That's All for this Trip

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.

Portland

Seattle and San Francisco

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.

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.

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.

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!

Day 36: Seattle to Portland

We started the day off in a healthy way by taking a walk. The only problem was the walk was to Top Pot Donuts. It was another Roadfood rec and has delicious donuts.
We had a pleasant drive to Portland. We stopped in a cute neighborhood and had lunch at a place called Rosa's. Then we headed to the home of our friends Rick and Kevin. They used to live in SLO and we miss having them there. They have a very nice home in Portland and it was good to reconnect with them and Ripley enjoyed meeting their dog, Snickers.
Kevin made pizza for dinner and 2 other former SLO-ites Mike and Jim also came over for dinner.
Tomorrow we'll go see some sights in Portland.

Day 35: Sunny Seattle

We had another great day here in the Seattle area. We took Mr. Ripley back to Central Bark for another play day. Then we drove the car onto the ferry to Bainbridge Island. The ride is only 30 minutes but the views both directions were beautiful.
We first stopped in the Winslow area of the island and wandered around. The most popular spot this morning was the Blackbird Bakery which had all sorts of lovely pastries but the locals all just order toast. It looked like good toast but I opted for an orange bun. The area seems very upscale and very pleasant--I've never seen a place with so many dogs and children. The weekly farmers' market was going on and we walked around it. The folks around here are so very friendly and helpful.
Yesterday we realized that one of our brake lights had gone out. We happened to drive by a Mercedes dealership and Dwyne thought they might have a bulb that would fit. One of the service guys tried several bulbs but none worked and he suggested we try an auto parts store a few blocks away. When we got to the location he suggested it appeared the business was no longer there but there was a bike shop nearby and Dwyne went in to see if they knew where it was. Indeed the auto parts store was no longer in the area but the guy in the bike shop said there was an auto repair shop just a couple of blocks away and offered to call and see if they might have the bulb. It appeared that they did and so we drove there. The person at the repair shop found a bulb and wouldn't let Dwyne pay for it--he said to just consider it a goodwill gesture. We've had several other examples of people being very helpful and extremely friendly.
Anyway, back to today. Someone had suggested that when we went to Bainbridge Island we drive to the town of Poulsbo which is a Danish town. So to honor our friend Rob who is of Danish heritage, we drove to Poulsbo. We noticed lots of traffic heading into town and then started seeing signs saying "Welcome to Viking Fest." We must have gotten to the main street just seconds before they closed it for the parade because people were lined up along the street. We had the top down on the car so I gave a few parade waves as we drove down the street. Since we didn't want to spend all day at a parade, we drove back to the ferry dock on Bainbridge Island and were the next to last car on the ferry back to Seattle.
Once back in Seattle we parked the car and headed for lunch at Pike Place Chowder. We'd sampled their chowder on our tour the day before and Dwyne had been thinking about it ever since. We had crab rolls and chowder for lunch and greatly enjoyed it.
After lunch we took one of the free downtown busses to Pioneer Square and walked around that area. The neighborhood has some beautiful old buildings and there are lots of art galleries and home decor stores in the area.
Then we went to the transit station where they have light rail trains and busses that travel through a tunnel. We took a bus to another station where we boarded the monorail to go to the Space Needle. The Space Needle was built for the 1962 World's Fair and is considered one of the symbols of Seattle. We went to the top where there were great views of the city and surrounding areas. After decending we walked around the area a little bit before boarding the monorail again. Before going back to the car we went in the original flagship Nordstrom's and the original Sur La Table. We bought some spoons at Sur La Table to use at a dinner we're having 2 days after our return to benefit ARTS Obispo. Thank goodness it's a progressive dinner and we just have to provide one course.
After picking up Mr Ripley (who seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed himself) we went back to the hotel for a little rest before dinner.
We chose to go to a place named Lola for dinner. The cuisine at Lola is focused on Greek food. It's owned by Tom Douglas whose also owns Etta's that we visited on our tour. He is a James Beard award winning chef and seems to be a major icon in the Seattle food world. We had an outstanding dinner. I actually had my first goat and I'm now a fan! The restaurant is within walking distance of our hotel so we may have burned off one or two calories on the walk back.
Tomorrow we head to Portland OR.

