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/