people's lives, even from the distance of the road.

Coming in to Coos Bay, there's a large estuary as you enter from the north.

And the fog still lingered in certain parts of the landscape.

I've been here before and it's a typical small coastal town. Not much of a downtown and the city is a farrago of different styles, materials and visions.

There in the distance is the Tioga Hotel.

Fun Facts: The Tioga was started in 1925 and then re-started in 1928. Then both the Great Depression and World War II further delayed the construction of the Oregon coast's once-tallest building. It ended up taking more than 20 years for it to be completed.

And, just recently, it was renovated into a senior housing complex.

Then, just as I was leaving the city on the south side, the fog set in with a vengeance.

It were thick.

And it ran in and out, playing tag with the cars on the road.  Covering up here and opening up there.

It was an unusual day...a day made for adventure. 

But, me, I kept on truckin' down the road. I had no scheduled stops and I knew I wouldn't make any impromptu stops...I had an appointment with the Best Western in Fortuna.

And even while I was begrudgingly acknowledging this fault of mine, I knew I still wouldn't stop because I hadn't planned on anything. Leaving it up to the fates, as it were, is something I am not capable of.

To give you some kind of an idea of how the fog played leapfrog along the way, the shot above was taken at 0911 and the shot below? It was taken 12 minutes later at 0923. Two different landscapes and two equally different aspects of this day.

But this was an adventure for me; playing out along the Pacific Ocean.

And through the woods of western Oregon.

And what a sight it all was. From the woods...

...to the sea.

Another aspect of Oregon that intrigues me are the rock formations lying just off the shore. I grew up in Southern California and, because of its close proximity, was no stranger to the ocean. Admittedly, it was all between Long Beach and Balboa to the south, but it was all ocean and there weren't any kinds of rock formations there.

None.

And that's why I still get a shock, a kind of visceral disconnect, when I see these huge brutes where I do not expect them to be.

All along the Oregon coast they sit. Making surfing impossible but adding a definite element to the beauty of the shore here.

This coast is no friendly, inviting place. It's a challenge and it took heroes to explore it, figure it out and conquer it.

But the landscape was changing as the road wound deeper inland the further south I went.

And I found that The 101 is a quite different roadway once you're into California proper.

The coast is a hint, a promise somewhere further to the west in California. The road becomes more of a major artery, a freeway as you get into the Golden State.

To be sure, it's not always a fast-paced highway...there are still patches of two-lane blacktop through the twistier and heavily wooded parts of the road.

And, even here in California, the fog was still playing with me at 1238. Just not as dense as it had been.

Not always. 

I was beginning to smell the barn now as Fortuna came closer. And I still didn't stop to see anything. Hahaha, I even resented stopping for gas. But I enjoyed the trip. And this stretch of crazy trees growing so close together along the highway.

Until, after 360 miles and 8 hours 50 minutes of resolute driving, I arrived at my destination.

And, even though it wasn't a "Plus", it was a very nice motel. 

What I liked most about this place was the bird feeders they had placed around the property. I didn't go all around the grounds, but where I did go I counted no less than three feeders. All with food.

Way to go, Fortuna Best Western (BW)!!

And they were busy. Like this Dark-Eyed or Oregon Junko.

As soon as I was unpacked, I took a walk. I really needed to take a walk after the drive. And I discovered why this BW is called the Riverwalk.

A tree in the pasture across from the BW.

I found a couple more feeders in the front of the motel.

Hahaha, I really appreciate them having the feeders and, more importantly, the BW folks taking the time to keep them filled with seed.

And they even planted a few flowers, too.

Double plus.

Walking down by the river, I saw this raptor flying across the way. I'm not sure if it is a Harrier or another kind of Hawk.

A view of the Eel River running along the west side of the BW.

Haha, not too shabby for a little ol' country river. 

I see these and I think of the mighty Rio Grande and, well, the Rio comes out on the short end of the stick...every time.

And here's the walk of the Riverwalk. It was semi-busy that afternoon as I passed maybe 6-8 people amblin' along enjoying the day and the sights.

I don't think this was a Turkey Vulture but, hey, I don't know know left from right regards birds.

But I knew this one!! An Egret. Hahaha, nailed it. And he was waaaaaay 'cross the river on the far bank at a wide turn.

Kinda cool. Nice place for a walk.

And a good end to a good day. 

(It has been suggested that I might improve my blogs by being a bit terser in my presentation. So, I promise from now on to be: brief, short, to the point, concise, succinct, crisp, pithy, incisive, trenchant, short and sweet, laconic, elliptical.)

(I wondered about 'elliptical' and so I looked up the definition...the second definition is: using few words and therefore hard to understand. Hahaha, can do!!)

Not a major adventure and it certainly could have been better but it was mine. It was good. It made my heart lighter and that's always a good thing. Plus, I like being out and about. 

For me it was a good decision to drive The 101. The only bad thing was my lack of understanding about my inability to stop along the way without a plan or idea of where I might be heading to. Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm able to learn about and understand myself a bit more. Shame it took so doggone long for the light bulb to go off.

But there you are. And there I was.

And, after an excellent day, I also came to know that, life is good.

Yes, it is.

          Hooah!!