In Sparwood, BC there is “the world’s biggest truck” you can’t miss… and having tried some Fernie Brewing Co deliciousness, we had to stop off when in Fernie, BC! Crossed the border into Idaho just in time to watch the sunset in Sandpoint, ID.

As we headed into Washington the sunset got even more dramatic!

Spent the night in Spokane and headed on to Oregon.

After all the long drives - Shawn tucked us in to Seaside, OR to relax. The beach and dunes just steps from our deck were perfect. Headed to Fort George Brewery + Public House in Astoria for dinner - and the growler design was so good we had to bring one home.

The next morning - we cruised down the coast - and had to try one of the Pig N’ Pancakes. Also stopped off for a peek into the forest at Hug Point.

Stunning viewpoint of the Oregon Coastline!

When we cruised past the Tillamook Cheese Factory we had to stop… and wow! It was far more delicious than expected. You can see all of the factory lines, learn about the history, taste all their cheese, shop the stores, have lunch, and even get some of their extensive ice cream line!

Shawn hyperlapsed the factory at work…

So much cheese! The Special Reserve 15 year Sharp Cheddar (in black) is especially delicious!

To celebrate Bucky’s 2nd birthday - at Cape Lookout State Park, we couldn’t resist a hike out to the edge… it’s incredible how much he’s matured, learned, and experienced on our roadtrip!

We ran into a porcupine, banana slugs, millipedes and more… and he couldn’t have looked happier as we peeked out at the stunning views…

You can DRIVE ON THE BEACH!!! Well, in some spots… this was one of the few open during the summer, so we had to try it with the NOTFZJ80!

As you can see Bucky was thrilled to go nuts and sprint all over while we cruised out on the beach…

Peering into the Devil’s Punchbowl, OR!

Stopped off in Newport, OR for dinner at Local Ocean Seafoods - and the best part was the view from our upstairs corner table watching the seals and boats - and the new home of NOAA as well as Rogue Ales across the harbor. Popped into Rogue Ales to discover they not only have amazing beers (you walk through the stills to get to the pub/restaurant) but also dog treats made from their grains as well as small batch sodas.

We spent the night in Coos Bay, and we wandered down to Bandon for coffee/breakfast and found the delicious jellies of Cranberry Sweets - particularly amazing are their Deschuttes Brewing Inversion IPA Beer Candies! Had we known how good they were when i impulse bought them, we surely would have gotten more.

In Port Orford, it was hard to resist turning up to see the view with a road like that… at the top we saw whales plashing about!

Gorgeous!

We took some time to just run and play along the beach near Gold Beach. The smoothed rocks and driftwood were everywhere… and bucky would run and chase rocks we’d throw into the waves… sometimes digging holes to find them… and get surprised when a waved came up and filled them in!

The sun was popping through the clouds shimmering on the sea.

We worked out way down the coast and back into California aiming for the Redwood National Park… joking that a sign for Elk was going to be a false warning once again, we turned and saw about 3 dozen!

The redwoods make the NOTFZJ80 look tiny! And us even smaller… The fog and sunset were coming, but we decided to hike down into the Tall Trees Grove. We didn’t see another person, the trees were beyond huge, and it was dark by the time we were coming back to the car… all making it even ore surreal.

Working our way down further to Fort Bragg for the night meant a crazy drive… as we headed out of the Redwoods, this family of deer decided to walk in front of us for over 5 minutes! Walking and eating leaves from the middle of the road. Surreal.

Taking the 1 from the start was a crazy drive in the darkness… twisty turns and intense fog bursts and huge trees for about 30 miles was quite an adventure… we encountered tons of deer, including two pygmy deer!

Getting in and hunting for a motel in Fort Bragg at 2am we ended up at the Beachcomber Motel who had a pet friendly room… where pet friendly means a dog house and dishes in the room… a doggie door to their own fenced in mini yard with another dog house… which is inside the little dog park (that you need your room key to access)… as well as special dog treats, towels, and sheets!

Continuing down Mendocino County we had to stop off near the lighthouse to see the sea lions. The rocky striations are quite the sight to behold…

Reading up on the Stornetta Public Lands - parts of which have only recently been protected - are stunning! Next time we’ll have to do the hike along them to see all of the landscape - it’s especially incredible to see where the ocean floor has been pushed up at such intense angles, looking at the striations, caves, tidepools, and sandstone patterns, structures, and colors are breathtaking.

Looking down at my feet - the patterns below were incredible!

And from there - we basically rushed our way down California to get back to LA with a quick pit stop in Petaluma then down the 5… WHAT. A. ROADTRIP. I’m still processing and recovering from our incredible adventure - i’m sure it will continue to surprise me how many things Shawn, Bucky, the NOTFZJ80 and I have all experienced and seen for the first time this trip!