Text and pictures inside.It was cold, foggy as usual in San Francisco when I left early in the morning. The good thing was that traffic was light and driving was a pleasure.
I’d decided to take my time getting to Portland and drive along 101. I was driving the detour along the Avenue of the Giants when a road sign attracted my attention so I backtracked to confirm what I’d thought I’d seen:
I was a little hungry by then, so I decided to stop in the town and have some brunch.
There was also a sign for the Miranda Gardens Resort which I found amusing for some reason 
.
I stayed on the Avenue of the Giants detour and the drive was stunning. Driving through a sometimes narrow road lined by towering trees, sunlight dappling through the branches and the cool wind with just a touch of morning dew. It was an experience enhanced by the fact that I seemed to be the only car on the road. I would be driving along, with only tire noise to advertise my presence (thanks Prius!) and birds would be hopping along the side of the road. One blue-jay even dive-bombed my car. And then I broke through to the coast.
I thought it would remain just that gorgeous. But then the clouds started massing, and by the time I stopped at the wild Elk viewing point (which was flooded, so I couldn’t see any elk), it had begun to get dark.
And then start to rain.
I was still the only car on the road at this point. And the rain was making visibility so bad that I decided to cut over to I5 along 199. Yes, I drove 199 in the pouring rain. And I did get a bit nervous when I would go miles and miles without seeing any other vehicle go by in either direction. Most of the towns I drove through seemed closed – the stores looked opened (the lights were on) but I couldn’t see anyone around. Maybe the rain was keeping them away. Or the fact that it was Monday and they hadn’t woken up yet. In any case, by the time I got to I5, the sky had begun clearing to the west, giving me some more dramatic pictures.
The only thing I have to say about my drive on I5 is: I heart cruise control. I don’t know if I could have driven that section without it.
I noticed something strange that happened to me as I was driving. When I first started out, leaving San Francisco, I could feel each mile. I would look at the speedometer and it seemed that every time I looked, I’d only gone a mile or so. (Along 101 north of Novato, I stopped looking at the GPS distance to destination because the drive was so stunning.) On I5, with cruise control on, that changed. Now every time I looked, I’d travelled 20-40 miles and it seemed like they were going by in a flash. There wasn’t too much traffic here either – just big rigs that stayed in the right lane.
I got to Portland 14 hours after I’d started, showered and met my friend for dinner at McMenamins, where half a pint of beer almost put me to sleep so I made an early night of it.
More pictures and notes to follow…
