Posting from the Road II

July 3rd (backdated) Despite the travails and stress of the previous day, we woke up refreshed, and made a quick breakfast of boiled eggs we'd brought along, instant oatmeal, and coffee cake. First thing in the morning, we set out to explore the coast. Ella had fun with driftwood: Michael had fun with his nose... And Ella bid Nehalem Bay farewell with an impromptu pole dance. Since we were near Tillamook, we had to tour the cheese factory (actually a cooperative of dairy farmers) where Ella kissed a cow, we saw cheese not being made, learned that and finally said goodby to Michael and Lilly over a bit of Tillamook fudge. As we drove south along the coast, we learned how unpleasant Tsunamis can be... ...but despite past natural disasters, the coast was still beautiful. Finally, we arrived at the Oregon Dunes near Coos Bay where we perched on top of a grassy dune to watch the sunset before crawling into our tent to sleep. All in all, it was a good day. It still hasn't sunk in that we've left Seattle, and won't be back to the Northwest for another year. The roadtrip is working out so far. Hyunjoo's legs have been a bit squashed by all the things that keep ending up by her feet--the only place where we can get easy access to them. We're starting to fall into a bit of a rhythm, though, and Ella did really well, until the last little stretch of road where she made it clear that she'd had enough of her carseat for the day.