From Sea to Shining Sea

America the Beautiful  - Words by Katharine Lee Bates in 1913

O beautiful for spacious skies, 
For amber waves of grain, 

For purple mountain majesties 
Above the fruited plain! 

America! America! 
God shed his grace on thee 

And crown thy good with brotherhood 
From sea to shining sea! 

Continuing my photo essay from our cross-country road trip....

Today....

From sea to shining sea......

Pacific Ocean at Ecola State Park in Oregon.

We had several goals on this road trip across America and one was to finally reach the Pacific Ocean. We didn't on our bicycles back in 1972. After biking all those miles we flew home from Portland, Oregon without ever having seen the Pacific.  

Our first view couldn't have been more spectacular.  We had been stalling in a B&B in Portland, Oregon waiting for a major coastal storm to clear before we completed that last westward push to finally view the ocean. The storms of the previous 4 days had left the hills draped in rising mists set off against a sea shining silver. It created a beautiful first impression.

Wet piggies on Crescent Beach in Ecola State Park, Oregon

We hiked down through the coastal forest to Crescent Beach where we first touched the water.  We found the rocky outcroppings at every point along the Oregon coast to be incredibly photogenic silhouetted against the sky.

Crescent Beach in Ecola State Park, Oregon

Indian Beach at Ecola State Park in Oregon

Indian Beach at Ecola State Park in Oregon

Indian Beach at Ecola State Park in Oregon

Evening on the beach at Seaside, Oregon

We spent a few days traveling down coastal Route 101 in Oregon. We stopped at State Parks along the way. by this time the federal government had done their best to do nothing and all federal parks were closed. Luckily the states of Oregon and California have beautiful state parks.

Traveling the Oregon coast - sea, sky, and coast....

Heceta Lighthouse State Park, Oregon

Heceta Lighthouse State Park, Oregon

After the Oregon coast we spent a chuck of time in the California Redwoods, certainly a trip highlight. We then traveled onto Sonoma, and San Francisco. After several days there we again headed south, this time along the California Big Sur coastal highway. Yes, it is a beautiful drive!

Route 1 along the California Coast

Sunset on the beach, Carmel-on-the sea, California

Technically we didn't travel coast to coast because we didn't start on the Atlantic seaboard. The trip originated in Ashford, CT which is inland. This group of photos is all of one shining sea and it did shine for us.

Interested in our cross country journey?

Here are some additional posts about this adventure. More are yet to come.

• The Great American Road Trip • 2013
• Packing for Two Months • A Modular Approach
• O, Beautiful for Spacious Skies
• For Amber Waves of Grain
• For Purple Mountains Majesty
• Above the Fruited Plain

©2013 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy