Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip

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We’ve been traveling since April 10 when we flew to San Jose for the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. After a wonderful conference, Ken and I checked off a bucket list item when we rented a car and drove almost 1000 miles up the Pacific Coast, staying in Airbnbs and thoroughly enjoying the sights along the way. Our ultimate destination was the Seattle, Washington area where both our sons live, to meet a special little someone! It was hard to whittle the hundreds of photos down to just a few favorites, but here they are:

The California coast was just gorgeous this time of year. The trees and wildflowers were in full bloom and the hills were green and lush. We had trouble deciding whether to look at the ocean or the other side of the highway, which was equally stunning!
Lighthouses were a theme of the trip, along with beautiful bridges.
These Kansas landlubbers found the tide pools fascinating!
We stayed in Airbnbs for four nights—both research for my current Chandler Sisters Novels series, and inspiration for a whole new series. The idea for the first book came while we were at this charming place in Fort Bragg, California. I didn’t get much writing done on our trip, but I did write the synopsis and series proposal for this idea! Can’t wait to write it!
One unique Airbnb stay was in this vintage 1952 Airstream trailer in Arcata, California. It featured a separate outdoor shower, which was brisk in the morning air but the water was good and hot and the towels fluffy and warm! Quite an experience!
The Airstream was an eight-minute walk from the beach where a mama harbor seal had left her pup while she fished. He looked so sad, but we were told it’s common for the mama seals to leave their young while they fish. It was so tempting to stroke that downy soft fur, but of course, we didn’t touch him or get too close.
Two of my favorite images from our trip were taken at the same beach where we saw the little harbor seal. A stunning sunset and reflections in the wet sand as the tide went out.
This view from our Airbnb in Brookings, Oregon was one of my favorite of the whole trip! Two deer made an appearance before we drove away that morning.
We loved the harbors too, especially this one in Newport, Oregon.
Yesterday, Easter Sunday morning, was the last day of our road trip before arriving in Seattle where our sons both live. It was a long day of driving and we didn’t have time to attend a church service, but we certainly felt like we were in a cathedral in God’s glorious creation! When we stopped at a turnout with a view where a man played a beautiful song on a harmonica, then we truly felt like we’d been to church!
The perfect ending to our road trip: I finally got my hands on this precious new grandson—Grandbaby Number Nine for us!—and we got to be part of the Easter egg hunt with his big sister and brothers, something we’ve never been able to do before! I’m feeling very blessed.
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Deborah Raney

DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Forty books later, she's still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. Her novels have won RWA's RITA Award, the ACFW Carol Award, the National Readers Choice Award, and the HOLT Medallion. She is also a three-time Christy Award finalist. Deb is on faculty for several national writers’ conferences and served on the executive board of the 2,500-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization for 18 years before retiring in 2022. She is a recent transplant to Missouri, having moved with her husband, Ken Raney, from their native Kansas to be closer to kids and grandkids. They love road trips, e-biking, Friday garage sale dates, and breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard.
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Comments

  2. I enjoyed following along with your journey on Instagram. Such wonderful pictures! But that ending is definitely the best part!

  3. Wonderful post!
    I so enjoyed your descriptions and photos. Sounds wonderful, makes me a little jealous.😍

  4. Such wonderful memories you’ll have of this trip! Your new grand baby is adorable! While the views during your trip are spectacular, God’s grandeur is just as evident in grandmother’s glowing love for her little grandson.

  5. Oh, Deb! What a trip. I loved your photos. I’m hoping to do the California portion of that drive next summer. I’ll have to pick your brain before we start planning!

  7. So happy you had such a memorable trip, Deb. Loved hearing about it and seeing all the precious pictures of you and your hubby on the road and with your adorable grandbaby at the end. Happy Easter!

  8. What a gorgeous trip! Thanks for sharing and giving me another idea for travel.
    The precious gift at the end of the trip was lovely. Family and God’s creation! What more could one want?

  9. Love the pictures, Debbie. Rick and I are planning to take the same trip this summer. I hope you were able to walk through the Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg and see Glass Beach. This harbor town is one of our favorite places to unwind.

    • We saw the turnoffs and signs for both, but had to put them on our list for next time around. We were very impressed with Fort Bragg and would love to return! Thought of you as we drove through your beautiful part of the country!

    • Ha! That’s definitely on my list for when we get home. I didn’t get much work done on the road. Too much to see and do! But oh, we had SUCH a great time!

  11. Deb, Thanks for sharing your new adventures! Loved the photos (especially the lighthouses), and I would’ve had great difficulty not touching that baby seal. So glad you and Ken got to share the experience and meet that new grandson!

  13. Wow. What a dream trip and the conclusion was wonderful. Congratulations on that new grandson. Blessings!

  15. I love the idea of staying at an Airbnb. That 1952 Airstream trailer near the beach immediately made me think of Robin Jones Gunn’s Sisterchicks in Sombreros!

  16. It’s only a 65-mile drive up to the Mount Vernon-Burlington area from Seattle where we are currently in the middle of the tulip festival! The flowers are beautiful right now and coming on a weekday cuts the traffic considerably! Just a thought, if you have the time.

    • Oh, that sounds wonderful, Jolyn! Alas, we fly home early Wednesday morning and already have plans for tomorrow. But we’ll add it to our bucket list for when we come this way again! I LOVE tulips!

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