Crazy Scenic Roads

The play in Ashland was a grand time. I do love outdoor theaters…even when there was a bird that kept swooping down just a little too close (and for me that’s saying something).

Now I’ve driven some winding, narrow, two-lane roads that twist around some steep cliffs on this trip. Those roads are ambling streets in a Sunday park compared to the one I drove out of Ashland to the coast. I turned onto this road and there was a giant sign in red and white. It read: Warning! Remote road. Watch for log trucks and ice slides. It was a sentiment echoed by my map, which had a stamp across the road – closed in winter. I thought well, one it’s Sunday so the logging trucks shouldn’t be a problem and two it’s summer. So I started up the road. It narrowed very quickly to a one-lane road.


“Road” is being generous. It was more like a paved strip that wound around rocks and trees. Although some of the rocks and trees were in the road or caressing its edges so that the one-lane road was more like a half-lane road. And calling it paved is also being generous. There were places where the road had fallen away down the hillside – no guardrails of course. Other places there were pot holes/sink holes or places were the right side of the road was a good three inches higher than the left side. Although can't I really complain when all these obstacles were pointed out to me? All the gaps, rims of holes, and exposed edges where the road had disappeared were outlined in white spray paint. Helpful...really…. I passed a few signs that said rough road ahead. These meant the pavement disappeared altogether. It just stopped…thunk, thunk…and picked up again 30 feet down the road. Through this whole trip I have never been scared on the road, but this one had me sweating. Especially when other cars were coming at me and wanted to pass and animals were not running across the road they were coming up through cracks in the road. There is no warning for that. I could go only about 20 mph…20 mph for 72 miles. It did have an excellent view. I’m just not sure it was enough compensation for the road.


From that insanity, I made it to the Oregon coast, which is indeed a unique and great place. I stopped at this overlook where there was a spout. I spent forever trying to get a good picture of the water eruptinig from the hole in the rock. I drove up the coast and ended in Portland where I am staying with a friend. Yesterday, we went to see Body Works 3. It blew my mind. If you ever get a chance to go don’t even think – just go. Today we are heading to the art museum to see artist renditions of the human body. It will be interesting to see how they compare.