Road Trip Days Two & Three

We did some research and found out that it's quite a journey from Portland to San Francisco, especially if you choose to go the pretty way, which we definitely planned on, so we broke our travels up into two days.  The first day we drove from Portland to Crescent City, California which was around 7 hours along the coast.  It's so interesting to watch how the coast changes the further south you go.  The Oregon coast is almost eerie, but in a magical and beautiful way.  It's truly haunting, and you almost feel like you're in a dream standing on the cliffs above the foggy shore.  We stopped for a bite to eat in Newport, a small coastal Oregon town.  I quickly read a few Yelp reviews as we were making our way into Newport, and chose a highly-rated bayside restaurant called Local Ocean Seafoods.  Boy, were we super happy when we left that joint.  Superbly fresh fish and oysters!  It was such a treat for us, since we're both seafood fiends, and we had been wanting to try some quality west coast seafood since the start of our trip.

As you move down into California, the fog clears and you can see the bright, lively creation that is the Pacific Ocean gleaming up at you.  It reminded me of the end scene in The Little Mermaid when her father finally casts a spell to give her legs so she can become human and live on land with Prince Eric (the dreamiest prince, in my opinion).  The water is sparkling as she rises out of the water walking towards her lifelong dream and love.  A little dramatic, I know, but I just couldn't help but think of that as I looked out upon the endless blue.

The closer we got to San Francisco, the further we drove into the Redwoods and wine country, which was pretty exciting for me.  Unfortunately, it just wasn't in the time or books to make a stop there, but next time we venture out west, you can bet your booty I'll be guzzling some Napa/Sonoma Valley wines.  At one point, we literally drove right past the Coppola Winery, and I freaked out a little so I tweeted at them and they replied to me saying they waved as I passed by!  I like those folks.