Day 10: Oregon
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What a mystical land! The first goal of the day was to visit the regionally famous Bagby Hot Springs in the Mount Hood National Forest. I immediately knew that we had just entered a magical land when I looked down and saw glitter on the trail and trees shining in the morning light. It wasn't too into the glitter as it is not a native species of the Oregon forests, but the landscape was still breathtaking. Our hike down the main trail led us to the springs and all that was left to do was wait about an hour for a tub to open. Bagby Hot Springs uses wooden tubs constructed and maintained by volunteers. We met some interesting folks from the area who suggested other places to check out, but unfortunately I've already forgotten each of their suggested sites.
Moving on! We travelled through Oregon on Interstate-5 all the way to a Denny's in Grants Pass, OR. Wonderful meal.
This whole day went really fast and ended around midnight when we made the final push through the northern tip of California to the Pacific Ocean in Crescent City! Tears were flying as we ran to the cliff's edge to throw our fists in the air and celebrate this monumental moment.
Moving on! We travelled through Oregon on Interstate-5 all the way to a Denny's in Grants Pass, OR. Wonderful meal.
This whole day went really fast and ended around midnight when we made the final push through the northern tip of California to the Pacific Ocean in Crescent City! Tears were flying as we ran to the cliff's edge to throw our fists in the air and celebrate this monumental moment.
Day 11: Higway 1
What a day this was! First we saw the Redwood Forest. It's been a dream of mine for years now and it finally happened. I drove through with awe and stopped several times to stand beneath their branches.
Next we ran on our first beach on the west coast. Super fun and I personally loved the tentacles/whips/seaweed branches that scattered the coast.
What happened next was something I was expecting, but not necessarily on this particular drive. Here is a real life story written by Mack Hastings...
Next we ran on our first beach on the west coast. Super fun and I personally loved the tentacles/whips/seaweed branches that scattered the coast.
What happened next was something I was expecting, but not necessarily on this particular drive. Here is a real life story written by Mack Hastings...
"As we were driving down California's beautiful but tumultuous highway 1 we noticed the car's engine was getting too hot. We pulled over near a beach about three miles north of the small beach community of Gualala, California to let the car's engine cool down, with the intention of finishing our journey to San Francisco that evening. We got back to the car and started it up, everything working perfectly as it should. About a minute later, Elliot had lost control of the car's power steering and the light board went dark. We pulled over the car and tried to start it up again. Nothing. We realized then we might be in trouble. We wandered down the street to a random house to inquire about some engine coolant. We ended up getting some extra water from the nice couple and heading back to the car. Eventually we had to face the reality of calling a tow truck, and dealing with the expense of fixing the car. The tow truck came about an hour later and towed us to Gualala's best auto shop Jr.s where we dropped it off until morning when it would be looked at. We walked about a mile in to town to find a hotel. The first one had no vacancy so we moved on to the next one. As we were booking our room we learned had we arrived 5 minutes later, the hotel would have been closed, and we would have been out of luck. I must say, our time in Gualala was quite strange. Strange incident after strange incident, we had to accept that it was out of our hands and hope for the best. The best is what we got! Elliot's family friend Wendy lives in Gualala and took over the role of tour mom, helping us during our time in Gualala. She showed us to good local food, beautiful and inexpensive camping, and kept our spirits up while we were dealing with the reality of canceling the tour. We've put a lot of effort into this tour so ending it early would have been very difficult. In the end, we had to cancel our Los Angeles and Phoenix shows because of lost time while the car was being fixed. But we still were able to take a bus to San Francisco to make our show, and our Denver and Omaha shows are still in tact. The Spirit of America tour lives on. Thanks to our new friend who we are internally grateful to, Wendy, the great people of Gualala, and most importantly Jr's auto shop, for getting our camry, Yokohoma, ready for the rest of the tour."
Day 12: Stranded in Gualala
Mack summarized most of this day in the story above, so all I can say is that I'm glad we broke down where we did. I hope to return to this town soon!
Day 13: San Francisco Show
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There was no way we were going to miss our show in San Francisco, so we jumped on a computer and found two buses that would eventually take us to the city with time to spare before the show. We hopped off the bus in downtown San Francisco and walked with our bags to our friend Ian's house near Golden Gate Park. We dropped off our belongings, wandered the street and then jumped on a bus to the Dark Room Theater where our performance took place.
The show consisted of us and two other teams called Chivalry Club and The Recchia. I really loved the theater and enjoyed having a more intimate crowd for this show. We had the chance to meet some of the instructors from EndGames Improv as well as other local improvisers.
The show consisted of us and two other teams called Chivalry Club and The Recchia. I really loved the theater and enjoyed having a more intimate crowd for this show. We had the chance to meet some of the instructors from EndGames Improv as well as other local improvisers.
Day 14: San Fran Tourism
Today has been full of walking the streets, jumping on buses, taking pictures, eating food, walking more, and sitting in parks. I'd say it is an ideal way of spending a day off in San Francisco. Soon we're headed to Land's End on the western side of San Fran to watch the sunset over the ocean and then headed to Haight Street to room around this evening.
As mentioned previously, we had to cancel our shows in both Los Angeles and Phoenix. We were reluctant to do so, but had no other choice. Someday we shall return!
Next Show: Denver, CO on November 21st
Written by Elliot Heinz
As mentioned previously, we had to cancel our shows in both Los Angeles and Phoenix. We were reluctant to do so, but had no other choice. Someday we shall return!
Next Show: Denver, CO on November 21st
Written by Elliot Heinz