We had to get up early today, as we had a to be at Portland International Airport at 15:00 latest to return our beloved car. The alarm was set to 07:30, and with the help of a motivational song, i.e. “Eye of the Tiger”, we quickly left our sleeping bags and started the day. Just in that moment, two park rangers drove by checking the sites. After having checked in ourselves late yesterday, we could pay the site fee directly saving us the way to the office later. They also gave us a map of the park, as we were going to have breakfast somewhere more scenic than our RV site.

The friendly rangers recommended the nearby lake for its picnic area, but we went straight for the sea instead.

Some pieces of drift logs served us as seats and our kitchen box became a table. The scenery was enriched with the wreck of the Peter Iredale emerging from the sand. We watched the waves, while making pancakes.

After some last glimpses at the ocean, we packed our things and drove back to the campsite for doing the dishes. Well in time, we left premises at 10:00 to do the last bit of driving to our accommodation in Hillsboro near Portland.

We had arranged an early check-in, so we could leave our stuff at the house before returning the car to the airport. Otherwise we would have needed to pack everything up and carry it somehow with us. We emptied the Dodge Grand Caravan that had been our home for the past two weeks, and brushed out most of the forest that had accumulated inside from the soles of our hiking shoes. A slight melancholy befell us.

But time-wise everything worked out, I even had time for a quick shower, switched into civil clothes, and we headed to the airport. An hour ahead of time, we left the car at the airport and took the train to Portland.

What has been a truly epic roadtrip adventure for us found its end. Time for duty.