It's a RooOOOAAADDD TRIIIIIIPPP!!! (Part 2)

Thought I forgot about this, didn't ya? DIDN'T YA?

Well I don't blame you but you were wrong nonetheless.

ROAD TRIP PART TWO GRAND FINALE LET'S DO THIS

So, where were we?

Ahhh yes, the merry band of travelers were waving goodbye to San Francisco and hello to Northern California – Land of Wine and Redwoods. 

We had unwittingly been pulled in by the pretty pretty colors of the Pride Vortex and were off to a rather late start, but luckily this was a short driving day – road trips are not always about efficiency my friends! We had our fourth and final traveler to pick up, you see, and she lived just a quick jaunt up the cost. Her house also happened to be rather close to several breweries, which was of particular interest to one member of our group. (When Carissa’s brother decided to join us, the decision came with several Priority One brewery stops attached…boy likes his microbrew)

Pretty coastline :)

Deer grazes on the cliffs at Point Reyes

Our leisurely meander up the coast served a stark contrast to the hectic urban morning of rainbow edibles and glittery pixies we’d left behind. Rolling green hills, content cows, and rugged coastline greeted us as we left the bustle of the city, morphing into increasingly dense conifer forests as we drew north and inland. I drifted off for a few minutes and woke up to a world of tree trunks.

We had reached the Redwoods.

I have dreamed of seeing the Redwoods my entire life. When I realized I would finally visit California, these trees were first to mind. Oceans and pretty people and wine are all nice, but they aren’t quite so unique as the towering Redwood trees – the closest thing to Ents this side of Middle Earth. If we had had an extra week I likely would have planned out its entirety north of San Francisco. Alas, our road trip was already halfway over.

The gang gave two days to wandering and driving through various groves (made much easier by the fact that you really can’t help but drive through Redwood trees as you head up the coast). Beginning in a little state park near Santa Rosa, we gawked through the Avenue of Giants, and said our farewell on a misty evening in mossy Prairie Creek State Park. While I include photos here, there is a reason that National Geographic-quality photos of Redwoods are inevitably fold-outs. No normal camera (or page dimension) can capture the incredible scale. Having said that, I do, of course, have the obligatory car-through-Redwood tourist shot. Gimmicky? Sure. Fun? Absolutely.

Carissa is wary of our tree overlords

Such a big tree trunk!

I approve.

Whoa! It's a CAR going through a TREE!

While saying goodbye to the Redwoods was the group goal for our Prairie Creek stay, I had an additional motive for the night. A gastronomic experiment taking marshmallow-based foodstuffs to new heights…of diabetes maybe, but definitely new heights! Remember those s’mores poptarts and my undying love for them? Waaaay back in Joshua Tree? Thought you had heard the end of them? NOPE. These babies are about to make a comeback in a big way. Campfire grand finale folks, step right up.

For I had saved the LAST TWO s’mores poptarts from a car full of twenty-somethings for FOUR days. Why you ask? Why would I do such a thing? Well, I knew we would have one more campfire on the trip. And that campfire was going to be at Prairie Creek. And I had made a promise to my cousin. To construct the Ultimate S’more. The “S’mores S’more: God of S’mores.” My night had come to make good on that promise. Thus, the s’mores s’more rose from mere concept to reality. From idea to fact. And I photo-documented the entire process.

Traditional portion (and middle layer) of S'mores S'more: Graham Cracker topped with full Hershey's bar

S'mores Poptarts roast on the grill as we skewer roast four marshmallows
(one for each side of the graham cracker layer) to a golden brown

S'more is assembled over the fire – double-decker gooey goodness

A glimpse inside the Ultimate Campfire Confection (yes it was as rich and delicious as it looks)

Saying goodbye to Prairie Creek and the Redwoods wasn’t easy, but we had half a day’s trip up to our penultimate stop: urban Mecca of hipsterdom Portland. I had managed to find our accommodations a couple weeks at a budget hotel. Turns out if we fit four people into a two person room, we could book the “beer package” and still come out better than a crappy hostel in San Fran on Pride weekend. Beer package included two beer tasting trays and a growler full of beer of our choice, just about perfect for our beer-lovin' crew. As an added bonus, the hotel had once been a gay bath house and guests had free access to the still functional salt baths. Can't beat a deal like that! We spent the afternoon lost in Powell’s Book City, possibly the best place ever, and the evening sipping beer in a fancy pool. As far as cities go, Portland ain't half bad. We didn't have long to linger though – the next day found us at the end of our journey.

Yes there were only four of us...Yes we ate them all.

We had time for a quick stop at Voodoo Doughnuts Too on our way out of town (no quick stops to be had in the downtown location, line out the door seemingly 24/7) theeeeen Seattle! The Final Destination! We had a great weekend full of pizza, (more) beer, and Frisbee before everyone parted ways. All in all, a wonderful tour of the coast with a fun bunch of people. While it's hard to beat South Africa, I wouldn't be surprised to find myself back on the West Coast in the near future.