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Mt. Rainier, southeast of Seattle, is much more than a mountain, though at over 14,000 feet, it is the fifth highest mountain in the continental U.S. The snow-capped peak is covered by glaciers that are a deep blue. The mountain is surrounded by a range of peaks that have exaggerated jagged summits. The drive up the mountain takes one by numerous mountain lakes, and one reflection lake mirrors the summit in its clear blue waters. Waterfalls abound everywhere. The water that flows from the glaciers has a grey soapy appearance derived from the massive ice sheets grinding of the mountain as it imperceptibly moves down the mountainside. Our friend, Steve, and his pastor brother, David, hosted us for the day, and they had much knowledge to share as they guided us along some of the beautiful mountain paths. One of the paths was as beautiful a walk as I have ever taken. The blue mountain lupine was in full bloom with red orange paintbrush and white mountain lily for background. Streams flowed along rock-strewn beds and through green grass hillsides overlooked by towering fir trees. A large deer munched on the grass and did not flinch as we moved closely by. Vistas looked down upon deep valleys and waterfalls. A deep gash in the mountain caused by a flood of fast melting snow several years ago was a jumble of rock that caused multiple cascading streams to flow from the glaciers above–it was a surreal sight, yet, magnificent and powerful. We were totally refreshed by the clean mountain air and the beauty of the sights we beheld.

Seattle, the city, is an impressive place. Approaching by ferry, with the skyscrapers and the space needle looming above the port and waterfront, signals that this is a confident and proud place. The Pikes Place Market is a tourist magnet. Its flower shops, fruit and flower markets, spice stands and organic shops are delightful. Various musicians and street artists abound. The original Starbucks is nearby. Friends, Robert and Jan, graciously guided us to many sights as we rode the streetcar from our hotel into the city center. We have had wonderful days in a wonderful city. WEG

Kathy and I accomplished our dream goal–we drove the entire coastal highway from San Diego to Seattle. That means CA-1 in California and 101 in far north California, Oregon, and Washington. The last miles in Washington were different than all the rest. Most of the Washington coast is devoted to the lumber industry and forestry. Managed and unmanaged timber groves, trucks laden with cut wood, factories devoted to timber processing, ship yards and docks with processed lumber and small ships to carry the wood products were scenes all along the way. The coastal towns and villages of Washington were not tourist centered as were most of the rest of the coastal highway areas. They were working towns. That does not mean that the coastal drive was not beautiful. It was. Hills and mountains were filled with beautiful vista and trees. All along the way, tall wildflower spikes of deep pink were along both sides of the highway, with a ground cover wildflower of yellow as a backdrop. This never ceased to amaze us. As we drove, Kathy spotted a sign that said the next road to the right had the largest spruce tree in the world on it. I stepped on the brakes and made the turn. Several miles down the lane we spotted another sign that pointed to a one third mile trail to the tree. We took the trail and then stood in awe of the massive tree–57 feet in diameter and over a thousand years old! Also in this Valley of the Rain Forest Giants are the world’s largest western red cedar, Douglas fir, and mountain hemlock, as well as the largest yellow cedar and western hemlock in the United States.

The very last leg of the trip on 101 took us away from the coast and up to the Canadian border. Along the way we passed stunning mountain lakes, especially the turquoise-watered Lake Crescent. Reaching a depth of 600 feet, the large lake is surrounded by mountains and forests. Highway 101 hugs the water all along the way. Finally, we turned south towards Seattle and ended our journey by taking a ferry ride into the heart of the city. WEG

You will probably never see the race I saw today. It has been held for generations at the Tillamook (Oregon) County Fair. This fair was rated by the “USA Today” national newspaper as one of the ten best county fairs in the nation, and Kathy and I happened upon it accidentally as we drove the coastal highway. The Pigs & Ford’s Race involves young pigs and Model-T Fords that have been stripped of their body. The Model T’s are original and authentic, have been used in these races for generations, and are the pride of the families that own them. The race involves heats in which several Model-T’s are hand cranked to ignition by their drivers who then run to small pens containing young pigs. The drivers grab a pig and, holding it in their arms, drive around the racetrack back to the pens and start the procedure over again. The race consists of three laps. Several thousand people filled the stands for today’s races. The Pigs & Ford’s race was preceded by regular horse races which Kathy and I have never before witnessed. The county fair was nostalgic for both of us, since our families were very involved in our local county fairs when we were young. We enjoyed looking at all the entries of young people and adults alike–canning, baking, flowers, animals, etc. We were amazed at the “Queen of the Cows”–a Holstein who weighed 1,800 lbs. and who produces 105 lbs. of milk a day! We walked the farm implement displays, the food lanes–oysters on the half shell were 10 for $7–and they were fresh from the ocean. The midway was busy, and the central stage was filled with one act after another. The evening’s big entertainment in the arena was Country Western star, Travis Tritt.

