Distance Signs at Portland, OregonWe spent an afternoon in Portland to gather our bearings and supply ourselves for the trip to San Francisco. In the main part of town there is this sign of signs which lists mileage to locations such as Times Squre and Red Square, Moscow, to obscure places like ‘kangaroos.’ (I guess they mean Australia?) Portland itself was a friendly city. Tim and I happened to come when the farmer’s market was in full swing. Lucky for us we were able to score fresh organic berries and even sample a delicious soda made out of strawberries.
Red Wood Giant
Coming to see the Redwood Forest was one of my lifetime goals I set for myself. To actually be there, touching a real redwood tree was beyond words. The entire time there I felt as if I were transported to another world where I was the smallest thing there. The trees towered above everything. Patches of three leaf clovers were even bigger than I had seen them before. Small paths weaved their way through the forest leading to new ones of exploration and adventure. When Tim and I arrived there was a bird hoping between branches, occasionally flying down near us. The entire time there he followed us through the woods as if he were a personal tour guide.
Pacific Coast
The beautiful Pacific coastline. This shot was taken off 101 close to the evening. You haven’t seen a coastline until you see the Pacific. I know I’ve said that before but it’s true.
Rodeo Point
Here we are, the beginning of highway 101, Rodeo Point. When you get onto the road there’s a huge interstate sign painted on the ground reminding you of which road you have just begun, or finished. The wind nearly knocked me over when I got out of the car. This was also my first chance to see the Pacific raging against a rocky cliff. Behind me is about a thirty to forty foot drop towards the ocean.
DOG
A modded Ford truck Tim and I encountered on our way out of Portland. The people on the west coast sure are an interesting bunch!
Deer in Olympic
I spotted this guy at Olympic park in Washington. Tim and I were spending some time in the natural hot springs that afternoon, which were an hour’s hike up the mountain. The path used to be on eused by traffic until the ice flow destroyed parts of the road. Occasionally you could see drainage pipes sprouting out from the side of the mountain. The hot springs themselves ranged from small pools that could fit one or two people, to bigger ones which could house a family. The water temperature was so hot you had to get out for a while occasionally. Sulfur made the air smell funky and it made everything slippery to the touch. After a few rough nights of long driving the hot springs made for a relaxing pastime.
Trees at Olympic
Tim spotted this unique display of soil erosion on our way to the hot springs. The trees’ roots are holding the soil together while underneath it slowly falls away. I wouldn’t want to be around when these trees give in to gravity and come crashing down.
Olympic morning
On our way to Olympic Park I made a critical error and missed our exit off I-5. Eventually Tim woke from his nap and alerted me to my mistake and we turned around and rerouted ourselves. This mistake cost us five hours of driving time. Frustrated at myself, and eager to get to the park, I tried making up for it by driving through the night. Our map showed a National Forest at the south end of the park where we could camp. It came to be two in the morning and I was unable to find a campground so I pulled over and slept in the car. To avoid any trouble I woke up before the sun rose and continued the journey north along the eastern side of the Olympic peninsula. Tim snagged this shot of the morning mist coming off a lake as we drove towards Port Angeles.
Victoria Ferry
This shot gives a good look at how small Scottie really is. Tim and I are on a ferry bound for Anacortes, Washington. The ride was a nice reprieve from driving and I took full advantage of my time to read. There’s a wonderful allure to being the foreigner aboard a vessel. You feel unique in your international status and while I rested on a bench I listened to people speaking in French Canadian, Japanese and Korean.
Fond Farewell
This was a difficult time in our journey. Julie made the difficult decision to part ways and strike out on her own towards San Juan Island. She had friends out there who she could stay with. I wish she had decided o stay with us because the trip had barely begun and we had yet to make it to California. I couldn’t argue with her choice though, and all I could do was wish her the best on her own adventures.
