I'm beginning to settle back in to my normal life in SLO. We had such a great time on this trip and I'd do all again anytime.
My Facebook page now has 3 albums of pictures from the trip and the pictures are all captioned.
Now I'll anxiously await for my next trip-whatever that might be.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Day 40: The Long Drive Home...
We were not in a rush to leave Ukiah this morning but still got away fairly early. The scenery along 101 south of Ukiah was nice--lots of vineyards and green hills. We stopped in Healdsburg to pay homage to one of our favorite spots-the Oakville Grocery.
Originally we were going to bypass San Francisco but the weather was nice and it looked like we'd be arriving there around lunchtime so we couldn't resist.
After all the beautiful things we've seen the past 40 days, few can compare to driving across the Golden Gate Bridge on a sunny day. And Mr Ripley thought it was great because the toll booth operator gave him a treat.
Since we had Mr Ripley in tow and didn't want to leave him in the car we needed to find a place to eat outside. The perfect spot was found behind the Ferry Plaza building at Boulette's Larder where we had an excellent albeit expensive lunch.
And then a few hours later and we were pulling in our driveway. 10,740 miles. 32 states plus DC and Ontario, Canada. 40 days. And we had the time of our lives!
I'll post the rest of the pictures and some reflections later.
Originally we were going to bypass San Francisco but the weather was nice and it looked like we'd be arriving there around lunchtime so we couldn't resist.
After all the beautiful things we've seen the past 40 days, few can compare to driving across the Golden Gate Bridge on a sunny day. And Mr Ripley thought it was great because the toll booth operator gave him a treat.
Since we had Mr Ripley in tow and didn't want to leave him in the car we needed to find a place to eat outside. The perfect spot was found behind the Ferry Plaza building at Boulette's Larder where we had an excellent albeit expensive lunch.
And then a few hours later and we were pulling in our driveway. 10,740 miles. 32 states plus DC and Ontario, Canada. 40 days. And we had the time of our lives!
I'll post the rest of the pictures and some reflections later.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Day 39: A rainy drive to our home state
Perhaps there is symbolism to the fact that our next to the last day of travel (and our last day of real touring) had the worst weather of the entire trip. We left Bandon OR this morning and it started raining. We visited a few view spots nearby and the wind was shaking our car. By the time we got on the main road it was pouring. The coastal drive was beautiful but we couldn't see everything because of the rain and we couldn't take hardly any pictures.
Our first stop was Crescent City CA which was listed in Forbes as one of America's prettiest towns. It does have a pretty lighthouse and coastline but the town itself is far from pretty. We stopped at the Visitor Information Office to get a suggestion for a lunch place and guy suggested a place with a harbor view. Well, the view was of a run-down rv park and if you looked very hard you could see the harbor in the distance. But the food was okay and it was dry so we weren't too unhappy.
We then drove to Eureka CA which IS a very charming town. It has a nice downtown and some pretty old Victorian homes. We stopped at the "Has Bean Coffee and Bakery" for something to drink--mainly because I loved the name!
Since we'd already been to Mendicino and for time reasons and because the weather was bad, we decided to take the Redwood Highway (101) and it was wonderful. The drive was very beautiful. We even stopped and did the "drive-through" tree.
We're spending the night in Ukiah because that was as far as we felt like driving. For dinner we went to a place called Walter Cafe which is a hybrid steak place and suchi place so we had a little of each of enjoyed it.
Tomorrow we head home.
Our first stop was Crescent City CA which was listed in Forbes as one of America's prettiest towns. It does have a pretty lighthouse and coastline but the town itself is far from pretty. We stopped at the Visitor Information Office to get a suggestion for a lunch place and guy suggested a place with a harbor view. Well, the view was of a run-down rv park and if you looked very hard you could see the harbor in the distance. But the food was okay and it was dry so we weren't too unhappy.
We then drove to Eureka CA which IS a very charming town. It has a nice downtown and some pretty old Victorian homes. We stopped at the "Has Bean Coffee and Bakery" for something to drink--mainly because I loved the name!
