Who knew?

 I had expected rugged shores,

magnificent boulders,

miles of sand,

fog and mist -

oh, and signs of fishing;

those fish don't beach themselves 

and offer themselves up for lunch, ya know!

Check.

What I didn't know about were the rain forests -

and the trees -

and the Spanish moss!

It was breathtaking - 

in a "I wish I could bottle the smell and the stillness to keep forever"

kind of way.

 

There is even a sitka pine referred to as The Octopus tree:

whose unique shape has been debated about for years.

 

The tree measures more than 46 feet in circumference and has no central trunk.

The limbs extend horizontally from the base by as much as 16 feet before turning upward.

It is estimated to be between 250-300 years old.

 

Whether 'natural events' shaped the tree

or it was modified over centuries by Native Americans 

for ceremonial purposes

is still unknown.

It was designated an Oregon Heritage Tree in 2009.

Definitely worth seeing in the context of the other sitka trees in the area.

I also have to hand it to the Oregon Park System,

both on a County and State level:

the park system is beautifully maintained

and handicapped accessible wherever possible.

Oregon 101

 It starts with O - 

as in OMG...

why have I never been here before?

Let me give you the backstory.

I LOVE oceans;

initially the Atlantic Ocean where I grew up

('down the shore') in New Jersey.

 

 But, having had a son who lived in multiple locations in California,

I certainly grew to have an appreciation for the Pacific Ocean as well. 

My son and I had even traveled on Hwy 101 in Northern CA

and I loved the ruggedness and beauty of it all.

(He lived for several years at the intersection 

of Hwys 101 and 1

in a restored gas station 

which, in my moms mind, 

 epitomized an artists lifestyle).

Anyway, as I was doing a life review several months ago,

in anticipation of my 75th birthday,

I found myself feeling sad that I had never driven down Hwy 101, along the Oregon coast.

 

I'll confess here that I had pictured it as the perfect way to spend a second honeymoon -

you know, for when I remarried, had the new love of my life

and we took our convertible and happily cruised down the highway

as two middle aged but blissfully happy newlyweds.

Yeah ...

well, I realized a few weeks short of turning 75 that that was probably NOT in the cards.

I'm not ruling out the fantasy of finding another love

but, if I do, we'll probably be cruising with our walkers down the hallway

and NOT down the Oregon coast.

But I SO wanted to see that coast and drive that highway.

What's a girl to do?

So, I called up a friend,

someone that I've traveled with to Cuba and Ireland,

proposed a time and a plan -

and she was in!

And just that simply, we were off.

We flew to Portland rented a car -

and headed for the coast

 with 10 days to meander, explore, 

eat fresh seafood every day,

stop wherever we wanted and not be accountable to anyone else for our choices.

It was fabulous.

So be prepared for a few postings of pictures I want to not forget

of a time I want to remember.

We found light houses, covered bridges,

beaches with wide deep sands, forests, an 'Octopus' tree,

a dahlia farm, beauty at every turn and

much needed break from political angst and doom scrolling.

In other words,

it was just what I needed/wanted.

According to my youngest son,

we even found the infamous Goonies beach 

(actually Cannon Beach).

There was literally beauty around every turn.

But, if ocean vistas, gorgeous sunsets and light houses aren't your jam,

I won't be offended if you skip the next few posts.

I'm sure I'll have at least one more political rant before election day.

But not now.

I've still got my beach combing, not a care in the world glow on.