Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Our Roadtrip from Phoenix to Portland - Part 1

Hi there!

A few weeks ago, Michael and I took a road trip from Phoenix, AZ to Portland, OR, and it was one of the best weeks of my life! We did so many fun things, and saw so so many beautiful sights. It is a week I will always remember and cherish!

To help me remember ;) I wanted to share some highlights from our trip on my blog!

Day 1

The first day of our trip had a late start, as I went to work in the morning. I got home around noon, and we took off to Santa Barbara, CA! We didn’t have very much time for stops along the way, but we managed to catch a beautiful sunset while passing through Ventura!
 

In Santa Barbara, we stayed with my best friend’s grandma, Kathy! Kathy was so sweet and generous to let Michael and I crash at her house for the night. She also had a friend visiting for the night, and the four of us ate Chinese food and watched America’s Got Talent. We wanted to rest up for a long day of driving the next day, so this mellow evening was just what we needed!

Day 2

The next day, we woke up bright and early because we wanted to make it to our campsite in Trinidad by night fall (about 12 hours away). Once again, we didn’t have much time to stop along the way, but we did stop in San Francisco for lunch and I had THE yummiest pesto chicken sandwich at Mission Picnic. Oh man, their pesto is so good!



We made it to Elk County Campground in Trinidad, CA, after the office had closed, but luckily management left a folder out for us with a receipt and a campsite number. We set up our tent and squeezed in a quick walk before it became completely dark out. It wasn’t until the following morning that we were able to see what a big, beautiful campsite we were really in! 

Day 3

The next morning, we explored around the campsite a little bit. The surrounding forest was so lush and green, especially to this Phoenix girl’s eyeballs! We even found a pond! It was so nice to spend a morning walking around after being cooped up in a car for 2 days. :)
 



After our mini-adventure,  we were headed to our next destination but  agreed to pull over and stop whenever we wanted to check something out. Our first stop was at Agate Beach. It was super chilly and foggy, but we didn’t mind because we were just so excited to see the coast! :) There were also a couple of teepee’s out on the beach, so of course I had to go sit in them to truly get the full experience. :P


We weren’t there very long before we were back in the car for the most surreal, beautiful drive of our lives – through the Redwood National Forest! I can’t even put into words how insanely gorgeous the Redwood Forest is. We had planned to drive through it, but had no idea what was in store for us. I am so very thankful that on this particular day of driving, we were not in a rush and had the time to pull off at random spots and hike through the magnificent trees. Although unplanned, these spontaneous mini-hikes became one of our favorite parts of the entire trip.

The height of the trees is so overwhelmingly tall. It makes you feel tiny and insignificant in comparison, like a little ant standing next to a man. The width of the trees is also incredible. How can a trunk grow so thick?? Some trunks would look like a combination of three or four trees that were combined into one. Then you look at the color of the trees – vibrant green. The leaves, the moss, the grass at the base of the trunks. The most beautiful shade of green I have ever seen. I felt like I was on a movie set, and my character was a nymph that lived in a magical forest. My pictures from Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park don’t do it justice, but here they are.








We eventually made our way into Crescent City, where we stopped for lunch and visited Battery Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse was closed to visitors for the day, but we still had a good time checking it out from the outside (again, we just really like being near the water!)



 I was really infatuated with these hanging bottles at the Lighthouse haha


By the end of the day, we made it to Lincoln City, OR! I was so excited to finally be able to say "We're in Oregon!" :) Lincoln City is a little town right off the West Coast, and it was chilly and beautiful. We wanted to grab a bite to eat, and there was a "Humble Pie" near our hotel. We thought it would be like the "Humble Pie" that we have back home, but no, this is definitely not apart of that chain. :) The walls were bright yellow, and covered in writing with Sharpie markers. The employees were wearing tie dye, and had great customer service. We ordered right when they were about to close, but they were so friendly about it and were joking with each other while we waited for our food to cook. We carried our pizza back up to our hotel room, where we ate dinner while watching the sun set.

Eating pizza from my hotel bed with this view? This is what dreams are made of!

We went to bed pretty early that night, to rest up for our first full day in Portland!

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