Just got back from a whirlwind trip up to Oregon for some much needed battery recharging. What a delightful trip! I only wish we were able to stay longer, like say 20 years or so…
Getting out of town (SF Bay Area) was a disaster. Traffic was so bad it was unbelievable. And that was BEFORE we hit the hour delay at the Richmond Bridge, where some super-genius motorist tried playing tag with a motorcycle. Yeah, not a great plan. Mechanical carnage but no meat-wagon, so I can only assume the rider was OK, but geez… How you can cause an accident that bad while slowing down to go through the toll booth is beyond me. Some people’s stupidity knows no bounds, I suppose.
The drive up took us a tad over 11 hours (with a couple pit stops) which is way too much driving for a weekend trip, but once we arrived, it somehow all seemed worth it.
Our home-base for the weekend was in Gold Beach – the TuTu’Tun Lodge – which is simply phenomenal. This was our 3rd stay with them, and it most certainly won’t be our last.
We spent a lot of time cruising around, exploring the general area between Brookings and Bandon, and had a really nice relaxing time.
Bandon was a place I’ve wanted to visit for years, but this was the first time we made it that far north. And we LOVED it. Seriously, I’d move there tomorrow if given the chance. Beautiful place, friendly people, just a great, laid back atmosphere.
Another exceptional find was the “Semi-Aquatic Gallery” in Brookings. We found about 30 pieces of art we would have been thrilled to leave with, but whittled it down to two prints – one for home and one for the Mrs.’ Classroom. And a couple postcards and a very cool t-shirt to boot. Gotta support the Arts, people!!
The trip came to an end much too soon, and we were back on the road about 10:45am Sunday. The ride was mellow and easy going for the first 7 hours, but once we hit Santa Rosa there was no question we were back in the muck of the Bay Area. By the time we hit the Richmond Bridge, it was a traffic nightmare once again and I found myself asking the Mrs. “what on earth are we doing coming back here?” It seemed like a horrible mistake. We finally rolled into home about 9:30pm., unpacked and hit the sheets due to an early wake-up for work today.
All in all, it was a great weekend, traffic aside. Very relaxing and somewhat “intoxicating” – I am completely, unabashedly in love with the Oregon Coast. It has literally everything I love – ocean beaches, rivers, dense forests and farmlands. I cannot imagine a better combination!
The trick now is figuring out how to make the place “home” rather than a getaway!
Thank you Oregon and all you fantastic Oregonians we met along the way! We had a blast and can’t wait to get back!
Thanks for stopping by!
The Boring Old Man 