2010 - Road Trip - American Northwest

Day 1 - Headed to Yosemite

The story of today was the journey to just outside Yosemite (about a 5-hour trip). We listened to Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix as we made our way to Central California; and stopped at a unique place for lunch ~ Bravo Farms. They make cheese, and have a variety of stores and shopping venues (see photos).

We arrived at Yosemite South KOA at 2:00, pitched the tent, and spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool. After eating hot dogs and s'mores over the camp fire (of course!), we went to the game room and played air hockey. Our plan for tomorrow is to get up early and make our way into Yosemite National Park, where we will hike to some waterfalls, and explore the area.

It's been a fun day.

Day 2- Yosemite

We had a wonderful day in Yosemite ~ as evidenced by our total and complete exhaustion as we stumbled back to our cabin tonight. Yes... cabin. The first thing I did this morning was upgrade us to a cabin. While the sounds of the summer night can be enchanting in theory, as a practical matter they do not lend to a good night's sleep :)

The silver lining though is that I was up, showered, packed and ready to drive into Yosemite by 6 am, which turned out to be a wonderful thing! Thanks to Mandy and Cody for the head's up regarding the Yosemite road work, which has the better part of an 18-mile stretch of two-lane traffic sharing a single lane. So, we made it into Yosemite Valley early enough to miss most of that craziness on the way in :)

My favorite view of the drive this morning was the overlook right after the tunnel ~ you can see El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Falls all in one view. From there we snaked our way down to Yosemite Village where we toured the Visitor Center, museum, hiked to Yosemite Falls, and had lunch.

After lunch we enjoyed sharing the lane all the way back to Mariposa Grove to see the giant Sequoias. Amazing and breathtaking, but my photos simply don't do them justice.

We finished the day at the camp ground pool, and picked up pizza to enjoy during the Lakers vs. Celtics game. We'll be heading to bed early tonight due to the above-mentioned exhaustion. Early tomorrow morning we head to SAN FRANCISCO!

Day 3 - San Francisco

We were up at 4:45 am in order to leave the Yosemite area and make it to San Jose to pick the boys up! Keith and Connor flew in to join us for the San Francisco leg of our road trip, and Bonnie and I were glad to see them.

While we were in San Jose, we toured the Winchester Mystery House -- something that's been on my list for a while. It was kind of hokey, but our guide first worked as a guide there in 1945 when he was 14 years old. So, his history and perspectives on the changing crowds throughout the years added some depth to the experience. The best part was that Bonnie absolutely LOVED the tour (and the guide) -- she stayed right with him, asking questions about ghosts, etc.

I've know since our 2007 road trip that my kids *really* love the big cities the best, so I wasn't very surprised at Bonnie's excitement over getting to San Francisco. But it was so much fun to see the look on her face when Keith took over as tour guide and introduced her to the joys of the inner city: Neiman Marcus at Union Square, Hermes, the flagship Banana Republic, and Gump's. They even browsed Caroline Herrera's line of couture gowns... as if.

We also explored Chinatown, and toured a fortune cookie factory :)

During this time, Connor took off on his own and explored the local music stores. But we all met up at The Stinking Rose for dinner with my aunt and uncle who happen to be in San Francisco this week as well.

Another fun day...

Day 4 - San Francisco & Alcatraz

Things I love about San Francisco: wearing a hoodie in summer, being able to walk or ride mass transit everywhere, and the symphony of foreign languages spoken in every part of the city! A city of rich diversity.

What a day!! We started out walking across the Golden Gate Bridge (1.7 miles each way). Although we ran a little bit, Bonnie has some chest congestion from our camping excursion... so we ended up walking most of it ~ and enjoying every minute of it!

Afterwards we hurried back to the room to clean up and meet Aunt Peggy and Uncle Mark for lunch in Chinatown. Then while Keith and Connor headed to the Haight/Ashbury music store scene, Bonnie and I toured Coit tower. We walked from Chinatown to Coit Tower, then down Lombard street, the "crookedest street in America." From there it was over to Pier 39 where we watched the sea lions, ate cotton candy, and had a great time at the pier.

