Read all Great Oregon Road Trip posts here.

Can we still call it the Great Oregon Road Trip if we cross the border into California? We crossed the border with a specific goal – to see the great Redwood forest. And Crescent City provided a great vantage point.

I found us a house that promised a lighthouse view and it didn’t disappoint. OK, so the accommodation was more about the location than luxury. The decor was a carryover from the 1960’s, along with some of the mattresses (just ask my Mum and I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it).

The saving grace was a deck that looked out over the beach and treated us to the type of sunsets that make me realize how lucky we are to live on the West Coast.

But first there was lunch. Seafood, of course.

Followed by a little beach combing to fill up all those pockets in the Junior Ranger jacket.

When I turned my back for a second, Thomas fell in the water. It was surprisingly drama-free but made the photos more shirtless.

Samuel built a few rock sculptures and, in the process, lost one of his Ranger Badges. This photo is the last piece of evidence that he had it pinned to his vest. We went back to look for it the next day but it was lost to the tide. Good thing he forgot about it… until he mentioned it a couple of days ago. That kid has a memory

Then it was back to the house for dinner and a nice, relaxing evening watching the sun go down.

Ahhh… the good life.

Next: we tour a lighthouse and take it easy.