10.9.13 : back to the coast.

Sorry again for the delay between posts. Today was my recovery day from a 2500 mile drive over the course of 3 1/2 days from Arkansas back to Oregon. Unfortunately, little time is left for editing and blogging when you're driving 10+ hours a day.

I suppose it wasn't the worst time to take a break, seeing as Crater Lake was the end of the first portion of my trip up the coast. 

So, after a brief hiatus, we begin Leg Two of my trip up the coast. 

In an attempt to stay true to my goal of completing the entire coast, I headed back to Coos Bay, Oregon, where I'd left off during the first part. I was mildly concerned that my break in between the legs of the trip would somehow change the vibe of the second half, but the moment I saw the Pacific Ocean stretched out before me again, I knew I had nothing to worry about.

learning something new.

I've been experimenting with time lapse photography over the course of the past week and my trip to Arkansas provided me with the perfect opportunity to try it out. The skies yesterday were just incredible with the clouds moving more quickly than usual due to a storm passing nearby. I failed to bring my tripod with me so I utilized rocks, a planter and my mom's car to steady the camera as I manually took a photo every 5 seconds.

I think the content is what makes this attempt worthy of sharing, but I definitely plan to keep working at it and improving my technique. Hopefully I'll have some fun videos to share with you as I continue to learn. 

9.7.13 : avenue of the giants.

The morning after my star-filled night, I hit the road fairly early after the unwelcome sounds of a screaming kid nearby stirred me from my cozy hammock cocoon. One of the first pull-offs on the coastline had an incredible lineup of cairns, which I ended up seeing quite a lot of on my trip. 

After a few more stops along the way to capture the ever-changing coastal views and a detour to drive through the Chandelier Tree , I entered the Avenue of the Giants, which is a famous scenic stretch of the 101 that runs through Humboldt Redwoods State Park. I  was warned to be careful that I don't accidentally spend all day in there, as it's fairly easy to get caught up in exploring. Those warnings were on point, because I absolutely could have spent several days among those majestic trees. 

I stopped for a hitchhiker at one point, but resisted the urge to give him a lift knowing I like to go my own pace and explore (and because my mom might kill me if he didn't turn out to be a serial killer and get to me first). Instead, I passed on some cold drinks and jerky and wished him well as I continued my way north. At one point it was so pretty that I just wanted to sit on the trunk of my car and enjoy the surroundings, so I stopped and brewed a French press to enjoy in the cool air.  

It was by far one of my favorite portions of my trip and I look forward to future trips to more see more redwoods. Those suckers really are breathtakingly impressive. 

 (You'll see more of me in these photos, but it's mostly for scale purposes!)