Woke up in Newport on the side of the 101 after a good night's sleep, ready for the first day of the surf trip. We were about 10 minutes out from Otter Rock, so with cold brews and power bars in hand, we got to the break fairly early. Despite a bit of skepticism due to the forecast predicting a 5-7' day (my upper limit as of now), the swell looked really clean and manageable, so we shimmied into our wetsuits and hopped in the water. I am at best, a horrible surfer, and at worst, an all out kook, but for some reason, that day, it just clicked. I was catching a ton of waves, popping up well, and was even able to turn a little. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day on the Oregon coast, the kind of day that seems too good to be true. "One more wave!" I kept yelling at Niko, like a little kid, begging to stay in the water just a little longer. It was truly a pivotal session for me, and of course Niko was surfing well, also. Begrudgingly, we got out of the water and back on the road. Thankfully, we had a fun afternoon planned that made getting out a little easier: lunch in Eugene with grandma and grandpa. After a fun lunch and with full bellies, we left Eugene for Port Orford, about a 3 hour drive.