I woke up on day seven to more rain. Imagine that. (Sense the sarcasm?) To accompany the rain on this day, though, were gale force winds. If I hadn't known any better I would've thought a hurricane was blowing into the West Coast. There was no way I was going to miss seeing my favorite lighthouse though, so I drove back out to Heceta Head. Like I mentioned before, the hike to the lighthouse was a 1/2 mile, which doesn't sound bad at all until you factor in the sideways rain and gale force winds! As I stepped onto the cliff that is home to Heceta Head Lighthouse my beloved umbrella blew inside out and the wind tried to rip it out of my hands. I closed it before it could be lost to the sea and went on about my mission to photograph my favorite lighthouse, which is really hard to do when it's almost impossible to keep the lens clear of water. On a normal sunny day I would've spent quite a bit of time taking pictures of Heceta Head, but I think I ended up only staying 10 minutes. It was too miserable up there and by the time I got back to my car my coat and pants were completely soaked.
I decided to stop at the Sea Lion Caves about a mile South of Heceta Head. It is the largest sea cave in North America and is home to many sea lions. They are very entertaining creatures even though they pretty much just lay there. Every so often one will swim in and try numerous times to jump onto a rock so he/she can be lazy.
After leaving the caves I drove back to Florence and then headed East towards Eugene. Eugene is home to the University of Oregon. One of my dad's heroes is a track legend at UO and is the reason Eugene is called "Track Town USA". Steve Prefontaine. Before I left on my trip my parents and I were talking about Oregon and dad mentioned that before his time is up he would love to run on the same track that Steve ran on. Well, due to that remark I made it a point to stop at OU. I got directions to Hayward Field and took pictures of the track. It is a very nice setup and the OU campus is gorgeous! It created feelings in me that I really didn't think I'd ever feel. All of a sudden I was wishing I had been able to attend a real University (not the online version I attended). Yes, I attended Chadron State College for a couple semesters, but I didn't like it at all. Universities are much bigger and seem to put out a different vibe than small colleges. I guess I should be thankful that I was able to earn my degree at all.
After leaving Eugene I headed toward Bend. The "little bitch" on the dash ended up leading me astray somewhere between Eugene and Bend. She took me up a scenic byway that happened to be closed about ten miles up the road due to snow on the mountain. I was a little irritated that I lost 20-30 minutes of my travel time, but I saw some very pretty scenery so it worked out. I was anxious to see Bend...my sister "lived" there quite a few years back and my family drove out to see her and when they returned they kept telling me how it is the perfect place for me. Well, after I finally made it over the mountain and into Bend I was slightly disappointed. It wasn't quite what I pictured, but I also didn't get to see much cause I didn't stop anywhere or go off the trail I was on. I have looked at Bend's website since I've been home and it is actually quite a pretty town. If I'm ever there again I'll take the time to check things out.
From Bend I took Highway 20 to Burns. That has got to be the most boring road ever! There isn't anything to look at and it seems to go on forever! I finally made it to Burns and took Highway 26 up to Canyon City. It was just about as bad as Highway 20. From Canyon City I drove to Vale and on over to Ontario. The drive from Canyon City to Vale was a little better...there was a nice canyon to drive through, but then it got rather boring again. I'm very disappointed in the Eastern side of Oregon. I got on the Interstate at Ontario and drove to Boise, Idaho, where I stayed in the nicest Motel 6 I've ever seen! By the time I got to Boise it was dark and time for bed. I wanted a cheap place to stay and I saw the Motel 6 so I took a chance (I've never been too impressed with the Motel 6 chain). I was pleasantly surprised when I got to my room. The room and bathroom both had laminate wood flooring and the bathroom was very spacious. If you ever go through Boise and you have to stay the night I definitely recommend the Motel 6 along the Interstate. :)
"To awaken alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world." ~ Freya Stark
"A traveler without observation is a bird without wings." ~ Moslih Eddin Saadi
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