Redwood Forest, California
Eugene, Oregon
We awoke to an overcast morning on a beautiful beach on the coast of the Redwood forest in northern California. It turns out we’d been lucky in our blind choosing of a campground late the night before. After getting a fire and some breakfast going to packed up camp and strolled the beach for a while, taking in the early morning peacefulness of the pacific. On the way out of the park we were lucky enough to drive past a huge herd of elk grazing in a field. We’ve been getting lucky like this a lot so far on the trip.
We stopped by the visitors center and found a few hikes to hit to see some of the old growth redwood trees and sequoias throughout the park. The overcast of the morning gave it an almost surreal, mystic vibe but it was still a phenomenal sight. We then got on the road for Eugene, Oregon. En route we were sure to stop off for such attractions as the Trees of Mystery, Confusion Hill, and numerous wood-carvings of Sasquatch.
Eugene, Oregon took me by surprise. It is a somewhat small, or rather walkable, college town. It had a great personality and laid back vibe, defined by it’s cleanliness and friendliness. A few weeks before the trip I found out my cousin, Gabe, whom I hadn’t seen in probably 10 years, was living in Eugene and we were going to be able to meet up. It was pretty exciting in the sense that we’re now at the age where we can do “adult things” and although that isn’t the primary reason, we really got to bond in a more personal way. I got to meet some of his friends and introduce him to my fellow car mates as we exchanged stories about traveling and jobs.
It was great getting to catch up with long lost family and recognize how important it is to keep those relationships and communications alive. Gabe showed us around the town and got us drinks for next to nothing at what seemed to be every bar Eugene had to offer. He has only been there for a short time but seems to know everyone and there was no better way we could have seen the city than with a local who is also friend and family. We tasted some of the finest microbrews Oregon is known for and again shared a great night with some great people. I’m still convinced good people will make light of most any situation or adventure and truly define the memories to come of them
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The beautiful campsite we awoke to in the National Redwood Forest.
The herd of elk.
In front of some of the old growth redwood trees.
To demonstrate the sheer size of these trees.
We were kind of in a rush, but we saw this snail crossing the trail and literally stared at it for 30 minutes.
Gabe, Dan, and I celebrating in the name of good friends and family.
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