"You've never seen the Oregon Coast? Well, let's go!"

Dad arrived on a late flight into YVR (that's the Vancouver BC airport... I live halfway between Sea-Tac and YVR, so either works for me) on Sunday night. He had some business meetings on Monday, and I also had a chance to give him a tour of our new facility that we are moving our business into next month. This vacation for me is a little respite before all hell breaks loose. I'm going to be working 24 hours a day for several weeks at the end of this year, so I could use the mental break of a fun "car guy" trip. Monday night we take Sue out to a nice dinner (her meagre reward for handling the household solo while I'm gone!), and Tuesday morning we head south.

Surprisingly we manage to get all of our belongings (minus my laptop bag) into the FedEx envelope that doubles as the E-type's "boot." We Goolsbee men are light travellers. Dad has two small bags... I have one small bag... and all this fits around the large collection of tools and spare parts I packed into the trunk the week before. Amazing! Of course packing this tiny trunk is like a Tetris game, with each bag really only fitting in one spot, with one orientation, but after we get it all in we know exactly how to replay the level. =)

Being early Autumn on the West Coast, it is foggy. We leave home with the Jag's top up.

Above: Foggy morning on I-5 near Marysville, WA.

I really don't like driving with the top up because I do not fit inside, being taller than the average Lilliputian Brit it was designed for. My five foot seven inch father has no such issues. However, I am nursing a nasty sinus/head cold and don't really mind folding myself into the cramped insides, if only to help my condition. I am force-feeding myself liquids (in the form of a giant jug of iced tea, in an effort to help my body deal with this illness.

Above: An ill and out of focus Chuck, folded into the cramped car, looking grumpy.

Above: The fog burns off as we pass through Olympia, WA.

Our plan is to drive south on Interstate 5 and cut over to the coast at some point. When we were talking about making this drive I asked my father if he'd ever seen the Oregon Coast. He answered "no" ...so I insisted that we take US 101 for some portion of the trip. I was hoping to cut over to Astoria and do the entirety of Oregon on 101. Dad vetoed that as he wanted to make it to Marin in time to eat dinner with a friend on Wednesday night. In the interest of expediency I went along with his desire. I drove the first 100 miles, which got us just past Olympia, where we switched drivers at a rest area. The sun had also burned off all the fog, so we were able to drop the top. It was one of those wonderful Autumn sunny-but-not-hot days. Perfect for top-down cruising.

Above: Sunshine in southwest Washington.

Dad drove the next 100 miles, and I was useless as I was either dozing, or speechless - since my throat hurt so much. Thankfully we travel well together so we don't feel like we have to fill up silence with chatter. We feed the car in Vancouver, WA (habit, as I hate buying gas in Oregon... they have no self-serve there) and switch drivers again. Just past Portland we angle southwest towards McMinnville and the coast. This takes us through the Yamhill County wine region, which is pleasant driving once the Portland 'burbs are behind us. We zip through the coast range and as we get to the water we are back into the...

Fog.

Yep, the fog is hugging the coastline and the temperature is about 20º colder. The top goes back up and we mosey south through the middle part of the coast. We grab a late lunch around 3pm and march on towards Coos Bay, where we plan on stopping for the night. I drive most of the way so Dad can soak up what part of the scenery is visible through the fog. He is impressed with what little he sees.

We arrive in Coos Bay around 5pm, and I'm ready to stop. We find a hotel and Dad showers while I take a nap.

Above: The 65E, at our hotel in Coos Bay, Oregon.

After I wake up around 7, we walk down the street, (where I find a market and buy some cold medicine) and eat a great meal at an Italian place called "Benetti's" I highly recommend dinner there if you ever find yourself in Coos Bay, Oregon. After dinner we wander back to the hotel and crash. My sleep is punctuated by feverish dreams, but I wake feeling better than I did the day before. It is still foggy and cool. Dad drives the first shift while I slumber uncomfortably in the passenger seat. I awaken to brilliant sunshine.

Above: In case you missed it, the OCEAN VIEW is right up there.

I waken fully and start shooting photographs. It is stunning. The fog has receded a mile or so offshore, and the sun is illuminating the coast. The rocks and surf, and sky... wow. Dad loves it. I shoot a bunch of photos - occasionally showing what a dangerous combo auto-focus and a windshield with water droplets (or bugs, or any combination thereof) on it can be. Anyway, this is the reason why I wanted to take 101 down the coast instead of Interstate 5. Here, I'll just shut up and show you...

Pretty nice eh? Sure beats the long slog of I-5 down the Willamette valley!

I finally insist he pull over and stop, just so I can have a look while stationary. I soak it all in while Dad cleans the windshield.

We leave the top up because Dad thinks it is too cold. I fold myself into the driver's seat and let Dad just relax and watch the scenery go by. I'm pretty sure he enjoyed it. Lot's of "wow"s came from his side of the car. Right about when we crossed over into California the fog returned. We pressed on to Eureka, where we stopped for brunch at a place called Kristina's. It was a great little diner with a great waitstaff. Our waitress poured a gallon of iced tea into me, and kept us smiling. I had a fantastic grilled turkey sandwich, and Dad had an excellent breakfast (he all but licked his plate!). After Eureka Dad drove for a while, and once again, I slumbered for a while in the passenger seat. The fact that I was able to sleep at all in this car tells you how ill I was. At one point we stopped for gas and a check on the car's fluids (I just performed an oil change and fixed a brake leak before the trip)... I have to shoot a picture because it is by far THE MOST expensive gasoline I have ever seen in the USA. I've paid more, but only in Europe.

Later I once again awaken to brilliant sunshine. I put some sunscreen on my face and put some gloves on my hands (I have very sensitive skin, so I cover up however I can!) and get a bit more sleep. When we switch drivers we also drop the top. It is quite warm now. I drive the rest of the day... all the way down 101 into Larkspur. Once we reach Santa Rosa the traffic is on-and-off horrible, but the car rumbles right along. We arrive in Larkspur at 4 pm. Plenty of time before our planned dinner with a friend of my father. We've travelled 900-some miles, and averaged about 20 MPG.

More tomorrow... I need to get some sleep.