On the Road

Road trips are a great way to travel in the summertime. You get to see the land while spending quality time with friends or family. I went on a fantastic road trip this past April. A friend and I travelled from Vancouver to Palm Desert to attend the Coachella Music Festival. The trip took four days and over thirty hours of driving.

 

The first day we travelled from Vancouver to Portland. It was a beautiful drive through Washington and it took about five hours. In Portland, we walked around the city, found the Pearl District, and had dinner. We stayed in a hotel called the Society in Old Chinatown.

 

On day two we travelled from Portland to Bandon, Oregon. This leg of the journey took us along the Oregon Coast, an absolute wonder to drive. Bandon is a small seaside town that is renown for its golf course. Unfortunately, we arrived in the late afternoon and had no time to hit the links. However, we did see Face Rock, a natural monument just off the town’s coast. 

 

The next day we drove from Bandon to Ukia, California. Ukia is a sleepy town that we stayed in out of necessity, as night had fallen and we were tired from being on the road all day. Bandon to Ukia took about six hours to drive. It was on this drive that we drove through the Redwood forest. If you find yourself in northern California, then the Redwoods are a must-see. Find the Avenue of the Giants in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park; there are signs for it off Highway 101. It drives parallel to the highway, and you end up right back on 101. It is an absolutely gorgeous drive.

 

We had originally planned to drive from Ukia to Palm Desert in two days, but we decided to finish the trip that day with one long drive.  Ukia to Palm Desert took us just under ten hours. We drove all through California, from the green coast of the Pacific, through Los Angeles, to the desert in the state’s interior. We had a wonderful breakfast in the Sonoma

Valley at a restaurant called the Sunflower Café. It is a very cool and busy spot that serves a good, healthy breakfast – ideal when embarking on a ten-hour car ride.  

 

We arrived in Palm Desert late that night and attended the Coachella Music Festival that weekend. It was a fantastic trip and I would highly recommend it. The Oregon coast, the Redwoods, and the diversity of California make it a very scenic road trip.

 

While road trips are great, they require many hours in the car. This means hours of decreased mobility that can cause a disruption of blood flow in your body, which can lead to pain in various parts of your body, including your legs. Wear Dr. Segal’s Compression Socks while on a road trip to prepare yourself for whatever the day throws at you, whether you go for a quick, four-hour ride, or a ten-hour adventure.