Moving to Seattle | Day 3 | Mendocino to Eugene

Day 3: Mendocino to Eugene

We made it to Mendocino very late at night, having just driven 50 miles of curvy roads in complete darkness. We were exhausted and had no idea where we were, since everything around us was so dark. We were very pleased to find that we weren't just staying in an historic hotel that night, we were spending the night in a tiny, adorable cabin! It was as close as I have come to living in a tiny house, which actually sounds quite enticing.

In the morning, I got up early, since I'm unable to sleep past 6am while traveling, no matter how late I went to bed or how tired I was in the morning. Milo was game for waking up early, too, since he never sleeps and is yet still able to be completely awake and crazy all the time. We left to take a walk and were greeted by thick fog and peaceful, empty streets. It had been so long since I had been in a place that quiet and with no other people, I was surprised when I realized it made me uncomfortable. Milo and I walked back to our little cabin, and I traded him for my Yashica so I could shoot some film while it was still foggy. Now, because I was paying more attention to the things I was photographing and less attention to where I was going, I did manage to get a bit lost. I'm not sure  how you do that in a tiny place like Mendocino, but I did. To be fair, it was very foggy and it was difficult for me to see the buildings around me, so I really had no point of reference. I had also left my phone in my other jacket, so whoops. I eventually stumbled on the back entrance to our hotel, but the minor panic reminded me so much of how I felt when I got lost trying to find the bathroom on a train.

Once the fog cleared, we were able to really see where we were, so we went off to explore a bit.  If you're ever headed to Mendocino and you're looking for a place to stay, take a look at the MacCallum House--- it's quite delightful!

I would very much like this large driftwood whale sculpture in my home.

I'm not exactly sure what this little building was, but it was between our cabin and the one next door.

No dog should be allowed on a bed this white. (Also, the MacCallum House is very pet friendly--- they supplied doggie dishes, a gigantic dog bed, and a doggie towel!) Of course, Milo didn't use the dog bed, since he's crazy and doesn't like them. 

What a little monster.

We explored the small shops near the beach, and wandered into the Gallery Bookshop Mendocino. It was a gorgeous beachfront store--- the employees must be very lucky to work there! They also have a sleepy bookstore cat who was curled up on top of the greeting card rack as I was spinning it--- he didn't even wake up! I'm just glad I wasn't the person who would come into their beautiful store and spin a card rack too fast and send their poor cat flying across the room. 

Mendocino truly is a stunning place. We could have walked on the path above the beach for hours--- it was so lovely. I'll have more photos to share once I get my film developed from this leg of the trip, but here are a few until then.

Jason and I learned that the first settlers in Mendocino were originally from New England, which is evident in much of the architecture there.

 

After we finally pried ourselves away from the misty cliffs of Mendocino, we headed back on the road toward Eugene, OR, our last overnight stop before we landed in Seattle. We traveled along the coast for a while longer than we had expected, but nothing beat the views. At this point, we were also pretty tired of being in the car, so we stopped every 20 minutes or so to get out of the car and take photos.

We saw a lot of these large, unidentified birds, and if you zoom in a lot, you can see his terrifying vulture face, so I'll go ahead and call him a vulture. 

Now, there comes a time in every long roadtrip where you, the weary traveler, find yourself drawn toward a series of tourist traps. These provide a much-needed break, but are also ridiculous and fun and probably cost $5. So, I present to you: the Chandelier Tree of Leggett, CA. The opening was cut in 1936-37 as a tourist attraction, which is a bit upsetting, since it means someone thought it was acceptable to cut a gigantic hole in the base of a 2000 year old tree. The tree is about 315 feet tall and 21 feet in diameter--- Baby Yaris barely fit through the opening. But you know, if anyone would get their car lodged inside a giant redwood, it would be us.

Redwoods are gigantic and magical and the forest were so different from anything I had experienced before. When they're all around you, it's interesting how the sense of scale disappears.

There was also a pond that featured this very charming sign, although I'm concerned about anyone who would be tempted to swim in this suspicious body of water to begin with.

Now, as far as tourist traps go, we only really fell for two, which I think was pretty good, since I was driving and was tempted by every single weird roadside stand that popped up every mile or so. We happened upon our friends Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox accidentally, though. We just drove through a wooded area and there they were! The sculptures were gigantic and weird and we stayed there for a very long time. There was also a gift shop filled with bizarre things that no one needs. We had found the Trees of Mystery roadside attraction and it was terrific.

Eventually, we left Paul and Babe behind, for which Milo was very grateful, as he didn't much care for the gigantic, looming sculptures. 

As our time on the coast came to an end, we were left with the most amazing goodbye gift--- 

one last California sunset.

We made it to Eugene late that night. We were all exhausted and beginning to realize that, while the last few days had felt like a strange, fun, very fast vacation, we weren't headed back home. We were off to a new place, with new people and adventures, and while it was very exciting, it was difficult not to feel a little nervous about everything. 

Our trip from Eugene to Seattle the next day was bittersweet, and the last hour or two before arriving at our new apartment, I felt quiet and talkative all at the same time, and I didn't mind when we got stuck in a little traffic because it gave me a little more time to digest the change. But we made it, and it wasn't raining, and the apartment we had never seen before was nice (with just the right amount of charming awkwardness). We're still getting settled, but I think things are turning out just fine. So stay tuned--- there are many new photo adventures headed your way!