We are packed up, checked out, and moving down the road before first light. Our destination today is relatively unknown and depends on various factors regarding fatigue, dinner desires, and how much of the remainder of the drive we want to finish tomorrow before returning to Phoenix, Arizona. Regardless of how much ground is ultimately covered we still had to take time to stand before the ocean as we bid Oregon adieu.

Hello California, thanks for this our last stop to breathe in the ocean air before we take aim for the long haul through the center of the state. Luck would have it that we made it most of the way on the winding 101 through Northern California without rain, but not all the way. As we drove between Oakland and Berkeley on our way to the incredibly boring Interstate 5, we had mostly good weather, but by the time we were about halfway through the state the rain started and never stopped before we did. Options for our overnight were either Bakersfield at 654 miles for the day or Covina at 770 miles. Considering that we once had driven 917 miles in a day from Redding, California, back to Phoenix, Arizona, I thought I could easily nail this “short” drive. With the hammering rain up the Grapevine (for those of you who know this road) and our rental car barely able to maintain 60 mph, I was wasted and near worthless as we plodded over those mountains. Turns out that whoever that was 20 years ago who told me that as I age, I’ll likely lose the ability for such lengthy drives as the body and mind suffer even though the spirit may be willing was absolutely right.

I knew well before we started to approach the greater Los Angeles area that I was nearing exhaustion, but my heart was set on dinner at my old fav The Northwoods Inn. My mind was also telling me that if we could make that side of L.A., we’d only have about 370 miles left to finish the next day. And so it was that another beautiful Thanksgiving trip to Oregon comes to a close, and still, we can dream about our next encounter with the rugged coastline we have fallen in love with.