A Summary of Our Fall Road Trip
How about these stats: 4090 ½ miles, 36 days, and five states?!
I never thought I'd have an opportunity to quote David Bowie, but I feel this pretty much sums up our road trip adventure, “I don’t know where I’m going from here but I promise it won’t be boring.”
To contradict Mr. Bowie, slightly, we did know, somewhat, where we were going as we had highly anticipated events and predetermined destinations at which to arrive, but what happened once there, and along the way were far from boring.
If our first night camping was to be any indication, we knew we were in for a fantastic adventure. Firmly planted in the sand dunes of Pismo, it was one of our more unique camping spots (and there were many). With that launch, we spent the first week nestled under Northern California Redwoods with our younger son and his family. While all together, we had the chance to better hone our grandparenting skills, experience some amazing history at an 1880s sawmill, and just enjoy being all together.
After our "see you soons", we headed north. We meandered through the Avenue of the Giants and their awe-inspiring beauty. We admired every quaint and adorable fishing village and little town on Highway 101. We camped on the Rogue River. We thoroughly enjoyed what Tillamook, Oregon had to offer from nibbling on cheese samples during a factory tour, to marveling at the architecture and history of a WWII Blimp Hangar.
A visit to Mount St. Helens reminded us of the devastation its eruption, 42 years ago, thrusted upon the people there, as well as the world. Mt. Rainier showed us the lush landscape of a volcano that has yet to explode. Both were exceptional history lessons in geology, and examples of such diverse beauty.
Our first highly anticipated event was the Autumn Leaf Festival in Leavenworth, Washington. We arrived on a Friday and promptly visited the History Museum to better appreciate all we were to experience. Matt, the museum President, was a fabulous teacher who shared the foresight possessed by the City leaders. Once a town almost abandoned, they saw the similarity of its setting to that of Bavaria. With a great deal of effort, creativity, and hopefulness, Leavenworth was turned into a European Village and the tourists came. It was a great success. In addition to offering us his vast knowledge, Matt, when he learned we had come with our own German folk costumes, invited us to walk with the museum in the 59th Annual Parade! Yes, Steve and I spent an entire morning waving to the crowds and 'pinching' ourselves at the wonderful opportunity we had been given. The event exceeded any expectations.
The small towns of Washington were as charming as those in Oregon. Each cup of coffee and pastry savored gave us time to pause and take it all in. The sights, sounds, and town folk were unforgettable.
Wallace, Idaho was our second planned destination with its Fall for History Weekend. Three days of guided, themed history talks based on the amazing story of this 1800s mining town. It's a place where residents describe it as "having a casual relationship with authority: gambling, red light districts, FBI raids and secrets hidden in its historic buildings." We devoured it all. It was a smorgasbord of delicious intrigue.
Montana's Big Sky Country revealed its unique history in Ghost Towns and National Park Ranches. It told of hardy souls and the need to preserve their legacies. The people were warm and welcoming and again, like every road we traversed, the small towns held surprising treasures.
Lastly, we plotted our path to Blackfoot for a tour, and dinner, at the Idaho Potato Museum. A friend had sent me a postcard from there, months ago, and this 'all things potato' went on my must see list. We learned more than we ever thought possible and enjoyed it all thoroughly. One never knows the impact of something sent through the mail.
Our trip was meant to be longer but we had some technical difficulties. We did get an unplanned detour to Tahoe to pick up some tools and reconnect with our Happy Place. Walks in the fall colors. Strolls to the lakeshore. Dinners with friends. It was the ideal conclusion to this Autumn Adventure. Yes, and as promised, not one of the 4090 ½ miles, 36 days, or five states was boring!
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