Final Leg - Oregon Coast and Home

We have arrived home after sixty-five days on the road. It is great to travel but it is also great to be home.  I'll miss the sixty-two sunny days and will soon tire of the drenching rain that is happening outside of our home as I write this final trip entry. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip up the coast. It is one Deborah and I have made many times but in the summer.  It is quite usual to have our ocean views spoiled by sea fog but this time we got lucky. The fog lifted as we arrived from inland and the sun shone for the rest of our coastal trip. It was the first time for Kathy and she was thrilled. 

We left the Napa Valley in the early morning (for us) and travelled inland to join I505 North before joining I405 further along. We decided against the Northern California 101 route because it is slightly inland and you don't see the ocean for much of the way. 

We had a smooth sunny freeway drive and arrived in Roseburg, Oregon to stay the night. We chose this spot because it was near our jumping off exit to the coast the next morning. 

Or drive west was through tiny villages, vineyards and dairy farms. The colour of new green was everywhere. 

We arrived at the coast after nearly a two hour drive and stopped to take in the beauty of the sea. Oregon is a land of long, desolate, sandy beaches with huge crashing waves. We took our time and stopped for pictures, lunch and anything else that caught our interest. We ended the day at Cannon Beach.  Cannon Beach is a small village of artisan shops, small restaurants and of course Haystack Rock, a curious rock formation sticking out of the sea. 

Our final day was characterised as one where folks were ready to be home. The drive was uneventful and we managed to time missing the Seattle Rush Hour with ease. We arrived at the border to face long Border Security lineups but this also proved to be nothing to worry about. Once again our NEXUS cards meant we sailed to the front of the line. 

We have already settled into the rhythms and routines of home life. Our sun tans will fade but our memories will last our lifetimes. 

Napa And Sonoma Wine Valleys

After a leisurely drive over the Golden Gate, through Sausalito, lunch in Tiburon, we arrived in Napa for a two day stay. We managed to stretch a two hour drive into six.

After breakfast in the hotel we set out on a bicycle exploration of Napa town and the nearby vineyards. You don't have to go far to be in the country. The Napa Valley is only 5 miles wide and 30 miles long but is home to about 500 wineries. 

Jim and Deb joined us in the late morning and the six of us set out to lunch in the picturesque village of  Yountville, at the Pacific Blues Cafe. 

After a prolonged lunch in the sunshine on the deck we set out for our first winery tasting. We chose  a small winery hoping to be the first to discover the next "best find". The Silenus Winery is one of those cooperative places that produces their own wines but also processes grapes from wineries just starting out. The 2010 DANAIS Cabernet Sauvignon was the consensus number one pick. Tasting in the Valley can be expensive. The Silenus only charged $15 per person but we were told the larger ones  charged closer to $35. We did buy so the price of the tasting came off the purchase price. 

That night we dined at the Ristorante Allegria in downtown Napa. The food was great but few wines were tried. The afternoon tastings, followed by the multiple bottles in the room predinner; most were left sipping waters with their meals. 

Day two saw the six of us head out to the Sonoma Valley, a twenty-five minute drive away. We started with a visit to the Cornerstone Sonoma, for the valley tourist information. This place is worth a visit. Apart from getting good information, it has multiple art gardens with displays in both live plantings and man's use of various materials to produce works of art. 

After all the information was gathered (probably too much), we headed to lunch in the quaint town of Sonoma. It is worth a visit even if you just wander the square taking a step back in time. 

Our only full tasting was at the B.R.Cohn. This winery is owned by the manager of the Doobie Brothers and is host to many music festivals. Chicago, Ringo Starr and Gregg Allman all appear there this year. 

We ended the evening dining back in Napa and reminiscing about the wedding and our time together. These valleys will become Jim & Deb's new backyard with a daughter and son-in-law living in San Francisco. 

San Francisco

The purpose of our trip to San Francisco was to attend the wedding of friends Jim and Deb's daughter Kate, to Jason. The wedding was everything anyone could have hoped for but we managed to squeeze a few more activities in as well.

We stayed at the DaVinci Hotel on Van Ness, in the Russian Hill District, only a few blocks from the Bay. Day one saw the ladies go off shopping while the men strolled Fisherman's Wharf looking for the perfect loaf of sourdough bread filled with clam chowder to compliment a beer.  

That evening. We attended the first wedding event at Pauline's Pizza for the out of towners. The pizza arrived continuously and the wine and beer flowed. 

The next day Deborah and I were up early and took off on our bicycles to explore. We made our way down to the water and joined the throngs enjoying the beach and sunny weather on the first day of Spring. 

We biked the Golden Gate Bridge and took pictures at the vista point at the North end. After lolling in the sun for awhile we reversed the trip and headed down to Fisherman's Wharf and treated ourselves to an iconic IN/OUT BURGER. 

