Mount Shasta, CA

Mount Shasta is another gorgeous mountain!  When I arrived, it was blanketed in clouds and snow. I took a few photos knowing I had to wait and capture a better one. I pulled over at a scenic area and silently waited for the clouds to lift. I waited....and waited...and spent some time dwelling on the past weeks as I drove from one state to another exploring everything I could.

It had been such a grand adventure full of lessons that would impact me in ways I never imagined. I listened to the radio, and I waited. I took more photos, but the snow and clouds were still in the way. I drove further down the road and waited some more, and as the sun shone brighter on the mountain top, I realized the full impact of this trip - of all I had seen. I rested my chin on the car window and let the breeze hit my face as I looked up at the mountain smiling at the memories created in the past 14 days. I smiled almost constantly on this trip.

Good things come to those who wait. Finally, I got the best photo possible on that day.
(click on photos to enlarge)

http://mtshastachamber.com/index.php

Day 10: A Day at Chevron: Car Problems on the Coast

Day one without a car was a grand adventure and I welcomed it without any hesitation, anger, or self pity by exploring everything within a five mile radius. Day two, I started out cheerful and eager to embrace whatever came my way, regardless of lost time or cost. After spending seven hours at the gas station only to find the car problem would require more parts and another over-night stay, my cheerfulness subsided slightly. 

The people who worked on my car were honest, trustworthy, kind beyond belief, and fun to be around; however, I could not light a fire to get them moving. Seems they work at a different pace here. The station was owned by an elderly couple and their adult son. They drove me back to my hotel, gave me some history on the town of Gold Beach, helped me unload my luggage in my room, took me to a nearby restaurant for dinner, and made sure I was taken care of. Fast-paced America has lost this simple generosity and compassion for our fellow man. 

It rained all day so my photo opportunities were limited to inside the gas station. Ah! The importance of a sense of humor during frustrating moments. I laughed so much on this day thanks to my lifelong friend Nancee and Smiley.

New Tires!

Day 9: Dad's Fear = My Opportunity for Adventure

When I began this trip, my dad's greatest fear was that my car would break down and leave me stranded somewhere. It did! But the blessing is that my car held up long enough so I could limp into Gold Beach on the Oregon coast. Because this happened on a Sunday, no one was available to make repairs. I had to wait until Monday, which meant I was stranded in an awesome beachfront hotel, with fantastic seaside restaurants, the boat docks, piles of drift wood on a dark sandy beach, a river adorned with a beautiful bridge, and other places just waiting to be explored. I spent the day wandering up and down the beach, took a nap, and made a new friend; a fat seal who barked at me until I went to see him, and then allowed me to get close and photograph him.

http://www.goldbeach.org/

Coastal Forests

Few things left me completely awestruck on this trip as did the forests - especially the Redwood Forest. It simply astounds me! I do not understand why these trees are so massive compared to normal trees, and I found myself driving and wanting to do some research to find out if there is any other place on this planet that produces trees this size, and why they grow so large. Standing alone in the Redwood Forest is as humbling as standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon. I am so small in this universe.

No picture does them justice, so when you get a chance, go see them in person and make sure you get there on a bright sunny day in the middle of the day. With cloud coverage or a setting sun, you would be left a blanket of blackness. It can be overwhelmingly shocking how massive and overpowering these treees are when they block out the sun so well.

Driving-

Normal forest

Giant
Forest

Small redwood tree beside a large normal tree.

Cut out door is 6 feet tall, four feet wide.

Wood warts

...and a river runs through it.

http://www.nps.gov/redw/index.htm

San Francisco

Thanks to my high school friend Steven Estrella for being the great tour guide and host. He knew all the short cuts to the best places.

http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/