Epic Cross Country Road Trip August 20-21

 Day 20:  Friday

Going back a week later and trying to remember what we did.  Yikes! Realize the importance of keeping up with writing in the journal.

We pack up camp.  It was a nice place and served us well.  We plan to meet Janet for lunch so pace our drive knowing that we want to spend as much time as possible with her.  The drive takes us back through Avenue of the Giants for one last commune with them. 

We meet at the Two Bird Café which is close to Janet’s place.  It is a bit smokey so we opt to eat inside.  It is so good to see Janet even though it is brief.  It takes a long time for them to bring lunch which is fine with us since we’re sitting and talking and happy with the excuse for a long leisurely lunch.  All very tasty.  I can see why it is one of Janet’s favorites. 

Janet signs the table cloth and we move on wanting more.  Hopefully, Thanksgiving!  Gee, how did I not get pictures?????

On to Berkeley to stay with cousin Valerie and Richard.  The bridge we take over to Berkley is one of the double decker ones.  Our direction was the lower level.  Felt a little eerie.  We easily find their house with a parking spot right in front.  A good reunion of people and their 2 sweet black cats.  Richrd’s sister-in-law, Bonnie comes over to join us. We all pile into Bonnie’s car and go to the bay for a walk.  It is smokey but not too bad.  There are some wild turkeys down at the park.

Richard orders dinner from a Tibetan restaurant for take out.  We have spring rolls, momos (like a pot sticker), chicken curry, pork, vegetarian, fish, lamb, beef soup dumplings.  In other words, we ate well!  After dinner, Valerie, Bonnie and I play “Pit”, a game we played a lot at one family reunion when we were kids.  Still a good game.

Day 21: Saturday

Valerie and Richard make us a good breakfast.  Our aim is to leave to drive to cousin, Ellen and Bob’s place in Sacramento about 10:00.  The time flies while we’re talking and suddenly it is past departure time.  Nick and Bob are in one car and Valerie and I are in the other.  Before we can leave we have to wait for the care taker of their famous neighbor, Janet Napolitano, president of the University of California, Berkelely and cabinet member to leave because she’s blocking us in. 

Valerie and I are busy talking and barely notice the stop and go traffic on the interstate.  Nick and Bob consult ways and find a way around the accident.  They arrive at Ellen and Bob’s a good 30 minutes before us even though they stopped at REI to pick up something for the tent.  We all meet up at a Mexican restaurant.  Richard and Nick know us well enough that they have already ordered for us and did a good job. 

We go back to Ellen and Bob’s house and Ellen gives me a tour of the yard.  She really spends a lot of time out there and it sure does show.  Lots of succulents and designed so that as you go around the yard, new areas are discovered. We also meet the dogs.  Two are theirs and 2 are foster and have been with them for about 3 years.  The 4 of them get along well.  Bob has them on a very tight routine. 

We’re in wine country so what do you do? Go on a winery tour.  The first one we go to is a stand alone winery with a very pleasant area to sit outside.  We are all more interested in the reds so order a flight of reds.  Hmmmm.  Good but nothing that we have to take with us. Next stop is The Old Sugar Mill.  It has about 10 wineries represented in one place!  What? You close in 30 minutes????  Well we stop at one that Bob was familiar with.  Again, nothing that we had to have.  I was going to get a bottle to go with dinner but Bob is making brats.  Gotta have beer with brats.

Bob grew up in Wisconsin and was exposed to a lot of good Polish and German food.  The German salad he made for us was great!  The brats were special ones that were sent to Bob from his sister in Wisconsin for his birthday. Bob cooked them in sauerkraut. They were good!  Apple pie for dessert.  Bob was wearing a t-shirt for Brother Thelonious beer.  He had one available.  A really good dark beer!  Perfect with the brats.

In the evening, we take the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood.  After that, the dogs and the people were ready for bed.

Epic Cross Country Road Trip August 16-17

 

Day 16:  Monday

Fred left early for work.  We had said our good byes last night.  Marissa had a bit more leisurely morning.  She loaded up the e-bikes to return them.  I threw balls for Sunny to give him some exercise and energy release. 

Nick and I loaded the car up and head off to Everett to Heidi and Elie’s house.  It is only about 1 ½ hour drive. Per Fred’s suggestion, we take  a local road that hugs the coast for most of the way.  Beautiful views of the sound.  Houses clinging to the cliff.  Nick doesn’t have many chances to enjoy the views as the road is very narrow and curvy. 

Heidi and Elie have a beautiful home overlooking the sound with huge windows and balconies to enjoy the views.  It’s good to see them again so soon.  

