Pacific Northwest

Pacific Northwest

If you’ve been reading this thing, you know that I had a pretty full summer. That was all accomplished in the time I would have had off from school in a regular year. I was now presented with an entire autumn – something I never expected to see until I retired. Not wanting to waste such an amazing opportunity, I put together a plan to travel to the Pacific Northwest with my kayak. This is a trip I have been dreaming of for a long time and this was the perfect opportunity to strike.

In early September I put the (relatively) new kayak on the roof and headed westward. I had never traveled on I-80 further than the depressing town of Wendover for a poker tournament and it was all new desert as I crossed Nevada. I overnighted in Reno at my friend Bob’s and even got a small amount of poker in. I then continued west and crossed into the Golden State.

Lava flow remnants

Looking at my atlas, I noticed a big green spot between me and the ocean. In northeastern California lies “Lassan Volcanic National Park”, a place I had frankly never heard of. It turns out to be the most beautiful place I had never heard of. If you haven’t been there, put it on your list. Huge volcanic peaks, little cinder cones, thermal features and thick forest litter the park. I spent two days there and enjoyed some amazing hiking throughout the park. The weather was amazing and it was a nice break after two days of driving across the deserts of Nevada.

Coastal Oregon

Departing Lassen, I continued west towards the coast. I quickly crossed into Oregon and made my way up the coastal route. This is much slower than just taking the interstate, but the weather was so beautiful and I wanted to find a place to paddle. Herein lies an irony best appreciated I imagine with a degree in meteorology, with some oceanography thrown in for good measure. Sitting over the entire northwestern portion of North America was a huge high pressure system. The skies were clear, the sun warm and here in the rainiest part of the country was the most beautiful weather you could imagine. However, when warm air meets the cold gyre currents of the North Pacific you get, yes, coastal fog. It was 90 degrees and sunny two miles from the coast and when you got to the beach, it was 65 degrees and a hundred feet of visibility. Beautiful in its own way, but not ideal paddling weather for a solo paddler who doesn’t know the area. So I changed my plans a bit and did a bit of beach combing and hiking in various state parks along the coast. My plan was to get up to Puget Sound and hopefully find some more clear conditions there.

The beautiful coastline on a precious break in the fog

Not every moment was foggy, but between the bold nature of the western coastline and the ample opportunity to play on foot, I kept the boat on the roof of the truck. The seascape in this part of the world is absolutely beautiful and so different from the coves and embayments of New England. I had no problem finding ways to play outside. I particularly enjoyed the beautiful dunes of the northern Oregon coastline. And yes, I did manage to pick up a new beach sand for the collection.  

I made a brief trip inland to visit Reed college and a recent AP Biology alum Jonas. He gave me a great tour of the campus, quite the beautiful place. I've lived in apartments smaller than his dorm room! I then continued northward to Olympic National Park. More to follow....