Finally, we met back up with Keith for our nighttime tour of Alcatraz! What fun!! Bonnie and I had watched "ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ" to prepare for this tour, and the movie was amazingly like the prison -- maybe it was actually filmed there? By the time the tour was over, we raced back to a restaurant for a late dinner, and we're finally getting into bed.

Tomorrow Keith and Connor head back home, while Bonnie and I continue north to the Redwood Forest.

Day 5 - Napa & the Redwood Forest

Keith and Connor headed back home this morning, but it was so nice to have them in San Francisco. After their departure, most of today was spent driving up the 101 to Crescent City, CA ~ through Napa Valley and the Redwood Forest. BEAUTIFUL!! In Napa, we stopped and toured Sterling Vineyards (thanks to Steve and Christine for suggesting it!). The gondola ride to the top of the mountain was worth the price of admission to Bonnie, especially since they let us go up and down a couple of times :) We both enjoyed the tour of the winery, the videos that explain the wine-making process, and the view. Since this was more of an educational tour (and I had many hours of driving ahead of me), I didn't get to enjoy the wine tasting aspect of the tour. But I can see how hiring a driver and touring a few of the wineries would make a most enjoyable day :)

The rest of the day we drove up the coast and through the Redwood Forest luxuriating in the company of Jim Dale's voice. My favorite kind of day :)

Days 6 & 7 - Portland

Day 6:

I thought today would be mostly driving, ending with a nice dinner in downtown Portland with our friend Kent. So, I was completely surprised by how much additional fun the day offered! For starters, we drove through several redwood forests as we left Crescent City, and had to turn off the audio book at times to savor the views of the gigantic trees!

Then we turned the corner and entered a 1950s time warp ~ the road-side workshop and gallery of a wood worker - Burl Gallery. The owner explained exactly what a "burl" was, and how he carved it into different shapes.

Finally, we ended up at Jake's Famous Crawfish in downtown Portland, where we met Kent for dinner. A fantastic meal, and wonderful company :) Afterward we explored the best bookstore in the world (Powells!), then took the light rail to the "Northwest" area of Portland for dessert at Rose's. We finally walked back to Jake's through the "Pearl" district. I LOVE THIS CITY!

Day 7:

We slept so well at Kent's house, Bonnie didn't wake up until 11:00! Of course, it helped that it was cold enough to snuggle down into the down comforters :)

After brunch we headed towards Multnomah Falls, with a stop at the Vista House. The overcast, foggy, cold, and sometimes rainy day was exactly what I needed :) The vibrant green forests and views were absolutely, stunningly beautiful. However, with Bonnie's cough, I didn't want to spend too much time in the elements, so we only hiked to the bridge of the falls. Afterward we had coffee and hot chocolate at the lodge.

We're back at Kent's house now where we'll be treated to his famous spaghetti, and get another night of good rest before we head into Seattle tomorrow.

Day 8 - Mount St. Helens, Museum of Glass, & Seattle

Bonnie and I left Portland this morning and began our trek to Seattle. First stop was Mount St. Helens. Although the visibility was so poor that we couldn’t actually see the mountain (much less the crater!), the visitor’s center provided a wealth of information, and Bonnie LOVED learning all about the 1980 eruption.

From there we went to the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington. The glass demonstrations alone were worth the price of admission, but the Chihuly Bridge and the Venetian Wall are worth the trip to Tacoma! Both of these installations are OUTSIDE, on an OVERPASS ~ so when you’re looking at the picture of the wall of “boxes” containing glass figures, you need to imagine that we were standing on an overpass over I-205. The most entertaining gallery at the museum was the “Kids Design” installation. Each month the glass workers pick a picture that a child has drawn and they create it and put it in the exhibit. Of course, Bonnie couldn’t wait to draw a picture… and we are hoping it is picked.

