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Road Trip: Day 4
Posted on September 1st, 2012 No comments
View Larger MapAh, that was a refreshing. After the past few long days, only spending 4 hours behind the wheel seemed relaxing. I had planned on sleeping-in, but the other patrons at the hotel didn’t get that message… at 6am they started to leave their rooms (and slam their doors). Eventually I just got out of bed and hit the road.
The weather around the coast was overcast, which made for nice cool temperatures. It was interesting to hear how much louder my exhaust was with the cold/dense air. Fortunately there wasn’t any fog, so the views of the Pacific Ocean weren’t spoiled. I even found a place to pull-over to take a quick photo.
Several times on my trip I’ve seen hitch hikers on the side of the road… I keep thinking to myself; what it would be like to pick one up? I know it’s not something I’d do, but it would be kinda fun to see their reaction to my driving in the turns.
The drive on US199 from Crescent City up into Oregon was a bit hit-and-miss. The road was good, but all the weekend travelers made for lots of slow sections. There was one time I got stuck behind a minivan driving 35mph (in a 55mph zone)… seriously? To make it even worse, they wouldn’t use any of the turnouts! I can understand slowing down in the corners, but even if you have a screaming/puking kid in the back seat… there is no excuse for going that slow.
When I eventually got some clear road ahead of me, I started playing a new game… how far can I coast in neutral without using the brakes. With two lanes to use (and light traffic) it was great fun to setup the corners, drop to the apex, and run-out onto the straights… trying to stay as smooth as possible.
Once I entered Oregon the road straightened-out, but I was OK with that… it made for quick travels. Besides, I kept thinking about the new sticker I was able to add to my state map!
I arrived at my hotel early in the afternoon and settled-in for a relaxing evening. Tomorrow I have a nice day of mountain climbing, and might even rendezvous with my parents at Crater Lake!