August 28
We got underway before the sun had gained the horizon, but the new day was already brightening. A little excitement was in the air today. After four weeks in the continental US we were due to bid farewell to the state of California for the last time and get on with exploring other states. We would still be in the same time zone a while longer, just not in California anymore. But first we had to see the Giant Coastal Redwoods that this area is so famous for. Ironically, we had to leave the Redwood Highway now to see the redwoods. We turned onto the "Avenue of the Giants" at Phillipsville, CA and drove through groves of true giants. The low morning sun could not penetrate the high canopy and densely set massive trunks of this grove.
We were in a sylvan tunnel too impressive for words. Razelle was duly awed by the majesty of these giants. We stopped at a parking lot that served as a trailhead for a hiking trail and had toilets with running water. A dog owner was walking his dog here and I can imagine that from a dog's perspective these superlative trees must be a wet dream come true. We also left a gift here. There were bins for recyclable containers at the edge of the parking lot. We deposited our recyclable cans and bottles here. There was an information board here also, explaining the history of how these groves had been saved from loggers by a handful of conscientious people. We were among the beneficiaries of their efforts.
I had arranged with Rob, a relative of mine who lives in Chico, CA, to meet him and his wife Donna, in Redding, CA. To get there involved driving along state route 299 through a breathtaking part of California I had not been to before -- the Trinity River, the Whiskeytown-Shasta National Recreation Area – highly recommended.
We reached Redding in time for lunch and just ahead of Rob, who we'd been in phone contact with at key points along our route so he'd know when to leave Chico. We ate at an IHOP. Because dietary laws are observed by all of us to the extent that we can keep them, IHOP worked for us under the circumstances. It was nice seeing Rob in person again after too many years to count, and to meet Donna for the first time. We all enjoyed each other's company and commented on how it was a shame we couldn't visit longer. We showed them the van they'd read so much about in our blog. It was hot in this parking lot, typical for this interior valley of California in August, so we didn't prolong our goodbyes too much. We parted company and drove onto Interstate 5. Only after we were about an hour up the road did I notice that I had left the carrying case for my GPS on the windowsill of the restaurant in Redding. That saddened me very much.
We were in a sylvan tunnel too impressive for words. Razelle was duly awed by the majesty of these giants. We stopped at a parking lot that served as a trailhead for a hiking trail and had toilets with running water. A dog owner was walking his dog here and I can imagine that from a dog's perspective these superlative trees must be a wet dream come true. We also left a gift here. There were bins for recyclable containers at the edge of the parking lot. We deposited our recyclable cans and bottles here. There was an information board here also, explaining the history of how these groves had been saved from loggers by a handful of conscientious people. We were among the beneficiaries of their efforts.
I had arranged with Rob, a relative of mine who lives in Chico, CA, to meet him and his wife Donna, in Redding, CA. To get there involved driving along state route 299 through a breathtaking part of California I had not been to before -- the Trinity River, the Whiskeytown-Shasta National Recreation Area – highly recommended.We reached Redding in time for lunch and just ahead of Rob, who we'd been in phone contact with at key points along our route so he'd know when to leave Chico. We ate at an IHOP. Because dietary laws are observed by all of us to the extent that we can keep them, IHOP worked for us under the circumstances. It was nice seeing Rob in person again after too many years to count, and to meet Donna for the first time. We all enjoyed each other's company and commented on how it was a shame we couldn't visit longer. We showed them the van they'd read so much about in our blog. It was hot in this parking lot, typical for this interior valley of California in August, so we didn't prolong our goodbyes too much. We parted company and drove onto Interstate 5. Only after we were about an hour up the road did I notice that I had left the carrying case for my GPS on the windowsill of the restaurant in Redding. That saddened me very much.
We counted down the last miles to the Oregon border then finally saw the sign announcing our entry into this new state. Oregon makes eight states visited so far on this trip (counting Hawaii). Each time we enter a new state we look around to see if there is a certain "look" about this state that distinguishes it from other states we have seen. Our first impression of Oregon is that there are lots of those trees they have on their license plates. Another distinction is that the Interstate here seems to be a lot steeper and "dangerously curvier" than similar sections of interstate highway we've travelled on in other states. Moreover, these steep sections and dangerous curves were coming at us while we negotiated heavy traffic and a low in-your-face sun. I was happy to be in Oregon, but it was a challenging place to be driving the van. The first rest stop we came to we took refuge in only long enough to use the facilities and gather up pamphlets that offered discounts on rooms along the way. We found a homeless man with a cardboard sign who had positioned himself strategically for donations. This made me uncomfortable and we didn't stay long here to relax.
Based on the dusk's degree of darkness and the motels mentioned in the pamphlets, Roseburg, OR was chosen to be our shelter for the night. We called ahead and reserved a room. We arrived in the dark. The remote control for the room's TV didn't work, which Razelle found annoying. The Asian immigrant proprietor (Razelle thought she might be Vietnamese) sent her reluctant son, then came herself to solve the problem by trying to reprogram the remote. She wasn't successful so she left the instruction sheet with me in hopes that I could do the reprogramming. I couldn't either.
My tooth has been bothering me for several days. This is the same tooth that underwent root canal in Singapore and the one I thought I might have to leave in San Francisco. The filling was starting to crumble and yet I felt no pain, but I did have a tender gum and jaw, and some swelling was starting. I was concerned about an infection that I didn't want to get out of control and become a serious health crisis; something I did NOT want to have happen during this trip. I slept fitfully dreaming about this.
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