Drive to Merlin

We headed out the redwoods and turned northeast onto 199 through a very scenic river valley up to Grants Pass, OR.

There were lots of people jumping off rocks into the river - it looked really fun and on any other day we would have stopped but we knew we were gonna no to be in the water plenty soon and so kept going.

The temperature in Grants Pass was 103. It was forecast to be 115 by Wednesday! So we ignored the campground reservation I had made and opted for a motel, complete with pizza and screen time.

Side note: It's too easy to fall into this trap - so glad we have the van and are mostly outside.Read more