A year or two after moving to Seattle from Hawaii, almost a decade and half ago now, I felt the unexplainable need to see the Pacific Ocean. And so, one weekend, Bob and I drove to Ocean Shores on the Washington Coast. My heart sank. Where was the turquoise blue water and soft white sand? Why was the ocean now a dark dismal green? Even in the brief moments of sunshine, the sand was still gray and flat. I returned from our outing with a very bad taste in my mouth.
But time has an incredible way of shifting our perspective. It seemed like around every bend or rise and fall of US Highway 101, each breath-taking panorama of the Oregon coast was surpassed only by the next. I was surprised that we had not come across road signs warning visitors that excessive neck-craning could result in serious injury or that two hands should remain on the steering wheel in case of unforeseen moments of awe around the next turn.
FUN FACT. Scenic US Highway 101 is nearly 1,550 miles in length and runs along the West Coast of the United States, through California, Oregon, and Washington. Its southern end is the city of Los Angeles and its northern terminus is in Tumwater Washington.
TRAVEL TIP: If planning to visit the Sea Lion Caves, call ahead to see if they are in. On our visit, the sea lions were out to sea, fattening themselves for the upcoming winter season.
It became clear to me as I stared absentmindedly at the coastline that lead to our final hotel of the vacation, the Garibaldi House Inn in Garibaldi. The dark dismal green water, the gray flat sand, the overcast sky; they were all inextricable components of the beauty of this place. If one was missing or mismatched (say, instead crystal clear blue water), the overall effect would be a little bit off.
Hmm. Florence, capital city of Tuscany. Garibaldi, uniter of Italy. What were the travel gods getting at?
