Oregon and Northern California Road Trip; Summary and Wrap Up

Yaquina Bay, Oregon Lighthouse

Thank you for joining me on this journey. Now that I have been back home for a couple of days and have had time to process the trip, I thought I would write a summary, wrap up and recommendations.

My first thought about this hybrid planes, trains and automobiles road trip is that I always take too much stuff.  Way too much.  We were on the road for 17 days and I took everything but the kitchen sink, so to speak.

I took my laptop, my Wacom Intuous medium sized tablet and pen for use with Lightroom and Photoshop (which I didn't use), my mobile telephone, my iPad, my iPod, my Kindle, all the chargers, my camera gear (in the next couple of days, I will write a post on exactly what gear I took and how it functioned from a practical point of view, so check back), my Gitzo carbon fiber tripod, an extension cord, a 3-prong to 2-prong AC cord adapter, a Tripp Lite Traveler 3, combination 3 outlet AC and 2 USB port portable wall plug adapter and surge protector (which has come in very, very handy many times),  two small external hard drives, clothes for warm and cool weather, a medium weight jacket, a rain jacket with hood, a heavy chamois shirt (all for dressing in layers), along with all the shirts/jeans/cargo pants, socks, underwear and the other clothes and toiletries necessary, a couple of bags of mixed nuts, some protein bars, a water bottle and on and on.  Too much.  I guess I just don't want to be without my daily technology.

I would suggest that you take only half the clothes you think you will need and can always wash them.  Additionally, if you have forgotten something, chances are you will be able to buy it locally, at least in the United States, so there is no reason to try to take everything.

Amtrak

Book early.  Get a Sightseer Bedroom, not a Roomette.  You won't be sorry.  The Sightseer Bedroom will cost a lot more, but the level of comfort is worth it.  Also, I spoke with a number of people who had the Roomettes and they all said they would get a Sightseer Bedroom next time.

Amtrak's Acela Lounge in Union Station, Washington, D.C.

Take advantage of the first class lounges provided for Amtrak passengers who have bedroom reservations.  They make any layover wait much more comfortable as there are soft drinks, snacks, coffee, TV with news and/or sports, newspapers and very comfortable chairs.  They will also stow your luggage in case you want to venture out during your layover.

If there is a scenic part of your trip coming up, get to the Sightseer Lounge Car early as the seats will fill up quickly.  Those panoramic windows are nice, not only for viewing, but for making images.  On our train, in Denver, two employees washed the windows the length of the train--but only on the left side!  Go figure? 

Photographing through the windows of the train cars will cost you about 2 stops of light.  Set your ISO, shutter speeds and apertures accordingly.  There is a bit of a tint, so you will have to color correct your images.  A good reason to use RAW.  Watch out for reflections and dirt on the windows.

The most scenic parts of the California Zephyr are the Denver to Grand Junction portion and the Reno/Sparks, NV to Sacramento portion.  If you want to have a nice day trip, get on the train at one of the stops, ride to the other, spend the night, then return.  You will get the best of riding trains and scenery.

Road Trip through Oregon and Northern California



Hug Point, Oregon

We drove north on I-5 from Sacramento.  The first stop was Mt. Shasta City for lunch.  We always try to find small, locally owned and managed eateries to taste the local food.  We have not yet had a bad meal.  Look for the number of cars and pickup trucks in the parking lot.  That is a clue.  I could always go to a chain restaurant, but I can eat at a chain at home.  Why would I want to do that when going other places?

Ahead of time, we arranged to meet my cousin and her husband, who are full time RVers, in Sacramento.  Whenever there is an opportunity to connect with family or friends on the road, don't pass up the chance.  We had a very nice visit.  We haven't seen them in two years and it was nice to spend time talking, eating and catching up with each other's lives.

I normally don't travel by interstate highway, but we wanted to get to our first stop and had nothing planned for the first day on the road.  However, keep your eyes open for opportunities as you drive.  We made several unexpected stops along the way and I made some interesting photographs, even though we hadn't planned on doing so.

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to visit Crater Lake National Park.  We were told by everyone that it would be closed by this time of the year.  But, using the web, I was able to find their daily report and it reported that snow had been very light and the park was open.  We immediately changed plans to take advantage of that wonderful opportunity.  Always leave leeway in plans for unexpected changes that you may want to make.  Don't make your itinerary so tight, that you are forced to miss something memorable.

