Thursday, January 12, 2012

From Florence OR to Eureka CA

We drove 101 today from Florence, Oregon to Eureka California. Everything went very well again.

(note to self for future trips: Fill up with gas in Oregon, as California's gas is about 40 cents per gallon more expensive, and the views of the ocean are worth about 40 cents per gallon less than those in Oregon)

The day was sunny and windy. It was cool in the morning. I mentioned to Vicky those old cartoons that were played before movies when we were kids where the characters would be traveling to California and it would be raining. When they passed the sign saying "Welcome to California" the rain would immediately stop and it would be sunny. It was close to that today. As soon as we were in California the temperature was so comfortable that we could remove several layers. I thought Daffy Ducky would be happy about that.

We don't make good time on windy or windy roads (did you know they are spelled the same? That had never occurred to me). I drive slowly. An 18-wheeler passed me once, on a windy (or is it windy?) mountain road, and Vicky laughed at me. She said she wished she would have had the camera ready.

The views along the coast are breathtaking. I've included a few shots. We stopped occasionally to take it all in.

Vicky's brother, Doug, emailed us today to ask how we were doing. He mentioned that about six years ago he and a friend biked the route we are taking, from Olympia to Santa Monica. What a feat! (of course, to be fair to me, who is only doing it in a 40-year-old camper, HE didn't have to carry 22 different hair ties. AND SPEAKING OF HAIR TIES--Guess what I found out last night? Vicky couldn't find one, and I said something very representative of my sensitive nature about it being a shame and then she said it was OK because she had two of that color! TWO? I thought she was bringing 22 because they were different colors, for different "outfits." And speaking of outfits, I decided that tonight would be a good time to change mine, since I had been in it for 3 days. I think that's part of a road trip, though--wearing the same clothes all of the time. Don't you? .......did you hear that, Vicky? Everybody agrees with me.)

Tonight we are in another RV campground, but I don't like it as much as I did last night's. We are learning. Basically it is just an open field, although the shower is nicer than the one at last night's place. Last night's shower was in an unheated bathroom, so imagine taking a shower in a 37 degree room. Tonight's shower was in a room at least 10 degrees warmer than that. Wow. Comfort.

We are still getting about 10 miles to the gallon, which impresses me. I was expecting about 9 on good roads and 8 on hilly ones. I'm trying to ignore our carbon footprint.

Oh, and for all of you who still don't know this--Oregon still has that old law where you can't pump your own gas. A guy has to pump it for you. (no females allowed to do this, I guess, as we didn't see any, although I'm sure they could it just as well).










Vicky says that adding this is mean. I agree with her, which makes it more fun:

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