Since we'd already been to Mendicino and for time reasons and because the weather was bad, we decided to take the Redwood Highway (101) and it was wonderful. The drive was very beautiful. We even stopped and did the "drive-through" tree.
We're spending the night in Ukiah because that was as far as we felt like driving. For dinner we went to a place called Walter Cafe which is a hybrid steak place and suchi place so we had a little of each of enjoyed it.
Tomorrow we head home.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Day 38: To The Oregon Coast for the Home Stretch
This morning Rick made us waffles for breakfast so we were well fortified for a day of travel. It was great to be with our friends again and Mr Ripley enjoyed being with Snickers. We really loved Portland and can't wait to return.
We headed south to Eugene OR. We had both heard good things about the city and wanted to check it out. We went to a cool place on 5th which is a collection of food places and some other shops. They all sort of blend together in this very neat atmosphere. We had lunch at Marche Provisions which has all sorts of foods available. We drove around Eugene a bit more and then headed toward the coast.
The drive was pleasant. Our first coastal town was Florence OR which has a cute little "old town" area. We stopped at the visitors' center to get a map of the coast and chatted a bit with a nice lady in there. We drove along the coast and stopped a couple of times to see some sights before stopping for the day in Bandon OR. Bandon is a pretty little seaside town with a nice harbor and some beautiful coastal frontage. We're staying at the Bandon Inn (original name) which is up on a hill overlooking the water. We actually have a room with a good view! Dwyne and I laugh that we always end up with views of parking lots so we are very pleased with this. We had a pretty decent dinner at the Wheelhouse Restaurant which is right by the harbor.
We'll continue down the coast tomorrow for our next to the last day of travel.
We headed south to Eugene OR. We had both heard good things about the city and wanted to check it out. We went to a cool place on 5th which is a collection of food places and some other shops. They all sort of blend together in this very neat atmosphere. We had lunch at Marche Provisions which has all sorts of foods available. We drove around Eugene a bit more and then headed toward the coast.
The drive was pleasant. Our first coastal town was Florence OR which has a cute little "old town" area. We stopped at the visitors' center to get a map of the coast and chatted a bit with a nice lady in there. We drove along the coast and stopped a couple of times to see some sights before stopping for the day in Bandon OR. Bandon is a pretty little seaside town with a nice harbor and some beautiful coastal frontage. We're staying at the Bandon Inn (original name) which is up on a hill overlooking the water. We actually have a room with a good view! Dwyne and I laugh that we always end up with views of parking lots so we are very pleased with this. We had a pretty decent dinner at the Wheelhouse Restaurant which is right by the harbor.
We'll continue down the coast tomorrow for our next to the last day of travel.
Day 37: Now I Know Why My Friends Moved to Portland
Since we only had one full day in Portland, we needed to do some serious sight-seeing. Rick proved to be an excellent tour guide. We started off by visiting Washington Park which is the second largest city park in the U.S. They have a wonderful rose garden but it will be a few weeks before they all pop out. Still the rose garden setting is very beautiful. The highlight of our visit to the park were the Japanese Gardens. They were so stunning and serene. We just kept oohing and ahhing. After leaving the park we drove around Portland's very vibrant downtown. Portland should be called the city of trees and even the very "big city-ish" downtown has trees. There's also a modern town square area where people seem to gather and they have weekly concerts there in the summer. A number of cultural institutions are in the same area and face a lovely park. Dwyne was obsessed with all the food carts--more than we've assembled in any other city. There appeared to be one for every type of food imaginable.
