(As I post this, I saw that the very highway we were on has been closed between Ashland and Yreka because of wildfires. I’m feeling grateful that it didn’t happen with us, but it almost did on the way home.)
Going through my old posts, I realize I never posted the photos of the trip Leilani and I made down to my mom’s; it was a pretty hectic time, obviously. It was such an unplanned, really fast trip down there. And I’ve always been so grateful to Leilani that when I told the family I was going to drive down there, hoping to get there in time, she just said, “Mom, I’m going with you.” And in a very short amount of time, I was on the way to pick her up. We only got as far as Salem because my mother died unexpectedly, but we started out again early the next day.
We started taking photos going down I-5; we’d never seen a rider standing up while riding before. Now I know it happens a lot; to get pressure of da sore ʻokole!
I think we were south of Roseburg when Leilani took these photos. Maybe near Canyonville? We’d picked up Patty, my sis-in-law in Corvallis; that worked out well because my brother was already in California and had been for a couple of weeks.
We knew it wouldn’t be long before we’d be leaving the beauty of Oregon’s lush green and heading into the flat brownness of California.
We were near Ashland or Medford when we took this photo of Mt Shasta. We knew we were getting close to the border.
Mt Shasta
How’s this for a retirement home?
Retirement home near Medford
Now we’re heading up Sexton Mountain Pass.
And down into farm and ranch land near Grants Pass. I made sure to get this pīpī photo for AFK. I remember we drove into town and stopped at a Dutch Bros coffee shop, which was a welcome treat.
Mt Shasta
Mt Shasta
This is Little Shasta.
Little Shasta
We’ve now crossed the state line, and are coming into the town of Weed. I don’t think I’d like my last name to be Weed.
Leilani, Patty, and I decided to drive into town for a pit stop.
The three of us traveled really well together; we had lots of time for talking and remembering. As a matter of fact, we talked so much that except for the sunset shot, we didn’t take any more photos!
On our way home a week later, Leilani and I took more photos than we had going down. Stay tuned, k?
A Mānoa Girl's Bloggie 
I like the way you photo-document your road trips. How nice to have good traveling companions!
Thanks, Michelle. I started out doing it so that I would remember everywhere we’d been, and it got to be a habit. It’s fun for me to go back and relive our journeys. I think I started in 2009!
Considering the stress and grief we were all feeling, we did make good travelling companions..it was good to be together.
Moki-chan, thank you for thinking of me even when your heart was so heavy–I so appreciate it. I’ve not traveled between Eugene and San Francisco, so this is all new territory for me. Thanks for sharing your photos & mo`olelo.
Mahalo nui, AFK. I can’t even remember when I found out you loved da pīpī so much… long time ago, yeah? Iʻm glad u like da photos.. get more coming.