This weeks adventure... the family adventure taking my daughter Sarah to begin her freshman year at Humbolt State University in Arcata, Ca. She and her big brother drove her car, which she wanted at school, and I followed in mine. It is quite the drive to Arcata. The first 8 hours landed us in Reno, Nevada, on a day that, convieniently, was Matt's 21st birthday. We stayed at a casino where he got to drink a beer and gamble a little to celebrate his big day. I think he rather enjoyed geting carded by casino security, which allowed him to proudly pull out is license that said he was, indeed old enough.
From Reno to Arcata is where the drive gets long as it is 6 hours of 2 lane highway. First throught desert rangeland, then through the forest up around Lassen Volcano National Park, then dropping into a valley were the city of Redding Ca. After that it seemed like we were home free.... only 140 miles to Arcata. As it turns out highway 299 is 140 miles of windy and steep mountain roads with lots of hairpin turns. It was quite a beautiful, but exhausting drive. I would have loved to take pictures, but since I was following the kids and couldn't stop with out loosing them I never had the chance.
We got to Humbolt last night in time to check into her dorm, a spacious (by dorm standards) campus apartment nestled in the redwoods. It's quite a beautiful place, with the campus on the hillside in the redwoods, with some spots overlooking Humbolt Bay.
Sarah, who was really nervous about starting school, made friends right away and spent her first night in the dorm. I joined her in the morning for orientation, while her brother checked out the town and local skatepark. By lunch time she decided she didn't need me at orientation after all, so Matt and I left to drive north along the coast. Wow, talk about beautiful!!!... and this time I was able to stop for pictures!!!
And what trip to the forest would be complete with out stumbling upon a giant Paul Bunyan statue?
No comments:
Post a Comment