road trippin'

Here are some photos from a recent work-enforced road trip.  I had to do an IO at a lumber yard in North Bend.  North Bend is on the coast, about 2/3 of the way down to CA.  The IO was estimated to take about an hour; the drive would take about four hours each way.  Really?  I was not thrilled with assignment when I first got it, especially because they would not put a hotel in the budget and expected me to make the entire drive in one day.  But the weather was perfect and it turned out to be a beautiful drive, especially after leaving I-5 South and heading West along Highway 38.  The IO went smoothly and I learned a lot of new information during my first trip to a lumber yard.  I had some lovely views of the coast, and stopped for lunch in this darling town called Winchester Bay.  I had fresh Dungeness crab for lunch at Crabby Cafe.  There was also this awesome elk reserve but my photos don't show the elk very well so I didn't post them.  You're driving along the road and there's this sign that says "Elk viewing 1/2 mile," and you think, what, they're just sitting there on the side of the road?  But they are.   It's this elk reserve where no one can hunt them and this herd has been hanging out in this big field for more than 100 years.  Very cool.  The best part of the trip was that I spent the night in Eugene visiting my friend Shannon and her daughter Paige.  I of course forgot to take a photo while there, but it was great to see them.  And I didn't roll into the office until about 9:15am the next morning and no one cared at all.  Lovely.