decisions at the crossroads.

on our way from eugene, oregon to san francisco we made a critical decision at grants pass (as i'm sure many before us have done). we decided to go west and take the scenic and longer highway 101 down the northern california coast.

this also wound us through the giant redwoods of northern california. aitor had never seen them before (me, i once lived around these parts). he was pretty impressed at the huge trunks that extended down to the earth like the legs of dinosaurs. we needed to stop a lot to touch them.

when we got out of the giant tree park, i noticed that the sky was orange. for a brief momet i thought maybe all thr driving had affected my brain but then remembered all the forest fires smouldering through the state. it was weird. and spooky. and all the light that came through this orange sky was also orange, giving a day-glo martian glow to everything around, including us.

unhindered yet disturbed, we continued down the california coast, both very happy with our decision to take the 101. there is plenty to see and do on the trip - this is one of those strips of highway with plenty of both natural beauty and roadside america.





that paul bunyon up there is at the amazing tourist trap called trees of mystery in klamath, california. if you go there, paul will talk to you and say things like "i'm weight watchers' worst nightmare". it's pretty choice. we squished a penny, bought some post cards and splurged on a viewmaster (with archaic technology disappearing the way it has been, it seemed special to find one of these new - but maybe it isn't).

as we wound down to coast, we managed to sneak in a very quick visit to my old stomping ground of blue lake. it was very surreal for me to be back there. i spent my year of intense post-secondary education there and have only been back once since for a funeral. below is the old odd fellows hall that house the school i went to, dell'arte.



we managed to roll into san fransisco at a late but reasonable hour, full of excitement towards exploring this city and seeing how tomorrow's renegade craft fair goes.

hello, san francisco. leah tells us you are swell.