Often times, we base at a single hotel for a few days and go out in different directions each day.  That way we save taking things in and out of the car each day and can get to know an area better than just driving through.  We based in Newport, Oregon and explored north and south.

Sometimes you don't have the time to visit and do all that you want to do.  Make a list of what you couldn't do so you can return in the future.

Cannon Beach, Oregon

The Oregon coast is not quite a scenic or dramatic as the northern California coast.  The Oregon coast has a lot more trees that block the view and the cliffs are not nearly as high.  The California coast has 500+ ft. cliffs, no trees in most places and the drama of the rocky coast is much more visible.  That being said, the Oregon coast is much more populated with small towns, restaurants, service stations, hotels, etc.  Both are wonderful in their own ways.

If you are in the northern California area, don't miss driving the 31-mile Avenue of the Giants.  That is a treat.  Mile after mile of some of the largest coastal redwoods in existence.  This time of year, we pretty much had the place for ourselves.  I stopped many times, got out the tripod, placed it in the middle of the road and made images.  Additionally, it is so quiet and relaxing, the place is magical.  You shouldn't miss it.  We had stayed in Eureka, California and drove south several miles to reach the drive.  Again, don't miss it.

Sonoma Valley

In the Sonoma Valley, the main goal of our trip was to spend a week with irreplaceable friends, or more appropriately, family.  We spent seven great days with friends from childhood and their significant others.  I think time with these 6 individuals was the best part of the trip.  Human relationships cannot be overestimated in worth and great living.  All of us had a very nice time visiting vineyards, wineries and some of the towns.  We spent a lot of time in the hot tub sharing our lives and our stories.  I saw the Milky Way with my bare eyes for the first time in years.  It is almost impossible to see on the east coast due to humidity and light pollution.  Great memories!

Healdsburg, California was especially quaint and we enjoyed several meals there as well as strolling around town.  Additionally, we did some research on the area and found many interesting places to explore.  I made a lot of images in the Sonoma Valley.

Grape Vines, Sonoma Valley, California

Since we took the train out and had too much stuff to bring back by airplane, we bought a medium sized box at the post office and mailed dirty clothes and some other things back home.  That saved us from having luggage that would have incurred overweight fees when checking our bags at the airport.

Flying Home via Delta Airlines

What can I say about commercial flight.  At best it is unpleasant, at worst, it is miserable.  If the airlines would only not keep jamming people closer together with narrower seats and less leg room, it would be much more tolerable.  I could even tolerate all the security checkpoint stuff better, knowing that the flight would be comfortable.  But they insist on making as much money as possible instead of putting customer service first. 

After Delta canceled our flights and rebooked us on different flights, our trip home was unremarkable, with the exception of the 18 hours it took us to get across country.  Planes are crowded and uncomfortable.  I do, however, commend the flight crews on the great job they do everyday.  Being a flight attendant is not something that I would encourage anyone to pursue as a career.  They take too much abuse.

One final comment on TSA agents.  For all the hassle that you are put through, I feel blessed that they are there doing a good job of keeping us safe.  They are only the messengers.  They don't make the rules.  They are doing what they are instructed and mandated to do.  I appreciate their hard work and I tell them so.  I am a retired chief of police and I know what it is like to work day after day, year after year and only hear people complain.  Be thankful we have not had another terrorist attack by airliner since that dreadful September day 12 years ago.  And, as we now know, the TSA screeners are in the line of fire as one lost his life and two others were shot at LAX last week.  Talk about a thankless job!

We have found, over the past almost 40 years of travel, that some of the best times to travel is in March/April/May and September/October time frames.  Those times of the year are normally off-season, the crowds are much smaller, the roads are less crowded, prices have gone down and the weather is perfect!  We rarely travel during the summer or holiday seasons.  Many places' optimum time to visit is off-season.

If there would be one thing I would change about this trip, it would be to drive the entire journey.  As much as I like riding trains, there are so many more opportunities for exploration, meeting new people, being amazed and seeing this country up close when driving.  But, as of today, I don't think I would change anything about our trip.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me.  I will be happy to answer your questions or help you plan your journeys.

In a few days, I will post a comprehensive practical evaluation of my photo gear that I took with me.  I only took an Olympus O-MD E-M5 kit.  I think you will find it very interesting.

Thanks for looking.  Enjoy!

Dennis Mook
www.dennismook.com


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