The Road Trip - Seattle

The view from Magnolia

In my last post I talked about getting ready for my road trip to Seattle. The Road Trip continues!

I made it to Portland on day two of my trip after spending a quiet, cool evening in the shadows of Mt. Shasta. It was warm and sunny when I arrived in Portland. I arrived on what turned out to be the warmest day of the year thus far in Portland. It did not stay warm nor sunny for long. Portland does have a reputation to uphold, after all!

I spent three leisurely, fun filled days visiting with my dear friend, Sari. We caught up on all our families news and Sari showed me around Portland in the pouring rain. Fortunately, one of Sari's sons had left a rain slicker which fit me. I came totally unprepared for the weather.

On Thursday, I'm off for Seattle

I’ll spend a few days in Seattle with Garret & John. They totally remodeled their home which should be completed the week I arrive. I’ve received weekly reports on the progress over these past 6 months. Garret & John are artists friends in Seattle with whom we have virtual cocktails every Monday evening.

Garret is coming with me on the return trip. Garret and I will be stopping for a couple of days in Portland to visit HIS dear friend who is also an artist. Three artists visiting: what WILL we have to talk about? I’ve heard so much about Emily from Garret and am excited to finally meet this incredible artist. We plan to drive along the coast back to Southern CA stopping in Mendocino, Monterey, San Simeon (Hearst Castle) and Montecito & Santa Barbara.

I’m looking forward to this trip for several reasons. In addition to visiting good friends, I love the California coast. It is a stunning drive along the coast on Hwy 1 and Hwy 101. I’ve not driven along the coast north of Eureka, CA so this will be a new experience. If it is anything like the Central California Coast, it will be well worth it.

Garret has driven from Seattle to Palm Springs on many occasions but never along the coast. It’s a new experience for both of us. Garret is an artist so I’m sure we’ll visit many galleries along the way. I’m packing several hundred business cards for this trip and hope to run out along the way home.

Another reason I’m excited about this trip is for the change of scenery. Whenever we travel, I’m energized by the change in environment. I love the desert. I love to get out of the desert landscape once in a while. There’s “new” things to see, like green. There are green colors you just don’t see in the desert: forests of green in all conceivable tones and hues of green.

The flora of the Pacific Northwest is awesome. I’m looking forward to driving through the Avenue of Giants. The towering conifers of Northern California never cease to fill me with awe and wonder. These are second growth forests. I cannot image what they must have looked like before we cut them down with wild abandon!

Traveling to a different climate reminds me that there’s a whole world of color and atmosphere totally unlike the desert. You can feel the damp in the air. You can see the damp in the air. Oh, wait! That’s rain! I enjoy experiencing rain on occasion, just not quite as often as those in the Pacific Northwest. I particularly enjoy leaving rainy climates.

I wouldn’t be comfortable living along the Central California Coast permanently. It’s far too cold for me. But it is nice to visit for the change of pace; the change of scenery; the change of light.

I’m looking forward to how the light changes as I head North. The vistas of Southern California are grand; you can see for miles. The mountains are rugged and they LOOK rugged without blankets of forests to soften the terrain. The interplay of sunlight on the mountains changes dramatically. I love to watch it. I’m taking the inland route north which will be new for me. It must be a different experience than the coastal drive and I’m looking forward to new discoveries.

While I’m traveling, you can still check out my website: www.JerryLHanson.com to see what artwork is available for purchase. Please contact me if you want to buy one of my works or if you have any questions about my work or specific piece. My contact information is on my website and you can leave a comment on this blog site for me to contact you. You can e-mail me at JeryL@JerryLHanson.com and you can telephone me on my studio phone 760-992-3152.

Thank you for listening

Jerry L Hanson