.: I Heart Portland: Photo Dump

What does a man named Jimmy, a very big tree, and Eureka, California have in common? Sadly, this:

It officially happened. Bessie failed us (though it really was her driver who happened to not see the rocks in the middle of the road... rocks of which poked some holes in our oil pan and drained all of Bessie's juice).

So we'd like to say a thank you to Jimmy for rescuing us on that rainy, cold, night in the middle of nowhere in order that we could resume our road trip to the Redwoods. And thank you, Eureka, you dumpy, industrial town, for hosting us much longer than we wanted to stay so that Jimmy could fix Bessie.

Did I mention that the only reason we were on this particular road (with this particular pile of rocks) was so we could take a slight three-hour detour for some more In & Out?

This week's photo dump is brought to you by the scariest Motel 6 ever in Eureka, California, and of course, Jimmy.

Prior to The Incident, we stopped in Bend, Oregon.

The only reason to visit Bend: Thump Coffee Shop.

The only other reason to visit Bend.

The lonely road to...

...Crater Lake!

Clouds and rain? Still beautiful.

Another slight detour on our way to the coast.

Dear old Eureka.

Another corner of Eureka.

Eureka doesn't look so bad, does it? I found a few gems while there...

...But it really looked mostly like this...

...So we spent most of our time reading in Starbucks!

After The Incident, we:

Played in some puddles.

Visted Fern Canyon: breathtaking.

The ferns were dripping with waterfalls!

One of my favorite plants.

Because of The Incident, we were forced to visit the Redwoods (which are government-run in national parks, mind you) a few hours after the government was shut-down. Luckily, we were able to find a state park that housed some big trees.