Exodus Part 3: Santaquin to Brookings

We left Santaquin (somewhat) early on Tuesday morning and drove to Reno where we stayed the night. After driving through Nevada, I've decided that there are only 3 things there: casinos, prisons, and long stretches of nothing. We literally only hit about 3 cities on our way through - one right on the border of Utah, one in the middle, and Reno. It was the most boring day of driving we had had. There was nothing to look at, except Beverly Hills (which consisted of a couple of small hills in the middle of flatness and a rundown house) and a voodoo witch doctor shack that was about 30 feet high and built out of antlers. Right before Reno it started getting hilly, but we were thrilled to be out of the car. The kids reprised their throwing up incidents at dinner that night, except Kennedy added a poop and Noah added two.

The next day was our last day of driving, and it was beautiful. We left from Reno and shortly entered California. It was weird, because that drive in California was nothing like I have ever known as California. This is what our drive looked like through most of it.

Tons and tons of tall snowy trees with interludes of beautiful lakes. In Oregon it was so green, mountainous, and just plain gorgeous. We stopped in Burney, CA for lunch and gas, and Brett ordered this bad boy.

That's a french fry on the top of that tall stick. It's got ham and turkey, bacon, and two types of cheese. It was huge. I don't know how he fit it in his mouth. My chili dog was not as impressive as it was more of a pork and beans dog. We kept driving and made a small stop in Medford, OR to shop at the Harry and David manufacturer's store, since it is headquartered there. Then, with only 2 hours to go, we drove to Brookings. The 199 in California and Oregon is absolutely gorgeous. Waterfalls, trees, rivers - you name it, it's there. Then, as we pulled into Brookings, we could see the ocean.

This beach is about 3 minutes from our apartment. Yes, you should be jealous. The whole place is beach on one side and hills and trees on the other. When I drive back to the 101 (which is the main street where pretty much all of the businesses are) I can see the ocean. When I drive home, I can see hills and trees. It's really beautiful.

It took me a little while to feel at home since I have never lived in such a small town. Between Harbor, Brookings, and the county residents who are outside the city limits there are 14,000 people. Previously I have lived in Orange County, CA, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Boston, and Provo (which might not seem that big, but BYU alone has more than double the amount of students than this place has residents). Obviously, it takes some adjusting. The local restaurants are pretty good and there's a great grocery store that has a home goods section too.

Everybody has been very nice, and we're finally feeling like we are at home. So far, so good with the Coast Guard. We hope it keeps up and they keep sending us to beautiful places like this.