"World's largest metal sculpture"

We haven't yet seen the world's largest ball of yarn, but the roadside sign claims that this is the world's tallest metal sculpture.  It's pretty, but I'd bet that Burning Man might be able to challenge the title.

Stella isn't going to like this

Deanna had to make a pit stop, so we pulled into a gas station in North Dakota.  Cool I thought, until I started filling with Premium, only to realize that in North Dakota apparently "Premium" means 89 octane.  And 10% ethanol.  I'd rather pay the $4.30 for 93 octane and no corn, but there aren't many options out here.  On we go...

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Woke up this morning in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  It's just east of the Montana-North Dakota border and a long drive from our last stopping point, the KOA in Spokane, WA.  825 miles to be exact.  It was good to get some more miles under us as we've been slacking on the mileage for the last several days,ionly a few hundred at a time.  Although fewer they've been good miles, full of twisty roads and beautiful views.  But two days ago we turned the ship eastward, our time on the West Coast having drawn to a close.  Time to move on.

We drove all the way through Idaho and Montana in one day.  Not that I really wanted to do so, as they are two states that I really wanted to explore.  But we're on a time budget, so we're trying to keep on track.  Beautiful as I'd expected, it will likely be its own destination in the future.   Maybe when I get my full pilot's license, as there seems to be way too much to explore by land.

We could have gone through North Dakota or South Dakota but we chose the Northerly option.  Why?  For a few reasons.  First, Google Maps and Waze and my car's navigation all agreed that it would be the best route to Escanaba, our first Michigan waypoint.  Second, I'm hoping that we can make it to Lake Vermillion in Minnesota, the site of my grandmother's cabin, where I spent many a summer vacation as a little kid.  Third, we're trying to avoid the South Dakota curse.  In Seattle, Maggie told us her tale of woe.  She and Noah had done a similar road trip, making it all the way to South Dakota before the spousal tolerance began to wane.  We're hoping to avoid a similar fate.

Day 10 GPS

Eureka CA to Kent WA. The day started out as many others do on this trip. A damp morning waking in the tent. Today waking in Eureka, CA. We had attempted to camp the night before on the beach at Golds Beach. But didnt quite make it. We did drive by on Hwy 101 today and yeah we missed a cool opportunity, it was beautiful.

Started with some tea and toasted blueberry bread while we waited for the tent to dry. Fluke and I were up long before the boy so we entertained ourselves by taking a selfie.

Boy up, breakfast cleaned up, tent packed, teeth brushed and we are off.

We drove Hwy 101 through the Redwood Forest and along the coast til we needed to cut in towards Portland and up Route 5. We followed along a nice little river for awhile.  Ill have to double check the name. Something with a Q.

We stopped at a boat ramp to stretch and chatted with a few locals rinsing their boats from ocean water. Apparently its the thing to do.

Made it to Portland in time for dinner with Deadletter and Ari. Yay! And got a first rate tour of The Watershed too. Awesome space. We ate at Hub, one of the many local breweries, and after dinner...dun-dun-dun... we took showers! Awesome to be clean. Thanks Deadletter!

We pressed on for a closer camping spot to Seattle. We arrived. Late 2am. But we are right outside of the city. Perfect.

Tomorrow....visiting with Maggie and hopefully a Noah G sighting.  :)

View Day 10- Eureka, CA to Kent, WA by passingoncurves on Breadcrumbs

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TJ, Ari & Deadletter at Hopworks Urban Brewing. 

Route 101 along the coast in Oregon. 

Super large Redwood in Redwood National Forest. 

More beach shots from the drive. 

Day 9 GPS

Now over a week of driving and a days rest in San Francisco. Heading north, we made it as far as Eureka California before stopping for the night. The coastal drive was beautiful, stunning views around every bend. We stopped a couple of times to stretch our legs and walk some of Northern Californias most beautiful beaches. We tried to camp on the beach but got there just too late.

It was wonderful to see Gordo even if it was a short visit in SF. Watching the Americas Cup was cool too and we got a close up view of the Oracle as it blew by us on the pier. The size and sound took me off guard... it was graceful but rumbled deep like bass as it wooshed by.

View Day 9- Larkspur, CA to Eureka, CA by passingoncurves on Breadcrumbs

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Northern California Beach.

Forest covering the road in Redwood National Forest. 

Gordo in SF. 

TJ & Uncle Ron at American Cafe 

The Other Portland

Yesterday we woke in Eureka, broke down camp, and continued north to Portland, Oregon.  We were hoping to make it to Seattle in time for dinner but that just wasn't going to happen.  We took more time for another pretty drive, hugging more of the coast and finding more woods.  We evdrivingund sheep along the drive, doing sheep things.  Who knew that there were so many of them in Oregon?

Making it to Portland, we met with one of Deanna's friends (Deadletter) from Texas.  He gave us a tour of his warehouse maker space, which is a divided space that is rented to local artists who need space to make stuff.  There are carpenters, blacksmiths, woodworkers, builders, and even an archer there.  Deanna was excited, as she's working on conjuring up a similar space for artists in Maine.  I could see the creative juices flowing and it was fun to watch.  But we were hungry, so what should we do?  Hmmmmm... How about a brew pub?  Score!  Deadletter escorted us to HUB, a local spot with yummy food and good beer (the ESB was especially good).  What would a trip to Portland be without a brew?

After a well appreciated shower we hit the road again, heading for Noah & Maggie's place in Seattle.  Instead of waking them at midnight we decided to crash at another KoA along the way, within an hour of their place.  Snuggled between a few other campers after another 500 miles of driving, it's time to hit the hay.

Eureka!

We left San Francisco, setting sail for points northward, taking the Pacific Coast Highway along the coast of California.  It was another beautiful drive, full of twisting roads, gorgeous vistas, and long beaches.  We could have taken a quicker, more direct route, but why would we do that?  The giant redwoods provided a towering backdrop to the snaking road, challenging us to keep finding the limits of 267hp and all-wheel-drive, with video footage to relive the moment.  We finally made it to Eureka in Northwest California, staying at another KoA for the night, after passing on a crowded beach camping spot.  I love sleeping on the beach but it was a bit too creepy for me.  Time for a rest.