We left Washington on Saturday, November 19 and headed down Interstate 5 for Oregon, destination Ashland. It was so hard to leave Washington - we drove past evergreen trees, snow-capped mountains, and rushing rivers. Still so much to do and see and we had run out of time. We sincerely hope that we will be back.
We arrived in Ashland, home of the famous Ashland Shakespeare Festival, in time to check in and grab some dinner. Most of our travel days were going to be like this - drive all day, dinner, and then bed to do it all again the next day. It was really starting to get cold so after a brief walk around town (which was really charming and on our list of places to visit again), we ducked into a restaurant near our hotel and enjoyed a lovely meal,
I loved the hotel, the Bard's Inn. Everything about it was devoted to the Bard himself.
Up early the next morning and a short drive over the state line. We drove along Highway 101, the coastal road that led us to the Avenue of the Giants, the home of California's giant redwoods. The northern California coast is gorgeous, even on a cloudy day.
It was a beautiful drive. Vic stopped off at the start of the Avenue of the Giants to pick up a self-guided tour pamphlet and we drove along slowly, stopping at the markers to read a little about the redwoods as we made our way to our night's accommodation, an inn right on the Avenue of the Giants which was very quaint.
We had a bit of a struggle finding a place for dinner as there are not too many eateries along the Avenue but finally found somewhere. We went back to the inn where we enjoyed a delicious breakfast cooked to order the next morning and then we were off again. We had a long drive ahead of us to Lemoore Naval Air Station, the first of our overnight stays on a base where the hotel rates are very reasonable. I had planned our route through as many Navy and Air Force bases as I could to take advantage of the rates. We get a travel allowance but we have to use military accommodation as much as possible.
As we drove down the Avenue of the Giants on our way to Lemoore, we couldn't resist stopping at the Drive-Thru Tree. Really, how could we not?
Coming tomorrow: Out in the middle of nowhere and the main sightseeing segment of our trip.
Cool!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you were able to combine a vacation and a move all in one! Gorgeous photos. I hope I can see the redwoods someday. They fascinate me. Looking forward to the rest of the trip.
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