We want to see a slice of their lives and see where they haunt.   First off is lunch at a Thai place.  They were there just last night with their son, Phillip.  Obviously, one of their favorites and we certainly saw why!  Delicious.  After lunch it is time for a walk and the local botanical garden is decided upon.  It is a nice, quiet place where we can stroll and talk.

  From there we drove into Seattle to some locks.  There was an underwater viewing area where you could watch the big fish swimming upstream.  From above, we watched several boats going through.  They kept the locksmen busy!  Heidi was irritated that the men were always the one at the helm with the women running around securing the boat.  Women can drive boats too!

By now, it’s dinner time.  We’re down by the docks and there is a big famous seafood restaurant, Chinooks.  They have a table for 4 with a view!  I have fresh wild salmon.  Elie and Nick encourage each other to get dessert…..

On the way back to their house, we drive by the local light house.  So cute!

Back at Heidi and Elie’s we have some tea and sit around the table talking until our eyelids get heavy. 

 

Day 17:  Tuesday

Heidi and Elie have to pick up their RV van to take it in for a check-up at 8:00.  We aim to get on the road before they leave.  Elie made some fresh bread in their breadmaker that was set to be done at 7:30 so we had good fresh bread and jelly along with some cheese. 

Because of fires and smoke, we decided to go down the Oregon coast rather than to Crater Lake which was the original plan.  We stopped in Portland for lunch at a little Mexican Restaurant.  It was in an area with lots of little places to eat.  Yelp recommended the Mexican place and we also thought it was good.  The tacos were pretty straight forward.  Just done well and tasty. 

The Oregon coast really is beautiful.  I’m glad that the smoke drove us to the coast.  We stop at many pull over vistas.

  Our destination for the day is Beverly Beach State Park near New Port, Oregon.  They didn’t have any camp sites but they did have a yurt.  It ends up being half way between camping and a hotel.  Well, it is closer to camping. 

From our yurt, we can walk over to the beach.  We have a nice walk along the beach and then drive into town for dinner.  makeWe  it back in time for sunset over the Pacific.  I could make a habit out of this!

 We  make it back in time for sunset over the Pacific.  I could make a habit out of this!

Epic Cross Country Road Trip August 18-19

 

Day 18: Wednesday

There is a 20 mile section of Hwy 101 that is closed just south of Crescent City, CA.  It is closed to traffic from 8am to 1PM and 3PM to 7PM.  There really isn’t any other way around.  So, we have to plan our timing to get through that area.  We make reservations at a hotel in Crescent City so we can just get up, get in the car and go.  It is nice to be able to leisurely poke down the coast. At several of the stops, we make our way down to the beach for walks.  At one of the spots, there are many people with easels, painting.  Don’t know if it was a class or a club or just a coincidence.  At another place, the wind was really strong.  The sand stung as the wind whipped it up.  That walk was cut short and we found the shortest way back up to the car. 

Heidi and Elie had recommended a seafood restaurant, Luna Sea.  We stopped there for lunch.  It was great and the servings were huge.  I had shrimp and chips.  Nick had a chowder. 

We hoped to find a restaurant in Crescent City with a view of the ocean but it seemed that the ocean front was all residential.  We found a good Thai restaurant and then went back to the hotel for an early night. 

Day 19:  Thursday

We make it through the closed section easily.  There is one section where it is clear that there was a big landslide.  Still a lot of rock across the road.  It supposed to open the end of August.  I don’t think that is possible.  More beautiful pull offs!  One of them has a view of a rock that is a natural bridge.

  Then the road leaves the coast and heads inland where the Sequoias rule.  We weren’t able to reserve a camp site so are hoping that we’re early enough to get a first come site.  Oh, we’re so early, the office is closed.  We see several empty sites and several that have notes that they are reserved.  We pick one out and set up chairs in it.  Don’t want to set up the tent in case it is reserved.  Can’t have that one but we get a different site which is very nice. 

After we set up camp, we go through the Avenue of the Giants to a small town, called Miranda where we have lunch of a salad and pizza.  Of the 2 towns that are relatively close, Miranda is certainly the classier of the two.  Sent a picture of the Miranda post office to Steven and Lee.  We take the pizza with us thinking we will have it for dinner too.

We have a nice walk.  It is great walking among the giants.  The woodsy smell, the light.  The big ferns.  I feel inspired again to make a sun through the trees quilt.  A stole for Rev Deborah that are trunks of the trees?  Strips of fabrics with raw edges????