We finally arrived in Seattle at rush hour, and survived harrowingly steep and narrow streets (at rush hour!) to find our hotel: Pensione Nichols. We are 1-block up from Pike Place Market, right in the center of the excitement. After a work-out at Seattle Athletic Club, we entered the charming Post Alley, and stumbled into The Pink Door for dinner. What a surprise! The food was fantastic, the ambiance enchanting, and the trapeze artist took our breath away. I hope the pictures turn out.

Day 9 - Seattle

The Pensione we are staying at is so nice! It’s one block from Pike Place Market, and it overlooks the bay. While Bonnie slept in, I enjoyed breakfast in the little dining room and meeting the other guests. I didn’t realize when I made the reservations that the Pensione is “pet friendly” – so there were a couple of dogs at breakfast as well. However, I didn’t let that take away from the joy of such a charming experience.

Once Bonnie woke up, we headed to the Underground Tour ~ a fun walking tour through the underground tunnels of Seattle that examines the seedy history of Seattle. I especially appreciated the tour guide’s creative use of substitution ~ i.e., with so many children on the tour, he used the term “seamstress” instead of prostitute. Of course, after the tour Bonnie wanted to know why “seamstresses” had to be so secretive about their jobs. So… another perfect chance to continue our open dialogue.

Afterwards we happened by a café named “Turkish Delight.” Bonnie has wanted to experience the treat ever since she saw “Chronicles of Narnia,” and this café did not fail us! We had a delightful lunch with a LOT of Turkish Delight for dessert.

From there we headed up to Westlake Center to catch the monorail over to the Space Needle. At the foot of the Space Needle is a museum complex that houses both the Science Fiction Museum and the EMP (Experience Music Project) – What fun! At the SFM I made a list of books that I need to read (and took a photo that only science fiction fans will appreciate), and Bonnie enjoyed looking at all of the Star Wars memorabilia. But the EMP was the hit of the day for Bonnie – she listened to Hendrix, watched 2-story tall videos, created her own band (we have the poster!), and spent a couple of hours in various “recording studios” playing a variety of instruments and mixing music.

Finally it was time for our dinner in the Space Needle. It had been a beautiful, clear day, so we were able to see Mt. Ranier in the distance, then enjoyed the 360 degree view of the city during dinner. Surprisingly, the food was fairly decent ~ and Bonnie LOVED that the pasta noodles were shaped like the Space Needle. But for my friends who are foodies, remember that you eat at the Space Needle for the view, not the food ☺

Finally back in the room to get some rest before we’re up early to catch the Victoria Clipper over to Victoria, B.C. at 7:30 am.

Day 10 - Victoria, British Columbia

The day began VERY early this morning (5:30 am), as we boarded the clipper to Victoria, B.C. Due to earlier trauma experienced on our '06 road trip (whale watching in Maine), we both took some dramamine. This helped to keep the seasickness at bay, but kept us sleepy and loopy for the rest of the day.

Additionally, I did not remember Victoria being so adult oriented -- we went to three different restaurants before Bonnie was allowed in for fish and chips. HOWEVER, if I ever make it back here with Keith, there are some fabulous Irish and Scottish pubs that we will most definitely explore!! As an aside... during dinner we watched the Ireland vs. NZ Maori rugby match. RUGBY is an unbelievable sport! Why is this sport not watched in America? I couldn't take my eyes off the screen! It's apparently football, without the rules or protective gear.

But I digress... the day was not a total loss. We toured Butchart Gardens (beautiful!), and are staying at the historic Empress Hotel (totally lost on Bonnie, but it was on my bucket list :)). We're in for the night now, and will catch the 11:30 clipper back to Seattle tomorrow. I had more activities planned such as the Enchanted Forest (amusement park) and the Sea Lion Caves, both in Oregon. But Bonnie has really "hit the wall." She just wants to listen to Harry Potter and stay in the car for hours at a time as we head home.

So, I think I'm going to end the road trip while I'm ahead. We've had a blast, but we miss being at home with Keith and Connor.