Disclaimer: This blog entry wasn’t written until 15 years after the trip. It should be noted that it was a huge mistake to have not written it way back when. Sometimes, after writing so much about other days, it happens that at the time directly after the trip (or even during), I convince myself that the details are not that important. Years later, these details are that important, and pulling them out of foggy memories is difficult. The photos help and often leave clues, and then Caroline’s memories are usually far clearer than mine. With that said, here goes.

As often as we can, we’ll stop for animals and greet them. On occasion, they’ll come over to show their interest in us, too, and while we cannot judge their level of appreciation, I can say that we are always delighted.

Of course, we feel the same about stopping for trees, and like horses at fence lines, who wouldn’t love a forest of giants that are encroaching on the road?

The ghostly memory of my mother-in-law will forever be present with Caroline and me across America in all the places she visited with us and expressed her awe, even when she’s no longer in the picture.

I’ve written many words about these two women, but not one of them compares to what these smiles say.

Maybe with enough searching, we might one day find this old bleached-out tree trunk, but will it ever again look so captivating?

This was the color of May 2005; it was exquisite.

The goal for this leg of the trip was to bring Jutta out to Fern Canyon so she, too, could see something very few people will ever have the opportunity to see with their own eyes.

We were not going to leave Fern Canyon, right next to the beach, without Caroline and her mom dipping their toes in the water of the Pacific Ocean.

While the cheese factor is high with Paul Bunyan and Babe standing roadside for Trees Of Mystery, we’ll always find this worthy of some cheap entertainment. As for Jutta and her sense of it? She is German and sometimes a bit too pragmatic for such silliness.

The first-ever kiss I planted on my mother-in-law’s cheek. Hopefully, I never forget how sweet she thought that was.

One of the very few times outside of November that Caroline and I have visited the Oregon Coast. While it’s certainly beautiful, it’s easy enough to reach the northern coast of the western United States even in winter, and so when springtime rolls around, we typically opt to visit the places where heavy cold weather hampers our ease of getting there and exploring.

Looking back at these, I’m inclined to consider the idea that we should make an effort to visit every month of the year to properly decide which is the absolute best time to be here.

This is Face Rock in Bandon, but our destination is a little further north at Sunset Bay State Park near Charleston, as we are introducing Jutta to sleeping in a yurt.