Spring Term has begun! After a week of hiking through the Redwoods, driving along breathtaking (and sometimes scary!) ocean cliffs, visiting family and friends, and, of course, a healthy dose of relaxation, it's back to the college grind. All of my professors have emphasized the importance of creativity, weirdness, and playfulness in their classes. I sense the beginning of a memorable term...
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| Mother daughter bonding in some of the most beautiful places on Earth! |
The day after St. Patrick's Day (aka the last day of finals) my mom picked me up bright and early in Eugene to kick off our road trip. We drove from Eugene to Brookings and continued along the coast along Highways 1 and 101 into California. The Redwoods were, as cliche as it is, breathtaking. I felt like a little Lego lady wandering through the forest. You couldn't even see the tops of the old growth. I kept imagining the Redwoods as Lincoln Logs, but for the children of giants who were building the cute little Empire State Building set (to scale!).
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| Looking for Ewoks and Hans Solo. |
We visited Jedidiah Smith State Park, which is where the Endor scenes in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi were filmed. I kept an eye out for the Chewbacca, but he must have been Spring Breaking elsewhere. But perhaps even more exciting than galaxies far far away was the Chandelier Tree, which is so wide a whole has been carved in it for cars to pass through. I'd seen it on many a vintage postcard or poster, but didn't realize it was still an attraction open to the public. I was the one behind the wheel as we pulled up to the colossal Redwood and despite the compactness of our little Ford Fiesta, I barely squeezed through the tree.
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| Just like they did in the Model T! |
Not surprisingly, our initially sunny Spring Break took a turn for the soggy two days in. In Mendocino nothing short of an atmospheric river opened up on us. But did that stop us from lacing up our boots and hitting the trails? Of course not! We hiked the Mendocino Headlands, which skirted the ocean making for dramatic scenery. The waves crashed into the rocks below our feet and foam floated into the wet sky. The fierce wind blew the rain away from our faces and the puddles into our eyes. To add to the awesome imagery, my mom spotted a person on a distant rock (inches from the merciless waves!) doing their morning yoga. I have enough trouble balancing in a perfectly still yoga studio... How that person kept their Zen on rocks in the middle of an ocean storm is beyond me...
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| Stanford Inn by the sea. |
Luckily we had the solace of our beautiful inn only minutes from the ocean, which just perchance was run 100 percent vegan. The delicious dining was vegan and the property had luscious gardens as well as a stable. Although I am not vegan, I enjoyed the food and respect the reasons much more now for a person to choose that lifestyle. For the moment I'm trying out vegetarianism. When college food service is cooking for me, it's especially easy to keep a balanced and satisfying diet without meat. We'll see how it develops.
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| Cheers to veganism! (And excellent chefs!) |
We left the Victorian seaside cottages of Mendocino and continued south to visit Fort Ross, an old Russian settlement, and eventually Bodega Bay. We did a gentle hike around Fort Ross, which yielded beautiful, sunny views. I've never seen so many wild calla lilies as I did that afternoon. My mom just sighed how beautiful they were and that was the flower she'd been thinking of when naming me.
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| Lilies thriving by the ocean-- I count myself among them. |
While I love the ocean-- its scent, its accompanying breeze, its vistas-- it was admittedly a bit unsettling to see sign after sign warning of tsunami. Hear a siren? Feel a quake? Run for the hills! There are environmental hazards wherever a person lives, but the idea of an impending "super tsunami" gives me goosebumps. Clearly it doesn't impede my love of vacationing by the sea; however, I caught myself now and then staring off at the horizon scanning for a blip in the calm. Spending time in nature, and especially near a churning ocean, is humbling. In the end, we're just specks on this planet merciless to the rumblings of the earth.
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| We enjoyed watching the surfers at Bodega Bay. |
At Bodega Bay, where Hitchcock's classic The Birds was filmed, we interestingly enough got the chance to do some birding ourselves. Thankfully the little ducks and egrets weren't as aggressive as Hitchy's. Post-Bodega we headed inland to the Sacramento area. It was wonderful seeing friends as well as my various family members in the remaining days of Spring Break. Ultimately, I'd say it was a successful vacation. I got sand in my boots, sun on my skin, hugged people I love, and laughed as we drove the winding road by the sea. I hope everyone had a lovely Easter and a wonderful spring! But for now it's time to study!