Beach sitters
with frost and heavy coats were commonplace. We had breakfast in a cheery diner where we were served large helpings of meat (ham and bacon) with our eggs, which made us feel warmer.
Last night, Yreka was cold! The forecast was for frost warnings. This morning, car windows were opaque
Beach sitters
with frost and heavy coats were commonplace. We had breakfast in a cheery diner where we were served large helpings of meat (ham and bacon) with our eggs, which made us feel warmer.
We learned a little bit more about the State of Jefferson: it actually had its birth around 1940. Long-simmering resentment built up in Northern California and southwestern Oregon because the highways were deteriorating, and the Jeffersonians couldn't seem to convince the legislatures to budget for road repair. To dramatize their unhappiness, they held "toll collections" every Thursday for several months, until the attack on Pearl Harbor gained the news spotlight.
We began our journey this morning with a short stop in Grant's Pass, Oregon. Apparently everybody, knows that the town was named after Ulysses S. Grant, but no documentation has ever been found for this fact. We found our way to the historic district and visited the 
Seals on a submerged dock
local art museum, which is open just about every day, it seems, with free admission. Their current exhibit is a members' show; every artist who is a member of the museum may enter a work of art for the display. The result is a joyful, often funny, widely varied assembly of more than 100 art works by skilled artists in many different media.
Most of today's road ran through forests. In Oregon we saw the aftereffects of wildfires from the past decade as cleanup crews continue to clear the dead and burned trees from hillsides. The people who live in this part of the world seem to take the annual fires as an irritating but normal part of life, celebrating days like today when the air was crystal clear and the sky was a brilliant blue. One person said that last year there were several Fall days when they couldn't see the mountain because the air was so 
Herd of elk
brown.
We stopped to stretch our legs just after a short tunnel; several picnic tables were occupied! We could see why - the scenery and weather were just lovely, the air so clear!
For an hour or so we drove through forests which were beautiful, and gradually showed the effect of a coastal rainforest, home of the giant redwoods, the world's tallest trees. One surprising effect seems to be the dappled light, which startled us by being bright and sunny, then almost dark as we move between thicker and thinner groves.
We reached tonight's motel in time for Elsa to take a short sightseeing drive. South of town she found a small herd of elk, while in town she found the crescent-shaped bay and its beach. Sturdy people were sunbathing on the sand or even surfing. We hope to take another look at the area before leaving tomorrow morning.