This is a throwback post…It was the year 2015 and I had this crazy idea that I wanted to go to the West Coast and drive the 101. I had this craving to hit the road and I have always wanted to do that drive. I also, and this is where I start to sound crazy, wanted to get Luna to the ocean so she could play in the water. She is allergic to all water in the Upper Midwest and I wanted to give her an experience that other dogs get to enjoy – to swim and play and run on the beach.
I asked a family member to do the trip with me, she thought I was crazy because neither of us can stay awake for more than Minnesota. I asked my husband and he looked at me stone faced. So I planned to go myself. Like I said, the pull I felt to get out West was insane.
A couple days later my husband decided he wanted to give it a try! So we planned and packed and headed out for our 9 day trip, with no set plans. It took 2 days to get out to the West Coast. We slept in the truck in North Dakota and then again just outside of The Gorge. This was before we had the mega cab + memory foam mattress set up so it wasn’t the most comfortable.
Our first stop, and one of the reasons we slept that second night in the truck, was visiting my dear friend in the morning in Portland. She had moved out to Oregon from Minnesota a couple years back so it was a priority to see her. We met for a coffee and chilled for a bit. Then we got back in the truck and headed to Cannon Beach. What a great landing spot after that long haul in the car. We walked the beach and Luna ran like a crazy girl! She did try to drink the ocean water but learned fast that she didn’t like the taste. She chased the waves, other doggies, birds. She was living her best life, which is all I wanted. And she had no allergies to the ocean water =) Happy momma!
After the beach we went to a local spot to hike amongst the Redwoods. Luna did more off-leash exploring. It was magical. The hiking on the West Coast is still some of my favorite. I like to describe Oregon coast as if Hawaii and Ireland had a baby, where the ocean and the greenery create this magical experience.
That night we stayed at one of those little cabins at a KOA. We had all of the necessary bedding so this worked perfectly for us.
We were going to meet my friend for a hike the next day but we had to bail because Luna’s hips were so sore from the fun she had the day before. She was whimpering and we had to help her get around. This is also an important reflection for me as she hasn’t had hip pain since this trip. When we got home we made some changes for her in an attempt to cut down on this pain and it worked amazingly. We changed her diet, we keep her fit and exercised, and we keep her at a lean(ish) weight. Since that trip we have hiked many mountains and she hasn’t experienced pain.
So we continued our drive down the Coast. That drive is still one of my favorites. The windy road that weaves along the ocean and the hills, with logging trucks flying by at what seems like 100 mph (watch out for those fuckers!). The following days we did some hiking but kept Luna close and she managed just fine.
One of our next favorite spots was Bend, OR. This is the cutest town inland a bit, with a beautiful backdrop of the Mountains. We were there on the day after Thanksgiving and it was like a movie. Families were out pushing their kids in sleds, throwing little snowballs at each other in a playful manner. Other families were walking along the little Creek that runs through town, smiling and drinking the most perfect cup of hot cocoa. End Scene
The drive out of Bend was a 2 lane road across ranchland on the way to Idaho. It was the morning after snow and ice and it was the World’s iciest road. There were cars in the ditch everywhere, which was confusing to us as there were no people. Like, where did the people go? How did they get saved? So we drove at a snail’s pace, listening to Christmas music.
The road eventually got better and better, but took us a lot longer than we had anticipated. And then we had another detour. As we were driving along the road in Idaho I spotted 2 people on the side of the road getting towels out of their car. I yelled “HOT SPRINGS!!!!” I asked my husband to pull over but he didn’t want to so he kept driving. It took about a mile but I talked him into turning around. I mean, how often do you get the opportunity to pull off the side of the road and take a dip into a hot spring? We drove back to the couple and sure enough, they told us there was a hot spring about a mile in. So we tossed our swimsuits on (not realizing they hadn’t taken this step…wink wink), put our winter clothes over them, grabbed the towels and hiked in about a mile. There is was! There was a large hot spring that fit a lot of people and it was medium-hot. There was a small one right next to it that fit only 4 people and it was hot-hot. It was the perfect remedy after our stressful icy drive. We let the natural minerals of the hot springs soak away our knots and stress. The air was fresh, the ground recently covered with snow, the creek running right next to us and mountains in the background. This is ingrained in my memory forever. Also ingrained in my memory is having to keep pushing Luna out, she thought she needed to soak her tight hips. haha
From there we stopped in Boise at one of my new favorite Whole Foods for snacks for the final trek. I’ve always enjoyed eating as clean on the road as I do at home. Ain’t no fun traveling with a belly ache! The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful and we made it home safe. Only to crave going back again (which we did the following year).
If you ever have a chance to get out to the Oregon Coast, please do! It’s astonishing. Bring your hiking shoes so you can get up close and personal to the Nature, the trees, the moss, the fresh air. I think this trip was when I really learned about the healing powers of Nature. It filled my soul in ways I didn’t know was possible. It also fueled my love for our family road trip adventures!!! There have been many since, and we’re not stopping =) And that, my friends, is my favorite way to put the “adventure” in Adventurously Healing.
Onto the next Adventure,
EZ E
