We had a very full day so I broke down the second day into two parts. Part of our trip was going to Gold Beach Oregon. I went a couple years ago and it was so beautiful I wanted to share it with my daughter. Now mind you we had maps from Map Quest for the whole trip but I made Jess my navigator so I left it up to her. The way map quest had us go was through 299 which dipped way down into California then up the coast to Oregon but Jess studied the map and decided we could just go 140 West which was a straight shot. As we got on the road nothing but mountains were before us. We had already had a hard trip down a mountain with a 9% grade which Jess was not at all impressed but we thought this was a fast and safe route so 140 West it was. We got stuck in Klamath Falls for an hour and after asking 5 gas stations for directions we finally got on our way. I can't begin to tell you how beautiful Oregon is and I plan on moving there as soon as I can. In the meantime we had a run in with some die hard golfers. I had no idea golfers could get so cut throat and I am married to one but these people where unbelievable. After they rode our ass I finally let them by and we had to snap a picture for the memories.
I mean I have never seen such serious golfers and they drove like James Bond. They brought their own golf cart for the love of God. These grey hairs were on a serious mission!!!
Okay so we get on I-5 for just a bit then we got off on a road that had no name on the map. It was a little grey line on the map but led right to Gold Beach. We found the road and it said Gold Beach was only 69 miles away. Meanwhile Jessie was reading me Twilight by Stephanie Meyers. It started so niche but then I began to notice the two lane highway was really one lane that was going straight up and the road was really curving and I was heading straight up. Jessie was happily reading away and I quickly realized this was going to get very ugly. We were heading straight up with no guard rails and sometimes the two lane highway that was really only one lane was shrinking. Parts of the road had started to sink down the mountain and I realized were now heading above the clouds. In the meantime there were speeding Suburbans towing 6 boats that barreled around the corners that I had begun to take at 10-15 miles an hour. There were no guard rails and the one time I looked over I got vertigo. It was one of those things that if I flew off the side of the mountain I would have 10 minutes to think about how I was going to die I was so high up. Well unfortunately we ran over an area that was on a curve that had had a mud slide. As gingerly as I traipsed over it Jessie's head popped up and that was the end of my reading. She was aghast and pissed to say the least. For the rest of the journey her eyes were glued to the road with colorful metaphors pouring forth unchecked from her mouth. I could even hear her finger nails digging into the dash board. I think the imprints will be on my car forever. In short a 69 mile ride took us over two hours and it was approaching dark. We finally made it and all we could think of to do was to get a hotel and find some alcohol. We checked into this great room that had a veranda facing the ocean and the marine layer (mist) was covering the town. It was breath taking.
The room was heaven. We could sit on the veranda and hear the surf pounding. I felt I was home and I felt such a sense of peace.
But dinner....We decided a place we could walk to would be wise. My fingers were still curled as if gripping the steering wheel. The hotel lady said the road was called Bear Camp Road and that a family had died on it last year....nice.
So we walk to Spinners and order appetizers that were to DIE for, especially the freshly caught crab that day (Jessie's favorite....We don't get fresh seafood in Utah). She ordered two watermelon martinis and I ordered what they call Flirtini's which consist of vodka, pineapple juice and champagne. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. Then we limped our way back to the hotel and sat outside just listening to the surf. Despite the stress and sheer terror of the day I don't believe I felt that at peace and at ease since I was a child. Whenever I'm with Jess I just laugh. That girl who is so precious and beautiful to me can make me laugh like only my dear friend from Greece, Beth, could. I never wanted to leave. In fact the next morning I got up at 4 and just sat outside and listened to the surf and watch the sun try to pry through the mist that was much to think to penetrate. I was in heaven. So as can see we had a long and eventful and absolutely precious day that will forever be etched in my memory.
"Love is critical...and remember, when anyone gives love to another, happiness emerges from their mind, and they then are the biggest beneficiaries."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
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