Leaving Salem Oregon for the Coast - Nov 15, 2007 - South Beach, Oregon, United States

We left our friends in Salem yesterday and headed west to begin our trek down the Pacific Coast Highway.

It was around 4 pm when we arrived here... not our true destination as we did not travel as far down the coast as I had hoped, but a beautiful state partk nonetheless.

Last night we walked about 1/3 mile from our camper on a bike path through pine trees and sand to reach the ocean. Although it was cloudy, we still got to see the sun set over the Pacific. The area reminds me of Cape Cod a bit. It was even a balmy 55 degrees which was a welcome change from our crisp 35-45 degrees in Salem.

We spent our last day in Salem by getting a personal tour of the Capitol Building. The girls learned about the House and the Senate. We sat at the Governor's desk where he does all of his official signing of bills and laws. Soleil got to sit in the Governor's chair and we all had our picture taken. We then hit the dog park for Kody and then headed back to the camper. We met the minister for dinner and he treated us to Olive Garden. We had a wonderful conversation with him. I asked how long he had been in ministry and he told his story of as a younger person not knowing what to do with himself. He worked a lot, went in and out of college, finally got a degree and then realized that he was called to ministry. It was a good story for Aisha who seems to be a little bit preoccupied with what she will study in school when she gets older. It was a gentle reminder that sometimes it takes time for your true calling to arrive, but to keep busy, do what you love, and never stop learning.

We are meandering down the coast this week, will be in Bayside CA for Sunday service at the Humboldt UU Fellowship and Sacramento before Thanksgiving.