The Return of the Raven, day 5

January 5, 2025

The Comfort Inn in Eureka had a surprisingly large selection of foods for breakfast - best I've ever experienced at an American motel. There was a local cooking show on the TV during our breakfast. I stuffed myself trying just about everything and then didn't have room to also eat waffles which you could make yourself.

We hit the road way earlier than the day before. I had been wanting to walk among the redwoods which because of darkness the night before we didn't get to do. I wanted to take a small cutoff road from 101 called the Newton B. Drury Scenic Pkwy. which would take us to such things as the "Corkscrew Tree" and the "Big Tree". I especially wanted to see the Big Tree and maybe there would be a Drury Lane off the Pkwy where, of course, the Muffin Man lives. But the road was closed. Either they simply close it each winter or because of all the recent big wind and rain storms there were too many sticks, and trees, on the road. It's also an area with a lot of trails that lead to the ocean - a large, rugged and remote area that a person could spend a month exploring.

So, that was a disappointment but not a big deal. We didn't get to see the Big Tree but we saw big trees. I remember one time when Andrea and I were in Kyaing Tung, Myanmar there was a Big Tree which they called the "Big Tree". It was planted by a king in the year 1115 and it was impressively big at 218 feet tall. It had had a baby nearby who knows when, which was also getting big. We called it the Little Big Tree. Sometimes I marvel at how witty we used to be. To be that witty but then to have such a hard time coming up with a nudge word!

It was a beautiful day, sunny sometimes, and we stopped many times to walk around a little bit and to look at the ocean. Just before we entered Oregon near Crescent City we saw a sign for the cheapest gas we had seen the entire trip; nearly half of what we had been seeing. It was the Elk Valley Tribal Fuel Mart. I guess the reservation does not have to pay state taxes which are the highest in the country. While I was pumping gas a video of elk butting antlers showed on the gas pump. Nicest gas pumps I've ever seen and also the bathroom was the cleanest and nicest I had ever been in at any gas station. Elk Valley Tribal Fuel Mart man, they know how to do it. Little did we know that the gas was a few cents cheaper just over the state line in Oregon but it was still worth it to experience the cleanest gas station ever.

If gas taxes are what is making the roads in California in such great condition I'd say the gas taxes in Oregon need to quadruple or more in order to get their crappy roads up to snuff. Some of the streets in Portland are in such bad shape that I'm certain they are much better in Mandalay, Myanmar, a third world country. Thailand's roads are smooth as silk.

We stopped at Arch Rock, Sea Lion Caves, and other not so famous places and decided the southern Oregon coast is one of the most beautiful places on the entire west coast. The thing about the southern Oregon coast is that there are state parks along the ocean every few miles.

We made it to our motel in Bandon in a drizzle. We had been excited to get to our motel in Bandon because we thought our room might be right on the ocean. It turned out it was just across a quiet street from the ocean and we had an "observation deck" just outside our room. The room took us aback at first because it was so old style and funky like we were in a cabin 50 years ago. As it turned out it was very cozy and super quiet.

We went downtown Bandon to find dinner and we chose Bandon Brewing because it seemed like everyone in town was inside. Besides beer it's a pizza place and we had one of the best pizzas I've eaten in years.

Once again I backed the Raven up all the way to touching the motel wall knowing that there would be no way anyone could open the hatch and that would pretty much have to happen to get two bikes out. Further insurance, we had cable locked the bikes together in two places so even if the hatch could open it would be pretty cumbersome to get the bikes out. We slept well in our old-style cabin-like room.

Bruce

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