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Unfortunately, there was a blackout at 7 in the morning. Turns out it'd been a scheduled one, but that, since the last several announced blackouts had failed to actually occur, the owners hadn't expected this one to, either. So my CPAP shut off, waking me up. And breakfast was cooked (fortunately they had a gas burner) by candlelight. The inn had an emergency generator, but it wasn't enough for full power and had to be restarted several times.
Had a nice conversation with my tablemates while we waited for food to be prepared, about politics and Harry Potter and a bunch of other random things. The inn's owner whipped up french toast and scrambled eggs and I forget what else, cooked to order, doing what he could with whatever worked in the kitchen. He was working pretty furiously back there, and it took him a while to fill the orders, but, as far as I'm concerned, the results were well worth it.
After I'd eaten, power had been restored, and things had settled down at least a little, I stepped over to get a picture of him in the kitchen:
Also got a picture of the front of the inn:
And the view across the street to what there is of the town of Myers Flat ("sneeze and you'll miss it," as the hostess said):
The hostess loves to give talks about the area and what there is to see. Unfortunately, I had a long drive ahead of me and couldn't afford to spend the time. She was disappointed, but her husband gently reminded her that I did need to go. And I caught part of the talk on my way out. Husband asked about my bags, but I'd already gotten them downstairs and into the car, using the back stairs (which led almost directly out from my room, which was at the end of the hall). He was all set to help me, even seemed a little disappointed that I'd already done it myself, but I told him he'd clearly had enough on his hands with breakfast and the blackout. He smiled and thanked me, admitting that things had been pretty hectic. Said a quick goodbye and then hurried back to the kitchen for more work.
I headed back to the road, driving through the very scenic and peaceful redwood forest. Stopped off at Prairie Creek State Park. Outside the visitor's center, there was a wooden sign attached to the side of the building just to the right of the door. At the top there was a little bird's nest. I managed to snap off a shot just as the mother flew in to feed one of the chicks:
At the advice of the very helpful woman in the visitor's center, I drove a couple of miles down the road to stop at the Big Tree and walk the shorter pathway that looped through a section of the forest. It was breathtakingly beautiful. (And, in parts, reminded me of Endor. Probably not that big a coincidence. Those scenes were surely shot somewhere amongst California's redwoods.) Check out the day's pics (linked at the top of this entry) to see for yourself. Included are two short videos - one of the drive through part of the forest, the other of the Big Tree.
Back on the road, I followed 101 up the coast before cutting back to I-5 via 199 (a little south of the Oregon border). I was sorry to miss the Oregon coastline, which more than one person had told me was even more beautiful than California's, but I didn't have the time. I was due to stay over in Portland, which was still several hundred miles away. (Google maps says about 460 from Myers Flat to the suburb where I stayed.)
Along the way, I passed a sign marking the 45th Parallel - halfway between the equator and the north pole.
I also heard an old song that's long confused me. She's A Beauty, by The Tubes. The song itself doesn't confuse me. It's pretty clear what it's about. Which is exactly why I'm always confused about why it gets as much radio airtime as it does. Maybe I'm just too much of a prude.
Other thing I noticed on the highway. Very odd, and somewhat frustrating (though I tried not to let it get to me too much and to keep a sense of humor about it)... I'm driving along the highway with two lanes going in each direction. I'm going at a good clip - speeding a little, but not by more than about 5mph. In the right lane, there's a truck that's going along somewhat under the speed limit. Behind the truck is a car or small truck. I can see them from a mile off. Possibly more. There's no one in the left lane as far as I can see in front of me, and no one in the left lane for at least a mile behind me. This happened at least five times that day, and several times a day on subsequent days. In every single case... Just as I catch up with the two vehicles in the right lane, the driver of the car (perhaps inspired by my example) suddenly decides that he'd like to pass the slow(ish) truck in front of him. Shifts lanes right in front of me with about a second to spare, going 5 or 10 mph slower than I've been going... just fast enough to very gradually pass the truck (after which he shifts back into the right lane and proceeds along just slightly faster than the truck). Every single time. Could have easily done it with time to spare when I first spotted him. Could have done it just as well just after I passed. But no. Every single time, he decides that the perfect time to edge past the truck he's been following for miles is just before I get there. *shakes head*
Two other things of note about driving in Oregon...
First, all gas is full serve. Just like NJ... and *checks* yep... no other state in the country. I discovered this when I stopped off for gas (naturally). Took a while getting my stuff together - getting my shoes back on, digging my wallet out, etc - and then opened the door to the sound of a cheerful "Hello!" Jumped in my seat and whipped my head around to find a boy in his mid-to-late teens waiting patiently right next to the door. I think he was sort of used to it. And also used to people like me who forget to actually pop the cover on the gas cap. (Though in my defense the car I usually drive automatically unlocks the gas cap when you unlock the doors - a strange and somewhat unsettling mechanism when I first encountered it, but now one that I'm thoroughly accustomed to.)
Other thing is speedometer check areas. I don't think they have those in the northeast. Basically, it's a measured mile (which we do have), but there are signs beforehand which tell you it's coming up and how long it should take you to go that mile at speed limit. Kind of interesting, though I'm not sure how often people actually make use of it, especially since it involves timing your drive to the second. (Not to mention holding to speed limit on a nice big open stretch of interstate highway.)
