Day 3: Gondolas and grandpa's game of grab ass

Good morning from Willits, CA, home and final resting place of Seabiscuit, where the Super 8 will be getting the worst Yelp review yet.  Yesterday started off in Coos Bay, OR where I had hoped to make a visit to Cape Arago on the advice of Sam.  But the morning's blog took longer than expected to write, so I immediately hit the road and made my way south out of town on 101.

Much of my drive along the coast the previous day took place at night, and as a result, I didn't realize the spectacular scenery I was in the middle of until my drive out of Coos Bay.  By the time I left town, the morning's fog had lifted, revealing incredible views at every turn along the highway.  It was difficult to resist the temptation to turn off onto each of the many overlooks that dotted the highway, particularly because my goal was to make it down to Oakland by evening which was still another 9 hours away.  

Temptation proved to be too great, so I turned off near Port Orford, OR, which provided the most incredible views of the trip so far. Sheer cliffs to my right that fell off into the deep blue Pacific, with large rock formations dotting the shore.  Wind surfers and kite boarders taking advantage of what appeared to be ideal wind conditions.  Some old couple making out in the parking lot next to me.

I hopped back in my car before grandpa's little game of grab ass seared its indelible image into my brain and headed further south.  

A short while later, I encountered another turn off that proved to be too tempting and snapped a few pictures.  A little further down the turn off was a group of 4 motorcyclists who asked if I would take their picture.  As each one lined up next to his bike to pose for the photo, all I could think was, "no matter what you do, don't knock the bikes down domino-style or they may toss your ass over the side of the cliff." (That's two Pee Wee's Big Adventure references in the last two days if you're counting.)  I didn't and they didn't, so I hopped back in my car and was on my way.

Coastal views eventually gave way to thick, lush redwood forests as I made my way into California.  Signs along the way pointed to Trees of Mystery a few miles ahead.  I had no idea what could be so mysterious about trees, but the signs offered gondola rides to the top of the forest, which is all it took to reel me in.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I was immediately disappointed Tanya wasn't along for this part of the trip.  It was precisely the type of tourist trap we lived for during our trip out west last year, right down to the giant Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues that greet visitors in the parking lot.  After a quick trip to the souvenir shop, I made my way up the half-mile trail to the gondola station and snapped a few pictures along the way.  

As I got to the station and boarded the gondola, I immediately wondered why I hadn't thought things through a bit more.  I'm pretty afraid of heights and the thought of dangling hundreds of feet above the ground suspended from a 3-inch cable all of the sudden became pretty unappealing.  But at that point it was too late, so I got in, immediately started playing a game of Ticket to Ride on my phone, and pretended none of this was happening. 

Throughout the 5 minute ride to the top, the car would periodically stop and dangle in midair as new riders entered or exited cars at the top and bottom.  Those 20 to 30 second intervals provided an excellent opportunity to consider your mortality and how it would be a very inopportune time for, say, an earthquake to strike.  Luckily, that didn't happen and I was able to muster enough courage to snap a few pictures.  Yes, I know there's bird poop on the gondola window.

I spent a few minutes at the top to enjoy the view, then headed back down to get back on the road.  At this point, it was clear I wasn't making it to Oakland that evening, so I took a little more time along the route, stopping in tiny Orick, CA to take part in my fantasy football draft that was taking place that night.

From there it was on to Eureka, CA and eventually here to Willits where the day's activities ended.  Today I make my way into Oakland to pick of Tanya and catch up with some other friends.  Then it's on to SoCal where more memories will be made.