Saturday, August 16, 2014

Bellevue, WA to Florence, OR

I left home about 10:30 this morning and arrived in Florence, Oregon around 5:00 p.m. Before I even tried to find my hotel (I didn't have directions), I headed to the sand dunes and the beach.

What was I thinking when I decided to climb this very steep sand hill barefooted?
Because the ocean was calling and therefore, I must go!
Good exercise after sitting in the car all day.

Worth the climb!


 
The drive was fine, but it was I-5 and its usual slow spots and stupid drivers. I was anxious to get off the freeway. I headed west once I arrived in Eugene, OR. and the drive was so much more enjoyable. Rolling hills and startling green forests.
 
Interestingly, because I-5 is so boring, I decided to listen to one of the audio books I had recently purchased - "Inferno" by Dan Brown. So far the story has taken place in one location - Florence, Italy. Guess where I was headed?? Florence, Oregon. Okay, so maybe only I find that to be interesting . . .
 
After the sand dunes I went looking for my hotel, The River House Inn. The river is the Siuslaw River, which I had driven parallel to the last several miles of my drive today. I was delighted when I learned the hotel was in Old Florence. Lots of quaint little restaurants and shop on Bay Street. The beautiful bridge, which is right next to the hotel, is Highway 101, which will be my constant companion for the next several days. I checked in and walked to the Bridgewater where I had a wonderful meal of sautéed prawns, brown rice, a fresh green salad, and marionberry cobbler. Yummy! A good first leg of my journey.
 
Highway 101 over the Siuslaw River in Florence, OR.

It's hard to see, but there are huge sand dunes in the background.

A beautiful view from Bay Street

The front of the River House Inn.



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