Vancouver Water Fall
About thirty minutes outside of Vancouver, BC, by bus, is a rope bridge and hiking park. I cannot remember the name but I do remember the green, moss covered trees and the overwhelming feeling of peace this place instilled in me. Tim and I walked off the path up the mountain away from everyone to sit and meditate. From where we were we could see joggers, hikers and visiting travelers like ourselves.
Shot of Trees in Vancouver Park
This was a fun shot of some trees in Vancouver Park, a different one than the waterfall. Vancouver Park isn’t very different than many parks that you can find in New Jersey. There’s the usual collection of pine trees and oaks and maples, but a very large difference, and this is quite literal, everything is much bigger! I wasn’t able to get a shot that could accurately display this difference in size. The trees are much older than the ones you find in New Jersey, probably because of Canada’s excellent preservation methods. If you ever find yourself in Vancouver I suggest you spend an afternoon exploring this park.
Totem Pole
By the harbor area of the city this totem pole towers over everything else. I found it a bit late in the day so the lighting wasn’t ideal for the picture. I’m glad the airplane came out though.
Vancouver at night
While on a long day trip in the city, Tim and I found ourselves without transit and were forced to walk back to our hostel. In order to get back to the main district we needed to walk across a bridge with traffic moving 50mph right next to us. It got to be a little scary at times, and the thunder storm in the distance didn’t help our enthusiasm. To help cheer myself up, I stopped to take this black and white picture of the city. I didn’t think it would come out this good and I’m proud to have taken this shot. On a side note, Tim and I made it before the rain hit, but lost our way and ended up walking in a complete circle, literally spending an hour doing so. Seeing the same bridge suddenly appear in front of us after an hour of walking wasn’t the highlight of my evening.
Vancouver at day
Here is a shot Tim took of the city as we drove down the main highway, right before the bridge into downtown. You have to remember we arrived in Canada on Canada Day, so the streets were packed with people all celebrating. It was probably the best timing we had the whole road trip. Sometimes, in order for me to make a turn while driving into the city, I had to slowly make my way through people crossing the street at the same time. I felt like I was breaking the law but even though I had a green light, people still crossed unconcerned about oncoming traffic. Vancouver is a rough city!
Danger! Helicopter
Tim spotted this sign as we drove towards Vancouver City. I couldn’t imagine why it was there, sitting among a hedge line, but perhaps there really is a concern I am not aware of.
Border tree
Another one of Tim’s excellent photos. While waiting at the border between the US and Canada Tim snagged a shot of this interesting tree. To this day we don’t know what kind of tree it is, other than something that really grabs the eye. The landscaping around the border is just as impressive, with many different colored flowers and impeccably groomed grasses.
Farm in Washington
This was taken to show just what northern Washington is really like. Once you get past Seattle things start to slow down and if you get off the highway you drive along tractors, rather than cars. Something curious I noticed is that there are a lot of signs which say something along the lines of ‘watch for drunk drivers.’ I asked Tim and Julie what they thought it meant and they considered it could be a reference to the various Indian reservations in the area. While none of us are 100% positive of this deduction we did continue to see these signs all over the west coast, where coincidentally reservations were located.
Scotti taking a break
While we were busy setting up camp in Washington, the night before we arrived at the border, Scotti was taking a break recovering from his long excursions across the country. Poor Scotti, he’s quite the trooper!
Julie and the Troll
An interesting side quest found us under Interstate 5 in Seattle with an actual bridge troll! Lucky for Julie he was cast in stone and was unable to perform his usual troll activities, such as terrorizing those crossing the bridge. Mike and Kim told us about this place while we were staying with them in Seattle. (Thanks again, guys, for giving us a place to stay. Much appreciated!)
Two trash cans
Julie captured these two trash cans together one night on the road at a rest stop.
Bumper Sticker Bus
This bus in Boulder, Colorado didn’t hesitate to express itself. I caught it from afar and had to run to catch up with it so I could grab a shot. I was a little disappointed that the stickers were actually painted on, rather than actual stickers put there by people. Who knew opinions could be so easily manufactured?
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