Since Portland is concidered such a beer city, Rick thought we should have lunch at a beer tavern. So we went to the very interesting Pearl District and at at Henry's 12th Street Tavern. This place is very upscale and looks nothing like the beer pub I was anticipating (much to my delight). But they have a beer list that would rival a 5-star restaurant's wine list! I'm not really a beer drinker...but when in Rome...And I did enjoy my beer. To go along with the beer I had "hot dog sliders" which were 3 little hot dogs with different toppings--I loved them! Dwyne and Rick were very happy with their Reuben sandwiches and beer cheese soup. Post lunch we walked around the Pearl District. It has lots of great looking shops, restaurants, bars and renovated buildings with upscale condos. We went in a very nice kitchen shop and to Powell's Book Store. Powell's is a huge independent bookstore. I've never seen such a large cookbook collection. I could have stayed in that section alone the rest of the day. We drove around some other neighborhoods before going back to the house.
We started the evening by going over to Jim and Mike's house for a glass of wine. They live in a beautifully restored old home and it was fun to see it.
Our dinner was at a Portland hot spot called Clyde Common. It's a very hip space but has seriously good food. We had a table in the mezzanine area and could look down on all the action below. When the server asked if we wanted dessert Kevin said, "maybe we should go to Voodoo Donuts." Even the server agreed that we should. We had actually heard about Voodoo Donuts from someone in Seattle so we were totally up for it. It is a strange place. First of all it's in this ramshackle building and is rather dark and imposing (not your brightly lit Dunkin'Donut type place at all). There's a counter and a rotating display case with samples of the various donuts. The donuts have really wacky toppings. One of the most popular (and Rick and Kevin's choice) is the maple bacon. I opted for the chocolate-peanut butter with rice crispies. Oh, I forgot to mention the goth-like young woman behind the counter. She was in no mood for any questions and if asked one she gave the shortest answer possible. But it was quite an interesting experience and I did indeed enjoy my donut.
Being the old fogies that we've become, we went back to the house to watch "Dancing With the Stars."
Tomorrow we're heading to the southern Oregon coast for our final travel days. We are already anxious for a return visit to Portland!
Since Portland is concidered such a beer city, Rick thought we should have lunch at a beer tavern. So we went to the very interesting Pearl District and at at Henry's 12th Street Tavern. This place is very upscale and looks nothing like the beer pub I was anticipating (much to my delight). But they have a beer list that would rival a 5-star restaurant's wine list! I'm not really a beer drinker...but when in Rome...And I did enjoy my beer. To go along with the beer I had "hot dog sliders" which were 3 little hot dogs with different toppings--I loved them! Dwyne and Rick were very happy with their Reuben sandwiches and beer cheese soup. Post lunch we walked around the Pearl District. It has lots of great looking shops, restaurants, bars and renovated buildings with upscale condos. We went in a very nice kitchen shop and to Powell's Book Store. Powell's is a huge independent bookstore. I've never seen such a large cookbook collection. I could have stayed in that section alone the rest of the day. We drove around some other neighborhoods before going back to the house.
We started the evening by going over to Jim and Mike's house for a glass of wine. They live in a beautifully restored old home and it was fun to see it.
Our dinner was at a Portland hot spot called Clyde Common. It's a very hip space but has seriously good food. We had a table in the mezzanine area and could look down on all the action below. When the server asked if we wanted dessert Kevin said, "maybe we should go to Voodoo Donuts." Even the server agreed that we should. We had actually heard about Voodoo Donuts from someone in Seattle so we were totally up for it. It is a strange place. First of all it's in this ramshackle building and is rather dark and imposing (not your brightly lit Dunkin'Donut type place at all). There's a counter and a rotating display case with samples of the various donuts. The donuts have really wacky toppings. One of the most popular (and Rick and Kevin's choice) is the maple bacon. I opted for the chocolate-peanut butter with rice crispies. Oh, I forgot to mention the goth-like young woman behind the counter. She was in no mood for any questions and if asked one she gave the shortest answer possible. But it was quite an interesting experience and I did indeed enjoy my donut.
Being the old fogies that we've become, we went back to the house to watch "Dancing With the Stars."
Tomorrow we're heading to the southern Oregon coast for our final travel days. We are already anxious for a return visit to Portland!
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