6/22

When a trip is well researched, it usually produces more predictable outcome.  This trip is different than my usual well-planned trips. I planned this road trip to be a more spontaneous one. I know where I want to be at the end of each night but I don’t plan out the daily schedule. I want the day to unfold on its own; unplanned and spontaneous.

We started on Hwy 101 in the morning and decided to cut across to Hwy 1 using Hwy128. We didn’t have GPS with us. I personally think it’s charming to use road map instead of GPS on a road trip. Based on the road map, Hwy128 seemed like a fairly traightforward road and we would reach Hwy 1 in no time.

The first fifteen minutes were scenic with wineries dotting the landscape on both sides of the road. I was bubbly with lots of eees, woos, wows and hahas. Then, majestic redwoods sprung out of the ground and shot 100 feet above the ground to greet us. It is quite a bit different than the 6 feet tall corn crop fields.

The road started to get winding. There was sharp corner turn every 5 meters. Karan was having fun driving on this roller coaster road, but after 1001th turn, I started to wonder when was this joy ride going to end? We haven’t even reached the Pacific Highway.

My stomach started to turn with each turn. I tried to focus on the landscape instead of my dizziness. My friend gave me a nickname of “Dizzy”, so you should know that car sickness is my weakness. I actually felt pretty proud that I haven’t thrown up after God knows how many hours on Hwy128. Finally, before merging onto Hwy1, I couldn’t help it but offered my digested lunch to the Redwood Gods.

Hwy 1 was pretty winding as well. However, the beauty of the coastline helped me to feel a little better. We stopped to appreciate the ocean a few times.

The coastline was truly beautiful. Too bad that once I felt dizzy, there was no way to “undizzy”. 🙁 I tried my best to enjoy the view since I don’t get to see this view every day! It was really worth the dizziness. 🙂

By the time I reached Eureka, I have thrown up everything in my stomach. I actually felt much better.

We stopped by a cafe to have some vegetable soup. Looking at the road map, Karan had an idea, “why don’t we cut across using Hwy 299 to get to Hwy 5?”

With a little more experience reading the map now, I told him I doubted that Hwy299 would be less winding than Hwy101 since there are mountains between Hwy 101 and Hwy 5.

A diner on the next table overheard us and offered his advice, “If you drive like a maniac, it would still take you two and half hours to reach Hwy 5 using Hwy299. There are more deaths on Hwy299 than any other highways.”

Oh boy, we immediately abandoned the idea of getting onto Hwy299.

After the meal, I felt a little better and took over the wheel.

I had to make a stop at Arcata since it’s my friend Sarah’s birth place. To my surprise, Arcata is so different than Eureka. Arcata has a Fairfield vibe to it and Eureka is more like Ottumwa. Too bad I couldn’t stop by longer to appreciate Arcata since I had to rush to Ashland before it get dark.

I spent the next three hours driving and my dizziness was melting away by the minute. Hurray. I don’t want to be shameless, but I am a tough cookie!!

Another 100 wows came out of my mouth when I passed by Smith River area. The sun casted a golden glow on the mountain, it was so serene. This is what road trip is about, to see, to feel and to experience.

Oh, I saw the first elk in my life too!

We reached Ashland, Oregon at around 10:30pm. Phew! What a drive, what a day. 🙂

Off to bed now. Tomorrow I’ll wake up fresh and ready for another day of adventure.