Day 18: Going Back to California

The drive across the border was relatively easy and the scenery was beautiful. The Oregon coast is stunning but so different that anything you see in California. Cliffs and huge rock formations dot the coastline the whole way down. – October 8, 2017, 5:14pm,  Jedidiah State Park, California

While I was in Portland, I had seen pictures and art work of the “Oregon Coast” and it always drew me in.  Luckily, my drive from the lighthouse was about to take me right on down to see it firsthand. Forests, rivers, lakes and farms lined the sides of the highway making it one of the most scenic drives of my trip.  As I approached the coast and highway 1, I began to notice the differences between our California coast and this one.  The cliffs rise high above the water with very little beach beneath their massive rock walls.  The environment is harsh and cold but strikingly beautiful.

I crossed the border back into California with my sites set on Jedidiah State Park. Jedidiah was a State Park I had never heard of previously but as I began to research my route for this trip, I kept noticing it coming up among the most beautiful places in California.  When I left Santa Ana two and a half weeks ago my primary goal was to make it as far north as Jedidiah which obviously evolved into Oregon but Jedidiah was high on the list and it didn’t disappoint.  The campgrounds were crowded but I was able to secure a site settled amidst a grove of redwoods.  I parked my truck right in the middle of them and setup camp.

I pulled into Jedidiah a couple of hours ago and went hiking through two trails. One trail wound through the forest and the other was a slow downward trail to the beach/river. The river scenery was straight out a movie a la “without a paddle” and it’s a snapshot I turn to for a “picturesque camping environment.” I hung out down by the river and took some cool pictures soaking my feet in the water and listening to the steady motion of the water. – October 8, 2017, 5:14pm,  Jedidiah State Park, California

The forest trail was very informative. Little placards are set up along the trail explaining the significance of the different parts of the forest. I kept getting the feeling I was walking through Fanghorn forest which was not very far off. The creaking of the trees and the way the branches grabbed and tried to pull me to their roots felt as if the trees were alive just like the ents in Lord of the Rings. – October 8, 2017, 5:14pm,  Jedidiah State Park, California

That night I got one of the best sleeps I’d got on the entire trip.  I credit it to a long night of relaxing and sitting by the fire staring up through the redwood grove I was settled under.  The branches formed an umbrella over my campsite as pockets of starlight shone through, twinkling and blinking at me.  The night around my fire was black and cold but the light from the stars and the fire seemed to give me a spotlight in the darkness.  I fell asleep that night with the windows and curtains open, surrounded by the sounds of owls hooting, the gentle giant redwood sentries protecting me and the starlight flooding into my camper revitalizing me.