California Love: Part 1

Road trips are fun. I haven't been on a really long road trip in years, and this one takes the cake. I made it to the Redwoods! It was so magical, and everything I imagined it would be--but better. The drive was so picturesque, I saw a million unforgettable things, and I spent time with my favorite person, and we got to know each other even better and share some magical, perfect moments together...and some not so perfect ones too!

Chai!

Matt and I were both so glad that I spent Sunday making snacks for the trip, because driving through rural Northern California had few options for food. The Chai concentrate that I made was a hit. Matt had never had it, and he loved it. We picked up some almond milk at a store in Crescent City and brought it back to our campsite in he Jedediah Smith Redwoods park where we camped the first night. The campsite was amazing! I know that the redwoods are awe inspiring and gigantic, but you just aren't able to grasp it until you are standing right in the middle of them. As we began to drive through them, I started making excited giggly noises, gasps, and I would say, "Look at that big tree! That's a big one." everytime I saw a large specimen. It is just incredible, to be standing in the middle of the oldest forest on earth, with the oldest and largest living organisms on earth.

Morning beer!

There was a river at our site, and the water felt amazing compared to the 90 degree weather. We had the best time just taking walks, splashing around in the water, and making some old fashioned camping food. Our s'mores were to die for though. I don't mean to brag, but I can toast the perfect marshmallow. And we made our s'mores with kit-kats so there was a yummy crunch! I love campfire cooking. Especially for breakfast. I don't know what is so great about making your food over a fire, but it's strangely satisfying. It's like you're reminding yourself, 'I don't need electricity to cook! I can take care of myself.' We used the last two polish sausages from the night before, and I made a delicious scramble with them. I brought 2 mason jars and lids with, which we used to drink our chai, and then I used to mix the eggs, since we had no bowl or whisk. Reccomendation: BRING MASON JARS WHEN CAMPING!  We forgot to buy bread, so we just toasted up some buns and made 'breakfast hot dogs.' They were actually pretty fantastic. Having a glass of chai to start the morning was nice. It went well with our morning beer. I made coconut cranberry orange scones on sunday, so those were great for us to snack on while we waited for breakfast to cook, and even better when we were on the road and hungry.

We continued on our journey, and went through the Avenue of the Giants, which was my favorite part of the trip. We stopped, and explored the forest for a while, and the complete silence was profound. I had forgotten how nice it is to not hear noises, or humans, or anything besides the chirp of birds and the squeak of trees as they softly swayed in the wind. It really puts into perspective how small we are.

Sunset in the Redwoods

We had planned on driving all the way to San Francisco that day, but the sun was setting just as we were leaving the redwoods. When finally reached the ocean on Highway 1, it was starting to get dark, and we saw campgrounds right on the beach. On a whim, we pulled over, and were pleased to find spaces available for only $25. We pitched our tent 20 feet from the cliffs overlooking the ocean. I missed the sound of the waves. They used to lull me to sleep every night, and they do it so well.

I woke up at about 5 the next morning, and once I looked out the window and saw that the sun was about to come up, I couldn't go back to sleep. Matt refused to wake up, so I enjoyed the moment by myself. I walked along the cliffs, and the clouds over the mountains behind me turned radiant pink, just as the fog bank rolled onto the coast. I was the only person awake, and I felt sorry for them, because it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. I felt like the luckiest human alive to be witnessing it. What a perfect start to the day.

We drove along highway 1, and the beauty is everything I had heard about. It's amazing how different the coast is in California compared to Oregon. There were none of the quaint beach houses lined up along the edge of the cliffs. Instead there was just farmland. It was eerie almost to see the old, sometimes abandoned, barns and farmhouses sitting there with the endless ocean behind them. Seeing cows grazing right above the waves was so neat. We stopped in Mendocino to grab some coffee and breakfast, and it was the first good cup of coffee we had since leaving Portland. I never thought I would miss latte art so badly!

We ended up taking a wrong turn somewhere, and ended up in wine country somewhere instead of on the coast. We were both wondering why we were so far inland, and then saw a sign telling us we were on highway 128 instead of 1. Ooops. It was so beautiful out there, and a nice little detour until we got on a windy mountain road that took us back to the coast. It was the windiest, narrowest road I had ever been on, and that's saying something as I grew up in the mountains of Idaho. We were both a little terrified, and spent at least an hour and a half creeping along the road, going up, and down, and our brakes overheated at one point. It sucked. We were both a little grumpy by the time we got back on the highway. Our little detour set us back about 2 1/2 hours, getting us into San Francisco at about 6 PM. We left the campsite at 8, so we were hoping to get there by 2. But roadtrips are all about the unexpected, and learning to roll with it and enjoy it. I wouldn't change any of it, because it was quite an adventure.

View from the top of our 'detour'