ROUTE 66 (DAY 17)

Waking up out on the coast I have come to expect the chilly marine layer to welcome me to the new day. Today in Eureka, CA it was not only overcast but down right cold. The night before I slept in half my clothes to keep warm. After breaking camp I decided to put on an extra jacket as things feel a lot colder at 65 mph (100 kph). I was really looking forward to the ride along the Redwood Highway which would eventually put me over the hill and onto I-5 and north to Eugene, Oregon.
The highway was spectacular as it wound it's way through the giant redwoods. They look so stately and resemble huge creatures that take delight in watching the humans scurry about so far below.

Some time around mid day as I slowly made my way inland the weather began to change. The sun came out and it started getting very warm. I stopped for gas and my favourite snack on a hot day, a Dairy Queen Blizzard. Yeah baby!
I stripped down to just my t-shirt and jeans for the rest of the ride and put on a heavy layer of sun screen. By the time I had reached the I-5 corridor the temperature had hit the 90's. I had emailed Barbara, my ex, to let her know I was coming for a short visit so she was expecting me. To my surprise, our son Cavan was there too along with his wife Angie and her friend Alicia. The girls had gone to the local Saturday morning market so Cavan was just taking it easy and hanging out with Barbara. Cavan had suffered a concussion recently from a swimming accident when he hit his forehead on an underwater rock.
Despite the big grin on his face he has been plagued by pounding headaches and difficulty focusing among other concerns. He  is slowly getting better but it is one of those things where time is the only medicine and he must be patient.

Barbara had already worked out the dinner situation. We were all going to her good friend Chris' place for dinner. Chris lives up on a hill that overlooks the city of Eugene. The home is very comfortable and reflects his casual style of being. He also happens to be a good cook. We had some delicious chicken, corn on the cob, barbecued mushrooms and salad. Desert was a lemon meringue pie topped with berries and whipped cream. 

Here is a shot of Barbara.

Here are Alicia, on the left and Cavan's wife, Angie on the right. What's interesting here is that these photos were taken outside on Chris' deck where he has successfully brought the indoors out.

Cavan's appetite sure hasn't suffered because he sure polished off his meal.

Soon after dinner it was time to leave so Barbara brought me back to her place and the "kids" stayed at Chris' because he has much more room. It was wonderful to see everyone again and I'm looking forward to doing some fun stuff with Cavan and Angie this week when we all get back to their place in Portland.