Bittersweet Goodbyes

Day 13 - Bittersweet Goodbyes

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Solo had the big hotel bed to himself with Will spending his first night in the dorm. I did a final load of laundry before our departure.

We arrived on campus just before the President's Brunch at 11am. Will met us under the clock tower. He looked nice, with a new shirt and jeans on. He told us of his fun first night. There was a beach party on the Puget Sound.

The brunch was well attended. The speakers imparted some thoughtful messages that even inspired Will.

Will walked us back to the car where Solo had been sleeping in the cool shade. We all said good-bye, with tears concealed to the best of our abilities.

With the odometer at 3,836 miles, we drove out of the serene campus for I-5 south. Bill and I were a little sad.

We stayed on I-5 until just before the OR border where we began our journey along the coast on 101.

The beautiful shore along Astoria lifted our spirits. We stopped for fish and chips at Bowpicker, a recommendation from a fellow camper at Olympic National Park. It was a good find!

Cannon Beach was pretty, too, and we found a campground a little further south in Nehalem Bay State Park. Our site was sheltered by dunes about 100 yards from the beach. Very pleasant!

We enjoyed a memorable sunset with wine, and took to our campfire before climbing into our sleeping bags. It was a little gusty during the night, and the sea provided a lull for a mostly sound sleep.

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