My West Coast Adventure

     It has always been one of my goals to travel the Pacific highway and see the sights along the way. Last month my wife and I eagerly embarked on our nearly 7,000 mile journey by flying to Seattle, Washington. We had never been to the states of Washington and Oregon, nor to the redwoods of northern California.      Seattle is a bust city in a magnificent setting. We stayed just outside and took the light rail train in so we could enjoy the ride and not have to pay to park. Pike’s marketplace on the waterfront was a treat; the workers have great fun in the fish market laughing, joking and tossing huge salmon back and forth like beach balls. We rode the monorail to the Space Needle, where the sight of Mount Rainer -14,400 feet high- sticking up through the clouds    was truly awe-inspiring. 

We took the ferry to Bainbridge Island and back, and spent a couple days amid the beauty and excitement of Seattle before beginning our motoring trip. 
   
The best route from Seattle is traveling from north to south because you drive along the Pacific side of the road, and most views are breathtaking --and some are scary!) Don’t be in a hurry. Your average speed will be 35-40 miles per hour.      We drove through the pine forests of Washington to the coast, and then took the coast road (Route 101) south to the Astoria-Megler bridge, entering the state of Oregon. We spent days driving along the Oregon coast, seeing some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. The towns along the coast are fun to visit, and we heartily recommend whale watching, light house visits, and the Cheese Factory in Tillamook, America's second largest maker of cheddar cheese. They make 168,000 pounds of cheese a day out of 1.7 million gallons of fresh milk.   



     Next, we made our way to Crescent City, California and the beginning of the coastal redwoods. Want to feel small? Stand and look up at 250 – 300 foot tall trees that live to be 2,000 years old while visiting the Trees of Mystery and the Avenue of the Giants. California’s northern coast also has incredible vistas. The view of the Pacific is so vast, driving on the highway high above it you can see the curvature of the Earth much easier than you can by looking at the Atlantic from sea level.    Leaving the redwoods behind, we made our way to Sonoma, California, and then on to San Francisco. We had been there before, but we really enjoyed Fisherman’s Wharf, riding the cable cars, the famous twisted Lombard Street, Alcatraz, and the food all over again! 
     










   From there it was time to come home. Our two weeks were just right. We drove a thousand miles on our journey, and flew roughly 5,800 miles. Best advice? If you decide to drive the Pacific Northwest coast, allow yourself enough time to enjoy the sights along the way.