Northwest Day 2: Into Oregon

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Odometer 325

We woke to fine weather: the rain stopped in the middle of the night and the sun was out. We cooked scrambled eggs and cheese in Ziploc bags in boiling water, a trick Celeste learned in Girl Scouts. It worked out really well and cleanup was simple. After packing everything up, we took some time to hike around the campground and to visit the small visitor center, finally getting on the road about 11 am. We drove just north of Eureka, around Humboldt State University and had an excellent lunch at Crush, a small restaurant in Arcata specializing in tapas.

Celeste with Rex at Prehistoric Gardens

Continuing north on 101, we passed many classic tourist “attractions” offering drive-through redwood trees, Trees of Mystery, and opportunities to learn about Bigfoot. We were planning to camp at Honeyman State Park near Florence, Oregon, but it was clear that would be ambitious due to our late departure. What’s more, I checked the weather forecast and rain was predicted for the next morning. The prospect of packing up our campsite in the rain didn’t appeal to us, so we opted instead for a hotel in Coos Bay, Oregon. This gave us enough time to stop at the one attraction we did want to see, Prehistoric Gardens. Kenna had visited there as a youth, and wanted to see it again. Though it consisted mostly of concrete sculptures of dinosaurs in a nicely landscaped garden with educational signs, it was a fun visit.

After checking in at the hotel in Coos Bay, we found a pleasant seafood restaurant, SharkBites, with excellent fish and chips.

Mileage today: 264 miles

This article is part of a series about our recent driving vacation to the Pacific Northwest. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.