The wedding took place in the Mission District. It was a combination of a traditional Jewish wedding with a non-traditional, laid back, "we are here for a good time" approach. It was held in The Chapel, a nightclub on any other day. There were four bars pouring whatever it was you favoured and drinks were provided BEFORE the ceremony.  Of course the bride and groom looked stunning and after a short ceremony (including the breaking of the glass and a Rabbi that could moonlight as a comedian), the party started in earnest. A live band played the whole night and the dance floor was full. At one point the bride and groom appeared floating on chairs above the crowd supported by their friends and family. The evening ended for us just after midnight but we left the party going strong. 

The next day we joined in a wedding brunch and then made our way to Napa and Sonoma for a few days of Wine Tasting.

San Simemon

My computer has died. Blogging has become a challenge. Working on Deborah's IPad without a keyboard means less words and more pictures. 

Our drive to the coast at this time of year turned out to be a bonus. The California typical brown grass hills where the most picturesque green I have ever seen. On the down side was the temperature that tumbled from 30 Celsius to about 15. We arrived in Sam Simeon about 5 pm. And settled into the Sea Breeze Inn. After a dinner out it was off to bed readying ourselves for our four hour tour of the Hearst Ranch and Castle. This proved to be well worthwhile stop. 

After our Castle visit we meandered our way up Highway 1 to Carmel and a visit to the golf Mecca Pebble Beach. I had forgotten my 2 for 1 coupon so we didn't play at $500 US a round. We did wander the 18 fairway and green and took some pics from the clubhouse.

We left Carmel and headed north on the 101 for San Francisco, arriving about 9pm. 

Palm Springs

Leaving One Desert For Another

We can now say we have been to Palm Springs.  Or should I say Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Desert Hot Springs or Indio.  All these separate communities make up the Palm Springs area and are nestled up to the San Jacinto Mountains and the Mountains and on the north and east by the Little San Bernardino Mountains. The San Andreas Fault crosses the valley is easily visible along its northern length as a strip of greenery against an otherwise bare mountain.

I don’t know what I expected but there were a lot less old people than I had envisioned.  Maybe that’s because I experienced a birthday when I was there and older folks are starting to look a lot younger to me.

We stayed in Palm Springs proper.  Our five-night stay was at on North Indian Canyon Drive at the 7 Springs Inn and Suites.  Our first night out was to Lulu’s on the main strip.  We were joined by old friends Barry and Jan and had a great evening catching up.

Day two was some pool time for the boys while Deborah and Kathy hit the consignment stores looking for the “high-end” fashion bargains they had heard so much about.  After a great day hunting they came up empty handed but thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

We joined Barry and Jan at their complex for some pool time in the afternoon.  Barry prepared a dinner of baked ham and scalloped potatoes.  Jan’s cousin Marvin and wife Ann joined us, as well as other Edmonton retires Lee and Sonia.  We ended the night with a game of Millionaire (and of course the men won).

Barry's Boat

Haven't Changed Much since High school????

Sunday was market day at the College of the Desert.  It wasn’t your normal flea market crowd and nor were the vendors, pretty high-end stuff.  After a quick stop at the driving range it was off to the Polo match in Indio.  

Polo is a tough sport to figure out.  We watched the two teams score six goals in two thirds of a game.  The confusing part was four of the goals were scored at the end we were sitting beside.  Each team scored twice through the same goal posts.  I never did figure it out but there is certain majesty to specially breed highly athletic horses and their riders able to hit a small ball with a nine-foot croquet stick.

Monday was a day for golf.  The ladies and men split into two threesomes and we played the short course at Cimarron in Cathedral City.  The golf wasn’t great but the company was good and we had a good time.  

We ended the day with dinner at Sammy G’s Tuscan Grill for my birthday dinner.  As usual we ate far too much.  I don’t know that it is about Palm Springs but all the restaurants conspire to over serve all patrons in the food volume department.  Some say we could have left some on the plate but that would be simply bad manners.

Tuesday was a day for a bicycle ride to burn off a few calories.  Palm Springs is not like Phoenix.  It is not set up well for biking.  There are wide shoulders on the road but no designated lanes.  Not everyone enjoyed the ride but I liked the 20 km of exercise before stopping for lunch at “A bit of Country”.  

More pool time and then joined Barry and Jan once again for dinner but this time it was for ribs in chipotle sauce at Trio.

Wednesday was a travel day.  We left the air, hot air of the Sonoran Desert for the days drive to the Pacific at San Simeon.  The last hour’s drive was fantastic.  The region is chalk a block full of vineyards and wineries.  We stopped at the Niner, tasted the wares and made purchases to enjoy in the future.

The Niner Winery

Tomorrow calls for a visit to the Hearst Castle here in Sam Simeon and then a leisurely drive up Big Sur to San Francisco.