What not to do while on a road trip

When I drove from Eustis to Atlanta in a day, then drove from Paducah to Kansas City in a day, those were some pretty long hauls. They were about as far as I'd want to drive in a day. They were also substantially shorter than today's drive, which took me virtually nonstop from Pacifica, in the south Bay Area, to Waldport, Oregon, about halfway up the Pacific coast of that state, on Route 101, which is two lanes and 55 mph for much of the way. I spent twelve hours in the car, getting on the road at 7:30 and not stopping till Waldport at the other 7:30. I will not be doing that again this trip if I can reasonably help it.

Fortunately, having friends in the car makes time go faster! Alexis and Isaac both joined me for this leg of the trip and kept me awake. I arrived rather happy and wired at the home of an online acquaintance of Isaac's, whom he was meeting for the first time -- a beautiful house overlooking Alsea Bay and the Pacific Ocean -- which is where I'll be sleeping tonight. On the way we somehow managed to squeeze in a few en-route adventures. We stopped for lunch in Arcata, where I had an enormous burrito (the first burrito I've ever liked, though I was intimidated by its size), followed by a regional treat called an It's-It: vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two soft oatmeal cookies and with a chocolate shell. Absolutely delicious, of course, and how could it not be. Apparently northern Cali is the only place you can get them!

In Oregon I made a surprising discovery: it is illegal to pump one's own gas in Oregon. All gas must be pumped by a gas station attendant. Isaac, who lives in Portland, says this idiosyncracy is just make-work, and I expect he's right. Nevertheless, gas in Oregon is a quarter cheaper than gas in northern California.

Driving up the coast, we saw some of the most amazing scenery of the trip in the form of enormous redwoods, white water and beaches on the Pacific, and cliff faces that looked like something out of an adventure or romance film. Tomorrow we'll likely head back south a few miles to properly check out the trails around Cape Perpetua, then make what I'm assured is an easy three-hour drive to Portland. And then, the world!