Day 9: Oregon

One thing I noticed that changes immediately when arriving in an urban coastal area is the traffic. For the past seven days we have been driving through the central part of the country - two lane highways and almost no other cars to worry about. Driving south from Seattle today I felt like I was back on the east coast: three-lane highways, lots of cars, and lots of idiots. As much as we were relieved to be back in proper civilization, I found myself longing for the wide open road.

Today we had one quick stop at Mount St. Helens, the huge volcano that erupted in 1980 creating a huge wave of destruction.

Because of our lack of desire to drive any longer than we had to, this was as close as we got to the mountain. Just stamped our passport books, and off we went.

Once we got off the interstate and started driving towards the coast, our path turned into a two-lane road encased by dense forest. I was glad to once again be in the company of trees. Eventually they gave way to this:

Yes, that would be the Oregon coast. Cannon Beach to be exact. The rocks you see in the ocean are known as the "haystacks". The town at the beach is completely adorable, not unlike a town on the cape. I could spend days in towns like this viewing all the little shops and absorbing the local atmosphere. The change in scenery was most welcome as things have been getting a little rough for Michaela and I. We are goddamn sick of driving. I'm pretty sure if she could have, Michaela would have gotten on a plane in Seattle and been done with it. But I'm glad she didn't.

Tonight our hotel is a local establishment called "Wheeler on the Bay Lodge", which is run by a wonderful couple and their sons who live on the premises. I confess, I was a little... taken aback by the place. We were expecting it to be in Tillamook, and it technically is in Tillamook county, but it's actually a miniscule little town outside of the city called Wheeler. I was fairly certain Michaela was either going to kill me or go into cardiac arrest. The place is nothing short of hilarious - our room, "the Garden Room", is decorated like someone's grandmother's apartment: wicker furniture and florals. But, once we got settled in a bit and got to know the owners, we decided it was good to be supporting a local business, not to mention a family. We had dinner at a local Mexican restaurant by the ocean. Fabulous.

Tomorrow is our last long day: 7.5 hours of easy coastal driving to Eureka, CA. Expect many more coast pictures.