The Road to the Coast

There are two ways to the Oregon coast around the midpoint of the state. Highway 20 looks like a straight run west from Highway 5. Highway 34 looks like a 45 degree angle southwest. Sounds like the best bet, right? I’m sure there’s a more convoluted highway somewhere. But I’ve never found it. The narrow road sweeps through the hills that separate the coast from the interior valley, bending back on itself endlessly. Fortunately, the scenery is striking. Old trees draped with lichen and moss backlit by the setting sun in the west. Fields of crops and cattle and christmas trees interrupted by open areas of clearcut. All the while my hands are glued to the wheel, following the contours of the road and racing the rivers to the sea. Eventually, I made the coast and realized the drive was worth the effort.
I pulled in to the Silver Surf Motel right on the water just as the sun was going down. The sound of the surf put me to sleep and woke me the next morning. Now, I can watch the breakers as the sun hits them and the morning mist burns off. Should be a good day.