Here's The Plan

Besides all the plans I wrote down, we had a new plan that my Mom came up with when she realized she couldn't see us soon enough! When we woke up in Eureka, and were about to hit the road again, I'd give her a call, so she and Ron could make their way south. We would meet about half way. We had cereal in the hotel, packed our stuff up, bid a fond farewell to the fun and restful hotel, called Delia, then went into town for a quick browse.

We didn't expect to find any open places at this hour, but we were happy we could get some hot drinks, and a couple of bagels. There's a happy comfort in walking into familiar places, like Los Bagels. It had that welcoming glow, outside and in, that is inviting on a cold, early morning in a quiet town.

Exchanging glances with Maria, her ready for her breakfast, and me behind my phone/camera. I promise... I let her eat in peace, and was only having a bit of fun. I gave Delia an update. We walked a little more, filled the gas-tank, then pointed ourselves northward, again.

Another plan: See more of Eureka on our way home, hopefully, when some of these shops would be open.

On the map: Elk Meadow Day Use Area. It's a favorite, familiar stop. This time we got really lucky. It was quiet in the entry area, so we drove further into the preserve, and found no crowds, only elk. Many elk, including a fawn or two. We got out, walked a ways, came back around and just watched, admired, those beautiful animals. It was misty, cool. We still had a long and winding drive ahead of us, but these were calm, soothing moments.

I am absolutely open to seeing new places, trying new things. Also... I absolutely love seeing the same familiar places. Especially in the middle of a long drive, it really helps to see a landmark, to remind myself I am making progress, to be fairly certain of clean bathrooms. Another place to stretch our legs, check our Plan, and recall times we've stopped here before and had a laugh. From here, we continued northward, gingerly navigating the massive rockslide section just south of Crescent City, and at last to the spot where Ron and Delia arrived and we hugged and hugged, again. I took my Mom into our van, so we could commence right away with catching up, as we drove the last two hours of the long drive into Oregon.

All this time, Maria had been signing into her online class every night. She had a deadline for a health class, and depending on wifi etc, she got as much done as she could. She's diligent and patient, but the timing was a stinker, and the class was boring, to be frank, which is often worse than "challenging" or "compelling." Our first night at Mom and Ron's she had to excuse herself and work at the class. The sun sets so late, and I was so happy talking and sharing with Mom, getting all caught up, that it was nearly midnight when I went to crawl into bed. And there was poor Maria asleep on the floor. She'd got a lot done, before falling asleep. That darn class was an unwelcome ride-along for the entire vacation, unfortunately.

One way or another, all the plans worked out. We made it to Oregon, to the little house in the woods, where Delia and Ron live.