Headed to Portland

At the conclusion of our quick hike we also had to say goodbye so that Carmela and I could head up towards Portland. Carmela has a work conference, but we’ll be back soon for the wedding. While the drive was long, it was not uneventful. We chose to stay off of I-5 for as long as possible and drive the coastal route 101 – a renowned scenic byway up the coast of California and Oregon. It was well worth the extra driving, and will hopefully be incorporated into a future visit. We headed inland to stay in Eugene, Oregon for the night. Friday is the last couple hours to Portland but we'll have to see if there's any good stops along the way.

Exploring Northern California

After a hearty breakfast we headed up to the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park. On the way we made a few stops. The first was at Stone Lagoon, where the wedding ceremony will take place. It’s a beautiful location that completely suites Corey and Amber.






The next stop was at the Roosevelt Elk herd where we (along with lots of RV’s and campers) stopped to look at and take pictures of the elk (do you see it in the background behind Carmela and me?).

When we finally arrived at the redwoods forest, we got a chance to walk among the grove of the Titans – these are some of the largest trees on the planet. They were amazing!! It’s hard to capture in pictures the scale and scope of these giants (that's why I include a video too). It is a magical place that we will have to return to explore.

The Trip Begins

Our first day of the trip we flew out to Arcata, California – up near the Oregon border. We had a brief visit with my brother Corey, his soon-to-be-wife Amber, and their two sons Cove and Jasper. With such a short stay we didn’t waste any time and headed right out to Moonstone Beach to explore a cave, hang out and play some beach bocce. It was a great time.