28. June 2009 by Matt.

Oregon and Washington

Into the Great North West

                After a couple of great days in northern California and the Redwood Forest we pack up and head off to Oregon and Washington. Heading up the 101 along the tree covered coast line then up along the 199 through “Jedediah Smith” State Park was both hair raising and breath taking at the same time. Imagine we were traveling up the side of a hillside with sheer drops of hundreds of feet at least and we run smack into a construction area. Our already skinny road is now only just barely one lane with construction trucks all over the place. That’s one lane for both north and south bound traffic. So now we’re stopped on the side of this hill waiting for our guide car to get us going with a cliff on one side and huge construction trucks crowded up next to us working on the lanes they are repairing. We finally get going and wouldn’t you know it we head off the road and onto the slippery dirt next to the road. Oh did I mention that the grade of incline there was about six to seven percent. About now I’m wishing I had a jeep not a Ford Taurus.   

                Just past that point the road turns inward away from the coast and the view is unbelievable. Of course we have to climb from about two thousand feet to about six thousand feet in a very short time but with the trees crowding up close to the road  the ascent isn’t all that bad at all. Turning a corner and crossing a bridge we can see the summit. I am so awestruck by I almost drive right off the road. The sun is coming over the horizon and a light fog is just touching the tops of the mountains. Almost as if a cloud has brushed ever so slightly across it. the rainbow it created right in front of me was the most vibrant I have ever seen. I was so close to this rainbow I was certain I could reach out and touch it. I turned to Phillip to ask him if he saw the rainbow also and I realized all the kids were sound asleep. Oh well, nothing to do but continue on. We traveled on from there winding back and forth and up and down through those beautiful hills for quite a few hours eventually ending up at Grants pass. From there we hit the five north and we didn’t stop until we got to Woodburn, Oregon. After staying in Woodburn for a night we headed off toward Tacoma Washington.

                The trip to Tacoma was rather un-eventful. It’s a  good thing too. I’m not sure we needed any more excitement at the moment. Tacoma is a very nice, if not a bit old, town. The people there where cordial and caring. Everyone we encountered had a smile for us and you know how sometimes it just feels right? Well this felt right for all of us. Of course living in the Tacoma area was out of the question as the housing costs are just out of this world. I do have to say though, if I could I would move somewhere near there in a heartbeat. The next morning I left the boys at the hotel and Elizabeth and I  headed up past Seattle to look at a potential business venture. It didn’t pan out but I didn’t have very high expectations for it in the first place. After reviewing the business venture Elizabeth and I decided to stop for lunch before we headed back to the hotel and got ready to continue our trip. It was during our lunch that I received news that changed our trip plans drastically.

                While waiting in line to order our lunch I received a call from the kids Uncle Woody (My brother-in law) to tell me that his mother (my Mother-in-Law,) Beth had passed away suddenly in the night. Well to say the least this came as a shock to me and the kids. After discussing it in length with the kids we decided it would be best if we started heading back down the coast instead of heading off to the east. But that’s another story.

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Matt….

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