[mistawiskas]

So, I was asked if I could go to Port Orfard to do some work on Saturday.
The drive was 177 miles one way. I needed to get away for a day anyhow, so I said "sure". I made good monet but the weather was a bitch for the drive. Snowing hard and continuous in the mountains and stormy on the coast.
I set out at 5:30AM Saturday morning, got 16 miles towards the coast and was turned back by whiteout conditions on the first hill of the Coast Range.
made another attempt at 9AM.





Hmmmm....only 150 miles to go?



Uhhhhh....fuck! 149.5 miles to go!



On top and there's rain In that snow....yippie!



On the coast....finally. but it wasn't much better for the driving. The areas that the rain wasn't coming down so hard and wind blowing at 60MPH, were few and far between.

This beach grass usually stands strait up.





This rock is as big as a big/tall house. Waves were going over it.





The trip back was a bit better. let's see, dutch Bros 911 (6 shot latte' w/hazzlenut): Check!



Pizza and tire chains: check!



So far, so good. US Hwy 101, no wind.....good sign.



Smith River....flooded. that means that there's alot of snow melt=good.



So I'm standing there, looking at the swolen Smith River, and I hear all these tree branches breaking behind me. Sounds like an elephant crashing through the trees. i turn around and there's a part of the hill behind me sliding towards the road.



Back at the top of the Coast Range, the snow has stopped. I'm actually beating the next storm!







Looking back at the pass, it's snowing up there again, timed it just right.



Left yesterday, came back today.
Finall tally on the trip meter

[ninefivezero]

Talk about a long commute, geez...

[mistawiskas]

It was more-or-less, a favor for a friend. Refitted four bathroomes with lavs and toilets, new shut offs, and installed kitchen appliances. 9 hours of driving to do 9 hours of work. good weather and it'd only have been a 7 hour commute round trip.

[smirnoff]

I'm glad you aren't having to drive that everyday. In other circumstances it looks like a nice scenic trip but as a daily commute, yikes

[mistawiskas]

I'll be making this trip a few more times as weather and my health permit. this is for an old lady that can't get anyone reliable to do work and upgrades/maintainance on her four bed, four bath log home on the coast. the town, Port Orfard:

has a population of about 1600 and no craftsmen at all in the wintertime.

[smirnoff]

Wow. Looks like an awesome place to live though.

[Torx]

ddaaammn! badass trip. so you saw an actual landslide?

[mistawiskas]

Mudslides are so common along US101, US199 and DNR197. This slide I witnessed is along DelNorteR197...a short cut from US101 to US199. US199 is a treacherous drive also.






When the snow plows aren't plowing snow, they're clearing rocks that fall off those cliffs.

[MSP]

I wish I lived in such a beautiful place.

[jake]

Nice pics Wiskas. What do you charge for driving out there? In my industry the going rate is about $0.90 - $1.5 a km. So that would translate to about $1.45 to $2.50 a mile.

[MSP]

Damn! I only get about 50 cents a mile.

[Juballharshaw]

Aw, I miss going to the Pac-Norwest. Oregon is one of the few places that's as pretty as Colorado.

[jake]

Originally Posted by MSP

Damn! I only get about 50 cents a mile.

My industry is probably high because they are driving 3/4 ton or 1 ton trucks and alot of the driving is gravel roads and worse.

[WoodButcher]

Port Orfard? is this where the knotty white cedar comes from?

[mistawiskas]

Yes Port Orfard cedar....the stuff that smells like chemicals when you cut it....it's right up there with kentucky red cedar that smells like dawg shit when that gets cut.
Honestly, when you discount the political side of our government, this is the best place to live on the planet IMO. That storm on the coast saturday, was
really close to a huricane. I grew up on the coast and have never/ever seen it rain that hard, let alone be driven by 60 MPH gusting/ 40 MPH sustained wind. It was glorious! The neat thing about the drive to the coast.....it's not named the "Redwood Hwy" for nothing. I always stand in total awe of those trees. i have to stand in awe.....because I can't climb them worth a damn. Oh fiddy? here's one for ya'.

[WoodButcher]

Couple years ago I stuffed an old pair of socks w/ planer shavings from P.O. Cedar for my oldest kids hockey bag. Oddly enough it made the locker room breathable.

[mistawiskas]

The PO cedar is OK. It's good for decking if you keep the stuff sealed real good. It's a frigging pain to work with compared to western red cedar. Port Orfard is an awesome place to go scuba diving. Lots of rock scallops, abs and rock cod right within shore swim distance off that point.

[jake]

Originally Posted by mistawiskas

Yes Port Orfard cedar....the stuff that smells like chemicals when you cut it....it's right up there with krentucky red cedar that smells like dawg shit when that gets cut.
Honestly, when you discount the political side of our government, this is the best place to live on the planet IMO. That storm on the coast saturday, was
really close to a huricane. I grew up on the coast and have never/ever seen it rain that hard, let alone be driven by 60 MPH gusting/ 40 MPH sustained wind. It was glorious! The neat thing about the drive to the coast.....it's not named the "Redwood Hwy" for nothing. I always stand in total awe of those trees. i have to stand in awe.....because I can't climb them worth a damn. Oh fiddy? here's one for ya'.

Holy crap those things are massive. I have never seen a redwood before, might be worth a road trip down the west coast this summer.

[ninefivezero]

Nice trees, I'd be fun to climb those for sure.

And Jake, hit up the redwood forest, it is amazing.

[mistawiskas]

Aw heck Jake, that's a baby one.

This one's a more grow'd up specimin.



I can just imagine Fiddy hanging from his butt harness from wayyyyy up there:



I love everything about the redwoods. these shots were from the 'Avanue of the Giants' down by Arcata California.