Anyway, that's about it for the day. I'll spare you the bit about the front desk worker I didn't really get along with (I think she was having a stressful day) and just move along to the next day.
Had a nice conversation with my tablemates while we waited for food to be prepared, about politics and Harry Potter and a bunch of other random things. The inn's owner whipped up french toast and scrambled eggs and I forget what else, cooked to order, doing what he could with whatever worked in the kitchen. He was working pretty furiously back there, and it took him a while to fill the orders, but, as far as I'm concerned, the results were well worth it.
After I'd eaten, power had been restored, and things had settled down at least a little, I stepped over to get a picture of him in the kitchen:
Also got a picture of the front of the inn:
And the view across the street to what there is of the town of Myers Flat ("sneeze and you'll miss it," as the hostess said):
The hostess loves to give talks about the area and what there is to see. Unfortunately, I had a long drive ahead of me and couldn't afford to spend the time. She was disappointed, but her husband gently reminded her that I did need to go. And I caught part of the talk on my way out. Husband asked about my bags, but I'd already gotten them downstairs and into the car, using the back stairs (which led almost directly out from my room, which was at the end of the hall). He was all set to help me, even seemed a little disappointed that I'd already done it myself, but I told him he'd clearly had enough on his hands with breakfast and the blackout. He smiled and thanked me, admitting that things had been pretty hectic. Said a quick goodbye and then hurried back to the kitchen for more work.
I headed back to the road, driving through the very scenic and peaceful redwood forest. Stopped off at Prairie Creek State Park. Outside the visitor's center, there was a wooden sign attached to the side of the building just to the right of the door. At the top there was a little bird's nest. I managed to snap off a shot just as the mother flew in to feed one of the chicks:
At the advice of the very helpful woman in the visitor's center, I drove a couple of miles down the road to stop at the Big Tree and walk the shorter pathway that looped through a section of the forest. It was breathtakingly beautiful. (And, in parts, reminded me of Endor. Probably not that big a coincidence. Those scenes were surely shot somewhere amongst California's redwoods.) Check out the day's pics (linked at the top of this entry) to see for yourself. Included are two short videos - one of the drive through part of the forest, the other of the Big Tree.
Back on the road, I followed 101 up the coast before cutting back to I-5 via 199 (a little south of the Oregon border). I was sorry to miss the Oregon coastline, which more than one person had told me was even more beautiful than California's, but I didn't have the time. I was due to stay over in Portland, which was still several hundred miles away. (Google maps says about 460 from Myers Flat to the suburb where I stayed.)
Along the way, I passed a sign marking the 45th Parallel - halfway between the equator and the north pole.
I also heard an old song that's long confused me. She's A Beauty, by The Tubes. The song itself doesn't confuse me. It's pretty clear what it's about. Which is exactly why I'm always confused about why it gets as much radio airtime as it does. Maybe I'm just too much of a prude.
Other thing I noticed on the highway. Very odd, and somewhat frustrating (though I tried not to let it get to me too much and to keep a sense of humor about it)... I'm driving along the highway with two lanes going in each direction. I'm going at a good clip - speeding a little, but not by more than about 5mph. In the right lane, there's a truck that's going along somewhat under the speed limit. Behind the truck is a car or small truck. I can see them from a mile off. Possibly more. There's no one in the left lane as far as I can see in front of me, and no one in the left lane for at least a mile behind me. This happened at least five times that day, and several times a day on subsequent days. In every single case... Just as I catch up with the two vehicles in the right lane, the driver of the car (perhaps inspired by my example) suddenly decides that he'd like to pass the slow(ish) truck in front of him. Shifts lanes right in front of me with about a second to spare, going 5 or 10 mph slower than I've been going... just fast enough to very gradually pass the truck (after which he shifts back into the right lane and proceeds along just slightly faster than the truck). Every single time. Could have easily done it with time to spare when I first spotted him. Could have done it just as well just after I passed. But no. Every single time, he decides that the perfect time to edge past the truck he's been following for miles is just before I get there. *shakes head*
Two other things of note about driving in Oregon...
First, all gas is full serve. Just like NJ... and *checks* yep... no other state in the country. I discovered this when I stopped off for gas (naturally). Took a while getting my stuff together - getting my shoes back on, digging my wallet out, etc - and then opened the door to the sound of a cheerful "Hello!" Jumped in my seat and whipped my head around to find a boy in his mid-to-late teens waiting patiently right next to the door. I think he was sort of used to it. And also used to people like me who forget to actually pop the cover on the gas cap. (Though in my defense the car I usually drive automatically unlocks the gas cap when you unlock the doors - a strange and somewhat unsettling mechanism when I first encountered it, but now one that I'm thoroughly accustomed to.)
Other thing is speedometer check areas. I don't think they have those in the northeast. Basically, it's a measured mile (which we do have), but there are signs beforehand which tell you it's coming up and how long it should take you to go that mile at speed limit. Kind of interesting, though I'm not sure how often people actually make use of it, especially since it involves timing your drive to the second. (Not to mention holding to speed limit on a nice big open stretch of interstate highway.)
Anyway, that's about it for the day. I'll spare you the bit about the front desk worker I didn't really get along with (I think she was having a stressful day) and just move along to the next day.
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