Our destination for the night was the Auto Camp Russian River in Guerneville, California. The second day of travel was longer, an eight-hour drive from southern California to north of San Francisco.
Did you know cheeseburgers were invented in Pasadena? Our dining choice for the evening, Russell’s, boasted the best burgers and pie in town, and our mouths were too full to argue this claim. Determined to relish indoor plumbing and a comfy bed for as long as possible, we “camped” out at the Westin Pasadena, enjoying dinner and a stroll through historic downtown Pasadena with a family friend. My son and I started our trip a week before the eclipse, driving from Phoenix to Los Angeles the first day, with an overnight stay in Pasadena. We found a camping spot for rent at Oregon Garden, bulk shopped camping gear on Amazon, and never looked back. I’m more of a five-star resort kind of gal, but with every hotel, motel, Airbnb, and RV booked in Oregon at least six-months in advance, camping was our only choice.
Still, a 1600-mile drive (each way) to rough it in the Oregon countryside was a whole new adventure for us. We’ve made similar trips to Joshua Tree National Park to see meteor showers, and Moab to see the Milky Way.
Our travels took us to iconic landmarks and national parks and eventually led us to a small botanical garden in Silverton, Oregon to camp and experience a once-in-a-life time celestial event.įor my astronomy-loving family, a trip to Oregon for the solar eclipse made perfect sense. Our route through California and Oregon led us from the heart of the desert to some of the most beautiful coastline and mountains in the United States. Travel writer Julie Cohn talks about her recent 10-day family road trip from Phoenix to Oregon for the solar eclipse, along with a little camping, glamping, hotel and park adventures on Big Blend Radio.Ĭonfucius once said that roads were made for journeys, not destinations, but on our summer road trip from Arizona to Oregon for the solar eclipse, the journey and the destination were equally incredible. TRAVELING TO TOTALITY: A SOLAR ECLIPSE ADVENTURE