We also took a morning tour of the Tillamook Cheese factory. We buy this cheese and were happy to find that it is a farm co-op. It was fun watching the employees make, cut, slice, and wrap cheese. While there are machines to do a lot of the work, the process is till labor intensive.

One of the joys of our “encore life” journey this year has been the ability to meet folks along the way. Today, in Tillamook, I met a man who told me how to go crabbing for Dungeness crab. I learned why you use chicken or turkey in the trap rather than fish–seals tear up the traps to get to the fish, but leave the chicken or turkey meat alone, and the crabs like chicken and turkey just fine. I think I can successfully go crabbing now! WEG

It is not Ore-a-gone or anything close to that! In spite of the spelling, it is pronounced “Or’ – u – gun.” That factoid is one not to be forgotten when traveling in this beautiful state. Today, our friends, Mark and Miriam Hoelter of Portland, took their day to escort us around to some of the sites in and around the city. We had a grand day! The rose garden in Washington Park was in vibrant bloom giving us proof as to why the city is known as the City of Roses. The trip up Mt. Hood to the sturdy, rugged and depression-era Timberline Lodge was a treat. Not only were the views of the snow-covered Cascade Range in full view, but the national park lodge was an artistic treat with its animal-carved balusters and hand-forged metal handrails highlighting thick hand-cut stair and balcony railings. Rich nature paintings and mosaics covered the walls and a massive stone central fireplace spanned two floors. Rock and wooden flooring complemented the hand-made furnishings used throughout the building.

Multnomah Falls, a 700 foot drop of cascading water, is the second highest year round waterfall in the United States. Impressive. The clear blue waters of the wide Columbia River cut through deep tree-covered valleys. The downtown of Portland is very pedestrian friendly and an urban paradise. The mountains and mountain sports are 30 minutes to the east and the Pacific coast is 40 minutes to the west. The Willamette (pronounced “Wil-lam’-ette”) Valley with its agricultural base of vineyards and fruit orchards is immediately to the south and the Columbia River with sail boating and fishing is immediately to the north. There is everything to like here. We thoroughly enjoyed the day with loving friends as our guides. WEG

I enjoy taking roads that are off the beaten path, and today Kathy and I did just that. I did not do it on purpose. The GPS took me the shortest route and that just happened to be over the mountain and through the woods. Yes, it was on a one lane gravel road that contained no guard rails on the high passes, but the views were priceless. The Willamette Valley spread out below us and the high farmlands were surrounded by pine forests and deep valleys. The oats in the fields were golden in color and ripe for harvest. It was an amazing pastoral scene. The end of the journey was an area containing seven waterfalls. We were high and could look down upon one of the major falls as it cascaded to the pool far below.

We also were able to visit the Oregon Garden, designed by the Nurseryman’s Association and containing a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The conifer garden was my favorite section of the park. It contained at least one conifer of every type on the planet. I had no clue. I marveled at the variegated varieties and the weeping spruce varieties. Interspersed by fountains and rock features, the garden was an impressive display. Our off the beaten path road took us somewhere special today. WEG

The Oregon south to central coast is noted for its magnificent sand dunes, some reaching 500 feet in height. I think the fact that the pine and spruce forests intersperse with the dunes and that lakes dot the valleys along the coast together serve to give this portion of the west coast a distinct feel. The villages along the coast are centered in fishing and have a nautical ambiance with clam chowder, fish stuffed with crab, and fish and chips dominating the menus.

I saw sand drifting onto Highway 101–the coastal road in Oregon–and quickly pulled over. I looked at the dune and said to Kathy, “Let’s climb it.” At first she was hesitant since it was tall and steep. I told her if we fell, it was soft sand, so off and up we went. Half way up we discovered a number of fully ripe fruited blackberry bushes growing on the edge of the dune. What a treat! The thing about sand dunes is that, since the sand is loose, you slide backwards; so you don’t make much progress. The struggle upwards–probably about 60 feet–was worth the effort as we were able to see sand dunes interspersed with forest stretch out before us. The way down was easer to navigate–gravity helped.

Who knew that Oregon has covered bridges? We took a detour to see one and soon found ourselves on gravel roads among vineyards and commercial Christmas tree farms. The bridge was white and barn-like with thick wooden boards for flooring. It was fun to drive across its one lane.

Oregon has great natural beauty and is clean, clean, clean. WEG

Who knew that far north California was filled with Victorian architectural splendor? Ferndale, just south of Eureka, is known as Victorian Ferndale and is a delightful village filled with pastel-colored homes and businesses with contrasting touches of gingerbread woodwork. The abundance of such architecture helps the city to live up to its title. The entire area around the city is pastoral. Cattle graze in green fields that gently roll across the landscape. Tall white wooden farm homes are surrounded by rust-red barns that have a distinctive Scandinavian feel with their off-centered and steeply-pitched roofs that fall almost to the ground.

The old town of Eureka is also a Victorian gem. Along the harbor are imposing Victorian mansions. A Victorian garden is a well-tended park near the city zoo. On the other side of the zoo is the entrance to a wonderful city park given by a landholder who decided that, rather than cutting the magnificent redwoods on the property for profit, it would be better to preserve “God’s most wondrous handiwork” as a protected park. It is an inspirational feeling to step into the shadows of the redwoods. You immediately realize how small you are since the massive girth of the redwood base is itself made small by the towering height of the tree. It is an immediate feeling of smallness, and yet, awe at the same time. So, right in the middle of Eureka is a valley park with tended trails that weave through 300 plus tall trees and along a stream the follows the valley floor. We had a joyful and peaceful walk.

The man-made Victorian blends well with the God-made surroundings in Northern California.

On a different note, this year’s long journey was prefaced by my statement that Kathy and I were also on a quest to reinvent ourselves. So far, she has not been too keen on some of my ideas. Since we have seen several tattoo parlors recently, I suggested we get one. I had persuasive rationale. I noted that I didn’t want to do the spa thing, but went ahead and did a couple’s spa treatment with her. I let strange women crawl all over my body for her. She still had a flat out answer of “No!” I have dropped it for now. The journey isn’t over yet and there is reinvention remaining to do. WEG

I wanted to drive the Lost Coast Road north of Ft. Bragg since it is very sparsely trafficked and runs through a desolate region of California. It is also the meeting point of many of the earthquake fault plates. As a result, the area has more earthquakes than other places in California. I wanted to be able to say I had done it and survived. It didn’t happen as planned, since I learned about the magnificent redwood forests at the end of CA-1 in Northern California near Eureka and decided to take that drive instead. Kathy was happy with the change of plans, and I must say the drive along the Avenue of the Giants was awesome. California’s Humboldt Redwood State Park is home to the world’s oldest standing forest. There are older individual trees in other places, but this forest has stood for over 2,000 years and what remains is from what was once the planet’s largest forest. Many of the trees are over 360 feet tall (the tallest trees in the world), and the deep shadow the canopy produces is ethereal. We found ourselves pulled towards walking amongst these magnificent trees many times. I also drove the van through the hollowed-out part of the Chandelier Tree, which is a mere 315 feet tall, but still growing. It was a fantastic drive.

Once in Eureka, we settled into our motel, and went to eat at a restaurant next door. All of the sudden, the building began to shake. Yip, it was a mild earthquake. So, I had my earthquake fix in what I discovered to be the most northern point of the Lost Coast. What a day! WEG

Over the years I have planned to go to gardens as we traveled because Kathy loves them so. Our children knew that I would drive out of the way because a roadside sign advertised a garden of some type. They got used to going with the flow.

Today , the Mendocino Botanical Garden was about a mile from our hotel in Ft. Bragg, California–no out of the way there. This garden is the only coastal botanical garden in California and our three hours there were filled with beautiful and educational sights. Massive flower plantings representing the coastal climate filled acres of the garden and they were in full bloom–breath taking. The rest of the garden was divided into sections representing coastal areas around the world and they were educationally marked and interesting. The California vegetable garden was wonderful, the dahlia (in full bloom) quadrangle was colorful and bright and the coastal trail was magnificent. It was a very satisfying time and my wife was more than happy! I did well, WEG

California Highway 1 is a phenomenal drive! Highway 1 is not to be confused with Highway 101. At times they are the same road, but for most of the drive they are separate highways, although they run parallel to each other. The difference is that Highway 1 is the coastal road, and therefore, the more rugged and scenic road. Highway 101 is more like a freeway, oftentimes multi-lane, running a straight line from point to point and rarely coming within sight of the coast. Highway 1 is anything but straight.

On our journey from San Francisco to Ft. Bragg we were simply awed with the beauty we encountered. There were more hairpin turns than could be imagined and most times no guard rails of any kind. Going up and down, from about a thousand feet to shore level with turn after turn over and over again made the head spin. The views were amazing. Rolling hills, sand dunes, sheer cliffs, bays with massive rock protrusions, sandy shores, bogs, estuaries, deep valleys and always brilliant blue water were within sight. At times, we found ourselves in deep forests and at other times in flower covered treeless hills, but all the time the coastline was to the immediate west. We thought this was the most impressive part of our coastal journey thus far in California, and that says a lot, since all of Highway 1 so far has been amazing. WEG