Travels With Caroline – Part 2

Leaving Portland behind, we headed to the Columbia River Gorge.  About an hours drive on I-85.  We went first to the Bridal Veil Falls. It was overcast and misting rain, great day for a walk on the trails. Below is a view of the Columbia River from the trail at Bridal Veil Falls.

The Bridal Veil Falls:

 

There has been an unusual amount of rainfall in the Pacific Northwest this winter, and the falls were flowing mightily.  Below is Bridal Veil Falls as J. M. W. Turner might have imagined approaching it along the trail:

 

Multinomah Falls is more spectacular, as one would immediately note from the crowds there and not at Bridal Veil.  It was misting and there was a fog as you can see at the top of the Falls.

 

We ate lunch at the Multinomah Falls Lodge (which was a good choice) and then headed back past Portland to the Oregon Coast.  Our first turnout on Hwy. 101:

 

As one can see from the brilliant photography, the Oregon coastline is dramatic and beautiful.

 

We spent the night in Newport, Oregon, a charming little town with an attractive harbor.  It was an overcast evening with showers spitting at times.

 

The weather got worse as we drove south along the Oregon coast.  You can easily see the conditions from the following shots:

 

Quite a storm had blown through Newport during the night and early morning, and little did we know at the time the effect it would have on our plans for that day.  Sitting at lunch in Coos Bay (at Sharkbites Restaurant, not recommended) I received a call from the Holiday Inn Express in Klamath where we were to spend that night. The coastal storm had knocked out power in the area, and the young lady suggested we stay at the next Holiday Inn in Eureka.  That would make what was already going to be a long coastal drive an hour and half longer. So, we trucked on.  Caroline did most of the driving through the bad weather, rain and high winds that morning..  

Crossing the California line, we were soon in the redwood forests. The only word to describe the redwoods is magnificent.  Redwoods can grow to 300 feet or more, and can live over 2,000 years.  The oldest know living coastal redwood is over 2,200 years old.  Most of the redwoods we see are 50-150 years old, and can grow to 100 feet in their first 50 years. Writing this blog entry the day before Easter, I am reminded that the oldest living redwood was probably over 100 feet tall when Christ was on earth. 

We spent the night in Eureka, California and continued south early the next morning.  We intended to turn off of Hwy. 101 onto coastal California Hwy. 1 ay Leggett, Ca. Arriving at the intersection the road was closed.  There is a redwood tree attraction in Leggett on Hwy. 101, and paying for the entry fee, the attendant , who works for Catrans during the week, explained that there were two major landslides a week apart that completely blocked the road.  Sp we too a small detour.  First, a drive through redwood.

 

The weather finally cleared as we drove south toward our next stop at Mendocino, Ca.  But that’s another story.