8.29.13 : sunrise in malibu.

As some of you know, I recently drove up the entirety of the West Coast, starting in San Diego. Spurred by a wedding I was shooting on September 1st in Santa Cruz, I left August 29th and had planned to take a week to travel up to San Francisco and back. Somewhere along the way, a spark was ignited within me, and I made the decision to keep going. By the morning of September 8th, I'd crossed over into Oregon. Conveniently, I had family in the area, so after making it up to Coos Bay, I headed inland to my aunt and uncle's house in Roseburg, OR to do some much needed laundry and consider my next move. I made my way over to Crater Lake on September 11th, but had started to feel the nagging of responsibilities calling me back to San Diego.

Before I left Roseburg, it was suggested that I simply go back to pack my stuff (and sell what wouldn't fit), then come back up with the intentions of finishing the coast.  So I did.

On October 2nd, I moved to Roseburg. My poor little Honda Civic was packed to the gills with everything I owned, including my dear cat Loulou. Once here, I took a few days to settle in before hitting the road again on October 9th. 

Making my way back to Coos Bay to pick up where I left off, I drove the remainder of the coast all the way up to Vancouver, BC, where I spent a long weekend during their Thanksgiving holiday. I had some detours inland in Washington to see some friends, but headed back to the coast to complete what I hadn't gotten to on the way back. 

By the morning of October 18th, I'd successfully finished the coast. 

So now, I am faithfully parked on the couch in my temporary home in Roseburg, editing through the thousands of photos I managed to snap on this great adventure of mine. My goal is to post a blog every single day representing the entire trip. I'm certain that will be easier said than done, but I plan to stick to that resolve as diligently as possible.

So, today, you get to see day one…my very first stop to watch the sunrise in Malibu, CA. 

alexandra bridge.

You can probably see a theme from my travels up north…snow and exploring. The original Alexandra Bridge was built in 1863, but destroyed by a flood in 1894 and dismantled in 1912. A new suspension bridge was built on the original footings in 1926, but decommissioned in 1964 in favor of a new bridge built a few miles down the river. Lucky for us, there's still a walking trail down to the old bridge, which makes for some awesome photo opportunities, especially when buried under a few feet of snow.

mount baker.

Mount Baker, Washington was the first place I ever tried to snowboard. It's one of the more beautiful snow-covered spots I've ever been to. These were taken on my second trip there, more than a year after the first. I didn't take my camera up on the slopes, unfortunately, so these were all taken from the parking lot before we left. I think it says a lot about the beauty of the place that these were from the parking lot. Imagine the photos I could've gotten if I'd actually taken my camera on the slopes! Next time.