Albany, OR to Crescent City, CA 8:45am – 3:30pm, 262 miles

The first few hours of our drive were through thick fog. Pea Soup fog. So I don’t really know what south central Oregon looks like. We had lunch and a DQ blizzard at a park in Grant’s Pass. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and 65F. Perfect for a picnic lunch. I took a nap and woke up at the California border sign. We had to go through an agriculture checkpoint and declare our plants. Armed guards asked us questions….what they were really screening for is anyone’s guess. All I know is that my plants were acceptable.

The road snaked through a river valley. Just thinking about it as I remember it makes me nauseous all over again. A canopy of trees rose above us. What started as a tree tunnel with low branches grew to a high ceiling over 100 ft above. Giant branches were woven together to block out all but small slivers of sunlight. The redwoods are AWESOME!

Mini Honey, Giant Tree.

The welcome to California was much more pleasant than our welcome to Alaska. It was -20F with a 20mph wind and completely dark. I’d never felt so cold before then or since.

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So I have to admit, I went into panic mode a little upon our arrival to the coast. It was mostly a freakout about how different California is from Alaska : the dirtiness, crowds, no winter, no hiking right outside my door, no isolation.

Then we went for a run. Part of it was on the beach. The feeling of the world drifting off beyond me into the sea was therapeutic the same way that hiking in the Alaska Range is. I finished the run with a smile and the resolve that I will erase all preconceptions of Eureka and give it a chance. Tomorrow, the trip becomes more than just a fun vacation. With less than a two hour drive ahead of me, my new life is looming—just out of reach. *gulp* I’m excited and nervous to meet my new home. Wish me luck.

Our first ocean sunset in Crescent City, CA.