Views of Seattle

Bainbridge Island, WA

Seattle Scenes

Savoring Seattle

Coeur D'Alene, Idaho

Day 34: Savoring Seattle

We started the day off by taking Mr Ripley to a dog daycare place called Central Bark. We knew we wanted to see some things where we couldn't take him and he also needed some exercise.
Our intention was to go to Pike Place Market for awhile and then see some other sights. Well, you put two food lovers like us in a place like Pike Place Market and we aren't leaving very soon! The market is a wonderful, old place with stall after stall of interesting food vendors, places to eat, food related items and on and on. It is a big tourist attraction and has a somewhat touristy vibe but it's the real deal.
We wandered around for awhile and then had lunch at Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar which was a Roadfood rec. The weather was nice so we could sit outside in their pleasant courtyard. I had their sampler which contained 2 raw oysters, 3 boiled shrimp and a bowl of shrimp soup. Dwyne had their oyster stew. When we were wandering around we went in a place called Beecher's Handmade Cheese that my friend Jenny had suggested and while there I noticed a group who appeared to be on some sort of culinary tour. I found out it was with an organization called Savor Seattle and that there was another tour that afternoon. So guess how we spent our afternoon? The tour took us to a number of the different places in the market where we got to sample their special items and meet and talk with the owners or employees. We samples all sorts of wonderful things including a jicama spring roll from a Vietnamese place, crabcakes at the reknowned Etta's Restaurant, several varieties of smoked salmon from Pike Place Fish, wonderful, hot cinnamon sugar donuts from Daily Dozen Donuts, cheese and mac and cheese from the previously mentioned Beecher's and quite a few more places. We really enjoyed the tour and enjoyed talking to the other people on the tour.
So...we pretty much spent the entire day at Pike Place Market. Not a bad thing to do but now we only have one other day to see the rest of Seattle.
We were full from all the sampling we did on the tour but still went to dinner at a place on the water called Belle Street Diner. We got to sit outside on the harbor which was very nice. Dinner was fine but not mind boggling. After dinner we forgot about the fact that we were full and drove back to the Capitol Hill area and once more got ice cream from Mollie Moon's.
Tomorrow we're going to try and see some other sights around Seattle. Mr R is going back to Central Bark.

Day 33:Sunny in Seattle

We left Coeur D'Alene this morning around 8:30am. We soon crossed the state line into Washington. For the first part of the drive I thought we were back in Kansas--it was very flat and uninteresting. But then we got to the Columbia River and things greatly improved. We soon saw snow capped mountains and lots of green trees. We stopped for lunch in North Bend which has a cute downtown but we did not do well in selecting our restaurant...well...you can't win them all.
I had never been to Seattle but had always heard that it's a lovely city but that the sun rarely shines. I guess today was a rare day because it was sunny as could be! We're staying at the La Quinta right in downtown. We have a nice little suite with a big wall of windows with a skyline view and a great view of the Space Needle. Mr Ripley received a bag of treats when we checked in so he gives this place 5 stars. While we were outside a bus driver came over to see him and said dogs can ride on the busses here. He said he'd let Mr Ripley ride for free anytime he wanted.
We saw that there was a 2nd Thursday Artwalk in the Capital Hill neighborhood tonight so we went to check that out. We saw a few interesting shows but the places didn't have nearly the crowds and good energy that we get in SLO for our Art After Dark.
We had a wonderful dinner at a place called the Tin Table. I had a beet salad and duck, Dwyne had an arugula and beet salad and pork tenderloin. Instead of having dessert at the restaurant we decided to go to an ice cream place we'd seen just below the restaurant. It's called Molly Moon's and when we got there after dinner the line was out the door. But it was worth the wait. I had a flavor called salted caramel and it was dream-worthy!
We drove around a little bit before returning to the hotel.
Tomorrow we hope to explore much more of Seattle.

Day 32: A Beautiful Drive

We left West Yellowstone early this morning thinking we'd get back to I-90 the same way we came, but the GPS told us to turn on Hwy 287 so we did. What a great drive! The drive from West Yellowstone to Ennis MT was perhaps the most beautiful drive ever. There were snow-capped mountains, a lake still covered with ice, a family of buffalo by the side of the road, gorgeous land formations and so much more than I can describe. It was so beautiful that I realized I had tears streaming down my face! I know that sounds silly but I was that overwhelmed.
We stopped in the cute town of Ennis at the Ennis Cafe for breakfast. The rest of the drive was very nice and scenic but nothing could touch the caliber of the first part of the drive.
Our destination today was Coeur D'Alene, Idaho and we arrived here around 2:30pm. We spent the afternoon walking around the lakefront area and driving along the lake road. This evening we went to the charming downtown area for dinner at a place called Crickets.
Tomorrow we head for Seattle. We just have one week remaining on our journey.

