Of ducks and fog and forest

The next few days all ran together on my camera, so I'm just going to cover them all in one post.  We went to the Oregon Ducks v Washington Huskies game in Eugene and had a great day.  The people we'd met in Portland were able to send us along to a McMenamins around the corner from the stadium, so we were well fed.

Every now and then the road just disappears into cloud.

A great day was had, watching the Ducks build momentum and eventually demolish the Huskies.  We spent the afternoon 'tailgating' with the people of Oregon.

The next morning we headed for Eureka, taking an amazing drive to the Californian coast.  Redwood forests are spectacular.  We drove in and out of cloud all day and eventually descended to the Pacific Ocean.

"Is there a corner coming up?" "Probably."

And then, one Monday morning, we came down a stretch of highway and saw the Golden Gate Bridge around the corner.

Oh hey, I know that bridge.

The Talk had recommended a great hostel in the middle of downtown San Francisco.  The Skeptic and I took off for a run to the top of Lombard Street, hoping to get some photos of the sunset.  We were too late.

The Oregon coast

After three months of solid drinking I had a hangover coming, and by God I got one that overcast morning in Oregon.  The Skeptic and I struggled out to breakfast and back, then we tossed our stuff into Maggie and made for the coast.

One of the great folks we had met the night before had suggested we head to the Oregon coast to see the Haystack.  I begged the Skeptic to drive out so I could sleep in the back of the car.  I regret this; I missed one of the best drives of the trip, through forest and along rivers.

Haystack Rock is the third biggest monolith in the world.

The coast itself was worth seeing; not the bright sunshine and white-sands sort, but the clouds and white-caps.  A foreboding sea.  The best kind.  There was also some kind of giant sand hill but if you've been to Fraser Island it wasn't all that impressive.

This is what happens when you order onion rings.

We ate at the Pelican (this has very much become the brewery tour of the West Coast), and hit the road again, making for Rice Hill.  Rice Hill is about 45 miles south of Eugene.  There is nothing in Rice Hill.

A day on the river

With only one full day in Portland, we took off across the nearest bridge to explore the CBD.  Downtown Portland is nice, but next to the sights of New York, London or Berlin it wasn't all that impressive.  It had its charms though.

Sitting on a big, smooth river, Portland felt a lot like home.

In the afternoon the Skeptic and I went for a run along the Willamette River.  It was a stunning day, and we both took our cameras.

There are loads of bridges in Portland.  This is one.

We weren't the only people out; Portland seems to be home to a number of active people.  There were a lot of runners, cyclists, rowers and dragonboaters out in the afternoon sun.

For those who care, this is a sixteen; sixteen sweep oars.

In the evening we went out to sample some local beers, of which there are many.  We started the night at Tug Boat.  Because of the volume of hops grown in Oregon, all of the local beers tend to be very strongly hopped.  After a few beers there we moved over to Bailey's Tap Room.  This brought the dual introductions of my new favourite beer and the people we would hang out with for the next couple of days.

The people of Oregon are incredibly nice, fun and borderline alcoholic.

Seattle to Portland via the 101

We took Interstate 101 from Seattle to Portland because it took longer and was more scenic, we had been told.  That turned out to be good advice, and we were treated to more wonderful fall colours as we drove south.

The further south we drove, the more colours we saw.

Enough to make photos worth taking.

Otherwise we had a fairly uneventful drive.  We went the long way, out through Aberdeen (which reminded me a lot of Ballina) and Astoria, which had an awesome bridge to cross.  And a deer jumped across the highway in front of us, but I was driving and couldn't get a photo.

Behold! Biker dog!

We did a quick internet search for a good dinner spot, and were pointed to the Hair of the Dog, which was supposed to do some great beers.  What it did was strong beers, starting at 10%, as well as a tasty braised rabbit and some fantastic roast mushrooms.

Dark beer, dark chocolate.  Perfect dessert.

They also sold locally made dark chocolate, which we felt it was our duty to sample.  It was very good, and well complemented by the dark beer served by the brewery.