Roadtrippin: California to Washington

After weeks of planning, organizing and getting ready for a move…it was finally time. Since I can no longer call Mammoth Lakes home, I packed up my truck and hit the open highway to bring my belongings up to Washington. I’m not quite sure where the end of the road is yet but Washington is my current waiting room and having a stellar season so far.

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My first destination was Lake Tahoe where I rode Northstar and Heavenly, met up with the Snowcial conference and hung out with rad people in the industry. It was quite the precursor to SIA and offered up a fun bit of riding before the storms hit California.

I left Tahoe right as the storms were starting to roll in (I know, crazy right). But I chose to have family time over snowboarding time. There are times in life when you realize how important family is and I’m now in that position. I gladly took a couple days off of snowboarding to be able to spend time with my brother, sister-in-law and niece in San Jose before visiting my grandparents in Red Bluff.

On Sunday, I finally hit the road to get a taste of the snowstorm that passed through and it was time to pass through the mountain ranges to get to Washington. I could have stayed on I-5 for the snowstorm but I wanted a scenic drive so I opted for hwy 299 to 101 up the coast. It gave me a chance to spend time on the ocean rather than in the mountains I’m always around.

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The mountains are always home but the ocean is always welcomed with a smile and excitement to see the waves crashing. It’s powerful and a great feeling to walk the coast. Hwy 101 is one of the most amazing scenic highways, well worth the detour and puts you in amazing views of the ocean along the California/Oregon coastline. Plus you get to drive through the Redwoods which are incredibly beautiful.

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If you’ve ever seen Star Wars Return of the Jedi, you’ve seen the Redwoods. They are massive trees that make you feel like an ant in the world. It’s incredible to walk among them and ever since I was a kid, they’ve held a special place in my heart because of their beauty. This drive, I was really set on driving Betsy my truck through one and capturing it on camera. There are only a couple drive through trees left and Betsy’s getting older, so it was time for her chance. We stopped at the drive through tree near Klamath and paid the $5 to get through.

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Finally on the way out of California, made sure to stop at Paul Bunyan and the Blue Ox to get a photo. I remember stopping here as a kid and how massive they are…they are still massive even though I’m taller.

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I made it midway through Oregon before stopping for the night near Eugene. It was great to reach my goal destination after a long day on the road and a chance to get dry. The coast was a bit rainy thanks to the storms rolling in.

Today I slept in later than usual but still managed to get into the Portland area around noon. Along the drive I thought about where I would stop in Portland and remembered that I had yet to visit the Multinomah Falls on Hwy 84 outside of Portland. I had driven by them but never stopped so it was time for a visit. The falls were breathtaking and even the smaller falls and hikes around the area were worth it. I got a couple photos, hiked up to the bridge and hiked around the Wahkeena Falls before calling it a day.

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It was a good feeling to cross the border into Washington State but an even better feeling to make it home to my mom’s place where I was reunited with my dog Capita. At the end of December, I passed her onto my mom to take care of her and bring her to Washington for me. It was a good choice but a sad one to make. Today I finally got to hug her and play with her again.

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It was a total of 1,353 miles of roadtripping but well worth the drive along the coast, visiting family and having time off the mountain. The travels have only started! Make sure you follow me on Twitter to get the latest updates and if you have instagram, follow Shayboarder!