Day 31: Yellowstone Does Indeed Have Yellow Stone

We had a great day visiting Yellowstone National Park. Although not all the roads have opened for the season, we were still able to see a great deal. Shortly after we entered the park we saw some elk and some buffalo. One of my favorite sights was the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. It contains two dramatic waterfalls and beautiful, clear water. I commented on the color of the rock and a woman standing next to me said, "Yes, they're yellow...hence the name!" Oh...I see.
We enjoyed lunch at the National Historic Landmark Old Faithful Inn. And after lunch wandered over and saw Old Faithful erupt. It was a windy day and the eruption was a little lopsided but it was impressive anyway. We had been chatting with some older women from Las Vegas while waiting for Old Faithful to spout and when it finally happened one of them said, "I like the one at the Bellagio better!"
The thermal geysers and hot springs in the park are absolutely amazing. Some things looked like they must have a motor inside.
We saw lots and lots of buffalo. They were often by the side of the road grazing as were some elk. We also saw a bald eagle in its nest. We did not see anymore bears today and I was a little disappointed about that but there's always next time.
We went back to Sydney's Mountain Bistro for dinner. It seems to be the only fairly decent place to eat in the town of West Yellowstone. Dwyne and I were thinking we were such adventurers going on this trip and then our waiter told us he and a friend hopped freight trains last summer and went from Montana to New Orleans. Now that's a little too much adventure for me!
Visiting Yellowstone certainly goes high on the list of highlights for this trip.
Tomorrow we head to Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. Another day, another state.

Yellowstone

Yellowstone: Old Faithful and other attractions

Yellowstone: Lunch at the Old Faithful Inn

Amazing Yellowstone

Day 30: Big Sky Is Not Just A Restaurant in SLO

We left Billings MT this morning heading toward Yellowstone. Our first big stop was Bozeman MT where we had lunch and checked out the rather attractive downtown. Our waiter at lunch has relatives in SLO and he was also full of advise as to what we should see at Yellowstone.
The drive from Bozeman to Yellowstone is very beautiful. Most of the drive there's a river running alongside the road and then there are snow covered mountains along the side.
I told Dwyne I'd love to see some animals and he said we might not see any along this road. Then about 2 minutes later we saw 3 bears on a hill and then a few minutes later there was a buffalo right on the side of the road. We had to stop to let him cross the road and he just meandered across and started munching on some grass. Then we looked back and 3 more buffalo were headed that way.
We stopped at the west gate to Yellowstone Park and got our passes and a map so we'd be prepared for touring tomorrow. Not all the roads are open yet but it looks like there will be plenty for us to see.
We're staying in West Yellowstone at the Holiday Inn which is just a moment away from the west gate. It's a little western town with very limited eating options. I took a little walk around the town this afternoon and saw a place called Sydney's Mountain Bistro and thought it looked like the best bet. We had a nice dinner there and will likely go back tomorrow night. We're hoping to have lunch at the Old Faithful Lodge tomorrow.
There's still quite a bit of snow on the ground around here and tonight it rained. I hope the weather will be pleasant for our park visit tomorrow.

Day 29: A Drive Through Wyoming

I published lots of pictures today and the photos are now current.
We woke up in Deadwood SD and looked out the window and the hills and trees across from the hotel were covered with snow. It was very pretty and since it didn't impede our travel, it was fine.
Today was going to be primarily a driving day with a few stops. The first place we visited was the Devil's Tower National Monument. It is a volcanic "plug" that looks like a giant tree stump. It was featured in the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." It was also the first national monument. On our way to the tower we drove through the town of Sundance which was the birthplace of the Sundance Kid. It's a rather drab little town now.
We had a mixture of some very pretty and some very boring scenery today. Another stop we made was in Sheridan WY to check out the Sheridan Inn. Buffalo Bill was once a co-owner of the hotel and would audition acts for his wild west show while sitting on the porch. It has recently been restored and is quite interesting. We enjoyed looking at the old pictures.
Our destination today was Billings MT. It's not a particularly lovely town, but was the right distance for today's drive. We're staying at a La Quinta which is fine. The desk clerk told me about a riverfront park a short drive away where I took Mr Ripley for a walk. We both enjoyed the stroll.
We went to dinner at a place in downtown Billings. The service was painfully slow. Those who know Dwyne can just imagine how pleased he was about that. We finally got our food and the poor people at the table next to us were still waiting for theirs when we were leaving.
We're heading for Yellowstone tomorrow.
Oh! We went over the 8000 mile mark today. So we've been 8000 miles, through 28 states in 29 days.

Devil's Tower and Sheridan WY