Chapter 9: Manifest Destiny

~After a short night of sleep, Tuesday morning came too early. It also brought a dead battery as the fridge was left on DC power for the night. We found a willing soul to give us a jump, his wife didn't seem quite as thrilled. We continued our drive south to Oregon and the Columbia River Gorge to check out some waterfalls. 

~ We first stopped at the Multnomah falls, got a few pictures then headed to the Oneonta Falls.

~In order to see this waterfall, a half-mile hike was required. The water from the falls was flowing out and we had to walk through it to get there. We were in a somewhat narrow canyon with 100 foot high walls on either side, several times climbing over fallen logs. The water was mostly just ankle-deep but as we neared the waterfall the chilly water reached chest-deep, but we plunged on. The falling water created quite a current, but that didn't stop us from testing our swimming skills. After a few minutes of catching our thrills, we exited the numbing water to soak in some sun.

~As we continue South, we catch the 101 and ride next to the Pacific, enjoying the ocean views. Becoming more concerning though is how quickly we are now losing brake fluid. What started at refilling every couple of days is now turning into every several hours. 

~We stop in Florence, OR in the evening for another refill and a more permanent fix. Shops are closed by now and the campground is full, so we grab some food and set up camp in the Abby's Legendary Pizza parking lot.

~Wednesday morning we buy a new master brake cylinder from the local Napa and Dan got to work to change it out while the rest of the house did some laundry. Not having proper tools though, Dan finally gave in and we took it to a local mechanic. While waiting for the Ole Hezzie to get fixed up we passed the time exploring the sand dunes in Florence, testing our frisbee skills in the stiff winds blowing through the mounds of sand.

~Finally, at close to 5:30 we are back on the road again headed south towards California. We make a stop by the Pacific to take pictures of the sunset. Dan and Matthew climb the large rocks dotting the shoreline and Matthew, Nathan and Jared charge into the very numbing waters of the southern Oregon coast.

~Thursday morning finds us making it to California and the Redwood National and State Park. We spend a couple hours hiking, taking pictures of the large trees and eating wild raspberries before setting our sights east and homeward bound.

~The landscape from western to eastern Oregon changes quite drastically but still maintains its own beauty. We periodically stop throughout the evening to watch the sunset, view the largest reddish/orange moon I've ever seen and enjoyed the vast skyline of stars, untainted by city lights. From here on out it's nonstop till we get home...

OFFICIAL GRADE:

A+