HWY 101 South

We crossed the next state, Oregon. Always along the coast, the sea on the right side, on Highway 101 towards the south. The coast is an American holiday area and was well visited. We passed through several small towns, some of which reminded us of Dutch holiday resorts, such as Seaside. What makes Oregon particularly appealing is that you don't have to pay any taxes here anymore. Shopping is practically duty-free everywhere. The weather was peculiar, constantly low-hanging clouds, occasional rain, and rare sunshine. As we drove down the coastline, everything revolved around fish and oysters. The encounter with a colony of sea lions that had settled in the harbor of Newport was particularly nice. It was a very funny spectacle to watch them fight for their sleeping places.

We reached California and thus crossed the last American border of our road trip. Before we headed to the next national park, we spent the night in Crescent City, as often on a Walmart parking lot, practically our second home ;-). Actually, the "Walmart theme" deserves its own chapter, but we'll keep it short... So for all those who are unfamiliar with Walmart: It is practically the king of American supermarkets, an El Dorado of consumption. At Walmart, you can get everything, from a 9mm pistol to a banana, common or tasteless clothes, the craziest barbecue grill, or the latest fishing gear. Just everything. Unfortunately, it is often also a place where the extent of poor nutrition coupled with tremendous lack of exercise becomes visible... see also Google "Walmart People"!

Why do we sleep here? Because in some cities, it is often the only place where you are allowed to park and sleep in the car legally overnight. So the parking lot quickly turns into a campsite in the evening. Travelers looking for a spot for the night meet there, as well as those who have lost everything and seem to live in their old rickety campervan.

Anyway, it's an exciting spectacle and you meet funny people... like that morning when we met "Honey". An older lady in her pajamas, who had spent the night next to us with her husband and motorhome. She was delighted with our car, so we started talking... or rather, Honey did most of the talking. She could hardly catch her breath unless her husband discreetly told her to. A well-coordinated team, it was very funny. As a farewell, we were given homemade cookies.