It took two days to drive from Bakersfield, California to Portland, Oregon, so Eric and I tried to make the most of it while on the road. We drove through Napa Valley, quickly stopping to taste some wine, and spent the night on the Avenue of the Giants, among California's huge redwood trees.
I could easily have spent a week along the Avenue of the Giants, where 40 of the world's 100 oldest trees reside. It's scenic 15-mile stretch holds some of the smallest, most quaint towns I've ever seen in my life. Like the rest of our trip through California's parks, I only wish we had more time.
We attempted to make our way up to Portland via the coast, but were dissuaded after I took the wheel and earned a pricey speeding ticket. I learned that tiny coastal towns and their low speed limits do not mix well with zoom-y rental cars, and the lesson cost me a pretty penny.
It was around this time when the stress of our trip, of logistical planning, money spending, poor eating, and trying to do it all and see it all finally caught up with me. As soon as we could, we found a way to the highway and wrote off the scenic route for once. The decision was rewarded, though, with the appearance of a double rainbow as the sun set.
Portland was an oasis; we spent a whopping three nights in the same place - the longest we had been stationary in over 2 weeks - and we were re-energized by meaningful conversations with great friends for a whole 3 days. By this time, we were a bit tired of seeing things and instead, we just wanted to be with people. Fortunately for us, Portland has a plethora of cafes, microbreweries, and great restaurants where we could be with people, and we soaked it all up. Our favorite spot was a place called The Whiskey Library, which pictures will do much better justice than words.