27 October 2022
It was now time to return to Seattle, having already bought a cheap flight ticket from there back to Boston, Massachusetts, our US exit point back to Europe.
Rather than take the same route back, we headed off in a south-westerly direction across Wyoming and Idaho towards Medford, in Southern Oregon. Medford would be our starting point for another 250-mile road trip up the Pacific Coast to Astoria, before heading over the state border back into Washington, and finally, to Seattle.
While our 850-mile trip to Medford was largely unspectacular, we did at certain points come across monuments erected to commemorate the passage of the Oregon Trail, one of the two main emigrant routes to the American West in the 19th century (the original road trip?) It stretched for about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) and was the main means for hundreds of thousands of emigrants to reach the Northwest from the early 1840s through the 1860s. It crossed varied and often difficult terrain that included large territories occupied by Native Americans. We could only marvel at the courage and resilience of these pioneers, overcoming all obstacles before them on their epic journey in their little covered wagons.
We spent the night in Medford and then drove north on the I-5 over the central Oregon mountains before heading west on the OR-42 to Coos Bay, a three-hour drive. Over the next week, we would work our way up the Oregon Coastal Highway to Astoria, discovering its ruggedly beautiful coastline with endless sandy beaches and dunes, dramatic rock formations, craggy headlands and soaring cliffs.
We cannot mention every stop we made but the highlights would certainly include the following:
the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport is a must-visit; (we actually stayed 3 nights in Newport, at the Little Creek Cove Beach Resort, directly on the beach)
the Oregon Dunes, stretching 40 miles between Florence and North Bend, which transport you to another world
the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, with natural attractions which include the Spouting Horn, Devils Churn, Cook’s Chasm and Thor’s Well.
the Sea Lion Caves, just off Route 101, with a vaulted rock dome some 38m high, and home not only to sea lions but also sea birds including cormorants and bald eagles.
Cannon Beach with its incredible rock formations
Seaside, the aptly-named classic resort town with a two-mile boardwalk
Raymond – yes, it really exists, we were there
Astoria, one of Oregon’s oldest settlements at the five-mile-wide mouth of the Columbia River, offering bucket loads of seafaring history and pretty neighborhoods, with lovingly preserved Victorian-era homes (many now delightful B&Bs) in the heart of town.
After Astoria, we headed back inland to Olympia, the state capital, for the night and finally made it back to Seattle, our starting point, the next day.
All in all, our Oregon road trip lasted just over 2 weeks in which we travelled nearly 3’000 miles across 5 different states and widely-different landscapes; we had seen some wonderful sights and had unforgettable experiences that we shall treasure forever.
There is something special about a road trip in the USA - the wide, open spaces, the sense of freedom...it’s a uniquely American experience. Traveling seems to be ingrained in the history of the country, starting with the wagon train heading out West in the 1840s, continuing on with the great exodus out west in the 1930s during the Great Depression to the 1960s hippie-led road-trip era. These people were perhaps seeking wealth, freedom, discovery, adventure: they were trying to figure themselves out, to go beyond their limits, or just places they hadn’t been.
Apparently only 36 percent of Americans have a passport but in reality, Americans don’t need to travel internationally. Traveling through the U.S. by road gives you everything you want out of travel: different cultures, different cuisines, different dialects and geography. Few other countries have the diversity of nearly the entire globe within one border. You just can get in your car and get to experience deserts, mountains, oceans, lakes, bayous...
What did it teach us? Well there were a few learnings. The most interesting sights and experiences were when we left the interstates for the back roads. Also, to be open to talking to other travelers we met along the way because sometimes they’ll point you to destinations and routes you’d never have considered. It is also good to have just a general idea of where you want to end up, without trying to “make good time.” Be flexible in your planning. A luxury we could actually afford.
Another learning - not specific to this road trip, but in general to our whole travel experience over the past 6 months - was that the most rewarding experiences were when we pushed ourselves out of our comfort zone and immersed ourselves in places that were very different than home.
We did not set off to “discover” America, if anything, we learnt that there is no “real” America; maybe just different versions of it, depending on where you were and who you were with.
Perhaps, in the end, you just discover more about yourself.
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