This was the day we had been waiting for, the Avenue of the Giants, and it didn’t disappoint! It was all amazing, walking through the forest surrounded by those soaring trees, knowing they were hundreds of years old, the air was crisp and clear, the smell was so earthy and natural, all the senses were alive. It was a celebration of how lucky we were to be alive and in that moment.

Dad had reverted to being the Driver for the last couple of days so that D3 could enjoy the scenery, but today D3 and D2 were Driver and Navigator. I was happy to continue being Passenger.

It would have been east to miss the beauty at ground level with the grandeur above

The trip to our last stay grew misty and and eery, a fitting end to the day

How grateful I am that D3 suggested this wonderful trip and blessed to share it with some of my family. Tomorrow we are off to San Francisco and the hustle and bustle of city life, this has been a wonderful celebration of D3’s 30th Birthday and our beautiful natural world.

We started Day 4 with a walk to Mill Beach, it was fresh early morning and after a wander around Brookings, I’m not actually saying we were lost, we just had a good look at lots of streets, eventually found the most gorgeous beach. The black sand was different to our golden beaches, but it seemed to fit with the atmosphere.

It was so peaceful, we just sat in quiet for a while then D3 led us in some early morning stretches before heading back.

Our Airbnb was in a quiet street off the main highway which at 8:30 was very busy. D2 and D3 set off on foot to cross the highway and get fixin’s for breakfast (I’ve been here a few weeks now, beginning to get the lingo!) but couldn’t get across so were forced to drive!

It was a misty morning for our morning drive along the coast, wonderful scenery as usual.

Today we left Oregon for California. We planned on lunch at a Visitors Centre but there were no benches. I loved this hanging rock though.

Our next plan for lunch was a beach in a national reserve, after another wander through streets we hadn’t planned on looking at, we found the beach, and picnic benches, it was a beautiful beach, it was just a long, long way down from the picnic spot. D2 and D3 decided they would go down to the beach, Mum and Dad decided on staying in the sun at the top of the cliff!

It was a lovely day but we were happy to get to our Airbnb for the night, I’d been having quite a lengthy text conversation with our host about how happy he was we were staying in his place so I was quite looking forward to it. What a joy! I have never seen an Airbnb quite like it and I need to share some photos. Oh, before I  do let me tell you there were bowls of chocolates and a big welcoming package wrapped in cellophane and bows! Here some photos that show just a small selection of ornaments and hangings that adorned every wall! We were all truly amazed and impressed with the love that glowed from this house.

Tomorrow the day we have been waiting for, the Avenue of the Giants!

We had a two hour drive down the coast then inland along a gorgeous river to pick up D2 from Eugene who was flying in from LA.

Perfect timing to the minute, we drove into the airport as she walked out of the terminal! Back on the 101 the highway wound its way between amazing coastal views and the soaring redwood forests. We found a gorgeous spot on a lake for lunch and started learning about these magnificent trees in the Visitor’s Centre.

This was the most beautiful coastal drive, I even managed to unclench my fingers and take some photos!

 

 

These photos were taken around Gold Beach, maybe the skies are always like this, but I think it was because of nearby bushfires.

It was a long day, but unforgettable, the sky was still golden when we reached Brookings, our home for the night.

And I loved this sign spotted on a walk around town, look at it carefully, somehow they all sort of fit together!

 

Don’t you love it when you can tick off something from your bucket list? Well D3 can, the road trip down the west coast of USA from Astoria to San Francisco on Highway 101 was her 30th Birthday wish!  So it was pretty exciting to pick up the rental from downtown Portland and set off, despite the rain!

The first stop on the coast, Astoria, looked cute, we stopped and had late picnic lunch and decided to head on down to Cannon Beach.

So I had this idea that at Cannon Beach there would be a beachside street of motels and we could stop along the street and pop in and book a room! Wrong! First of all there is not really a beachside street, there were seemingly hundreds, if not thousands of apartments, but not a lot of place to park. And there were thousands of people! In the end we sat in a supermarket car park and found something online, Ecola Creek  Lodge, which turned out to be on the outskirts of town and just lovely. The woman on the desk was so enthusiastic about Cannon Beach and all it had to offer.

We spent an enjoyable evening at the Local pub, the Local seems to be a common name for a pub in Canada and US, and we enjoyed watching the local patrons cheering on the NFL Oregon Ducks on TV

Cannon Beach is very much a tourist town and the Main Street was full of knick knack shops and little alleys, but it is fun, the shops are great, not all the usual tourist souvenirs. We only had a few hours to drive today so had a great time wandering up and down the streets.

Our favourite shop was the Christmas shop

This is not the best of photos but I totally agree!

Had to take this photo!

Reluctantly we headed off, with a stop just out of town to sit on the beach, people and dog watch and admire Haystack Rock. Oregon has passed legislation preserving sovereignty over the beaches for the use of the public. The beach was quite crowded but there were lots of dogs, all behaving themselves. So cute!

 

 

This was in the restroom of the Local, I loved it, sorry about the globe reflections!

I loved it when we got back into the road through the forest, when I could uncurl my toes, unclench my jaws and give my palms a rest from my fingernails digging into them!

At last, time to relax on our beachside balcony

Beautiful sunset

 

and sunrise