After nine years in San Diego, it was time for a change. So I sold my house, packed up my belongings, and planned a drive to the Portland, Oregon, area to spend some time with family. Since I didn't want to put 3,000 miles on my E46 M3—or park it outside in an El Niño winter—I've reluctantly put my beloved BMW into storage.

    Since I didn’t have any commitments, I was going to be able to take my time on the drive. Thus, I got a week long rental that would fit all the stuff I would need for at most a couple months. I haven’t had much success with rental cars this year, so I was a little upset when the Corolla I was given had a drone in the tires.

    I wasn’t going to travel all those miles with that drone, so I took it back before I left town and was given an upgrade to a Ford Fusion that was outfitted with new Michelins. That made me happy! So I swapped my stuff into the new car and hit the road.

    Unfortunately swapping cars put me behind schedule and I ran smack into the beginning of Los Angeles rush hour traffic! Not the best way to start a road trip. My goal was to get to San Luis Obispo in time to have dinner at one of my favorite breweries, Firestone Walker. But after trudging through L.A., I arrived just as they were scheduled to close. Since I didn’t want to be “that guy”, I grabbed some fast food instead and made my way to Morro Bay for the night.

    Morro Bay is a quaint little town just north of San Luis Obispo along Highway 1 on the California coast. It is at the southern entry point to one of the most gorgeous drives in the world. And for the first time, I was going to take my time as I made my way through Big Sur. I was treated to almost perfect weather as I stopped at almost every lookout, soaking in the beauty on the five hour long drive. 

    The Monterey Peninsula is one of my favorite areas in California, and I am excited to come back later this year for the celebration of BMW’s 100th Anniversary during Monterey Car Week and Oktoberfest. This year is definitely going to be a must attend!

    Instead of driving through rush hour traffic again, this time in San Francisco, I elected to try and go around it and drive up through Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay. Glad I did as I was treated to an amazing sunset at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse!

    Since the weather had been so good, I decided that after I had crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, that I would head up to the overlook on the north side. I had never been up there, and thought there was no better time than the present. And even though there has been literally millions of photos taken from that location, I grabbed my camera and tripod and stood with four other photographers as we took long exposures of cars crossing the bridge. 

    Even though this is very “touristy”, I highly recommend it as the view is spectacular.

    I woke up to polar opposite weather the next day as a system had moved in bringing clouds, fog, wind, and rain. This made the drive along the northern California coast a little dicey. At times it was raining so hard, and was so foggy, that I couldn’t see more than about fifty feet. Now I was really glad I had taken that first rental back and got this one with the new Michelins!

    As I made my way north, the trees continued to get bigger and bigger and as the highway turned inland, I found myself driving on an amazing road through the famous giant redwoods. It was at that time that I started to really miss my M3 and it had only been a couple days!

    The next morning, just miles from the California/Oregon border, the State of California was nice enough to give me a going away present in the form of a speeding ticket. I was driving along on a long, straight stretch of Highway 101, mesmerized by the numerous giant redwoods lining the road. Since there was no one else out to pace, my speed crept a little above the legal limit and I didn’t notice the cruiser hiding in between those beautiful trees.

    Nabbed for doing 65 in a 55. Looks like I will be going to traffic school. This wouldn’t keep me down long though as I was treated to a beautiful sunrise over the southern Oregon coastal hills. The multiple viewpoints along the Oregon coast meant that I was stopping about every five miles or so until I finally reached Bandon, Oregon. 

    If you’re a golfer, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is basically heaven on earth and is worth every penny! I have been lucky enough to visit here a couple times and to play a couple of the courses. I highly recommend that you plan a trip to come here for a few days, stay at the lodge, and play some of the best courses in the World. You won’t be disappointed.

    I didn’t have my clubs though, and had to get moving on. Unfortunately, along the Oregon coast, that means you're moving on rather slowly as it seems every town has a 25 mph speed limit. And after I couldn’t take being in the car any longer, I stopped off at the Rogue Brewey in Newport to taste some of their great ales before heading into Portland for the last stretch of my 1500 mile road trip.

    I’ve now been in the Portland area for a couple weeks without a car. I thought I would be able to make it until I found a new career and city to live in, but I am missing my M3. And after seeing all of the comments on the BMW E36 M3 video on our social media channels, I think it’s time to grow my M3 collection and add one to the stable.—Nate Risch