Sunny California

Tunnel Log in Sequoia National Park

We arrived in San Francisco on Saturday evening and met up with Jonathan, a friend from Louisville who had recently moved to the Bay Area. We ventured out to The Haight and found an Irish pub for Guinness and conversation with Jonathan and another friend of mine from college, Matt P. Our late night didn’t stop us from meeting up with a wonderful friend of mine from high school, Ryan, for an amazing brunch at OuterLands. Absolutely delicious! We started with fabulous homemade bread with pluot jam and great coffee, then I had the savory Dutch pancake with bacon and maple while Adam enjoyed a delectable egg sandwich with Gruyere and Anaheim pepper aoili. I can’t wait to go back!

Golden Gate Bridge

After brunch our day turned into a lazy Sunday afternoon of laundry, football on tv, and then a sightseeing trip of the city. We started with a walk at Golden Gate Bridge Park to see the bridge and the bay, stopping quickly at the Lands End Visitors Center along our walk. The weather was beautifully sunny which I knew not to take for granted in the Bay Area. Since it was so clear we drove up to Twin Peaks for a stunning view of the whole city and the ocean beyond. The sights are amazing and I find it so neat to see a city from above, really seeing how things are laid out. We then ventured back down to the water for a closer view of the Golden Gate Bridge and then found a new restaurant, Tortilla Heights for beer, salsa and chips, and tasty, warm food.

Monday morning we headed down to Santa Cruz for a quick stop

Jellies!

at a Patagonia outlet before heading on to the Monterey Bay Aquarium (Adam’s first aquarium). We spent hours looking at jelly fish, birds, and other creatures, and attended a few neat programs about sea life and jellies. We finished off the day with a burger and Oktoberfest at the Cannery Row Brewing Co where they had Game 7 of the National League pennant race on tv. It was neat to see the locals excited about their home team moving on to the World Series. We stayed in Selma, CA that night after a visit to Trader Joes to stock up on snacks and food.

Tuesday, October 23 we made our way into Kings Canyon National Park, a park we were actually not aware existed before this trip. Kings Canyon is connected to Sequoia National Park and both parks are unique in their offerings. We started in Kings Canyon at Grant Grove to see Grants Sequoia, one of the top 5 largest living trees in the world. Calvin Coolidge designated this tree as the “Nation’s Christmas Tree” in 1926. We also walked through the Fallen Monarch, a tree that fell hundreds of years ago and is tall enough to venture down inside. The story goes that some early loggers lived in this tree before building a cabin up the hill. It was a chilly day so we layered up, then returned the car to make some hot coffee and cider.

The Fallen Monarch

We drove into the canyon to Roads End and did a short hike along Kings River at Zumwalt Meadow. The trail was soft and quiet under our feet with fallen leaves and needles, and included an interesting suspended bridge. We camped that night at Convict Flats campground (I don’t know the origin of that name but the campsites were very nice). After making dinner and playing some cards on our 1-sided picnic table we ventured down the road a bit and startled some fellow campers who didn’t know we were around. We ended up joining them around their campfire and learning about their travels. Both couples are about our age and traveling around the States for a few months from Europe, one in a rented car and another in an RV. It was fun to chat with them and share suggestions about where to visit. We ended up running into one of the couples twice later on our trip, in Death Valley and then again in Bryce Canyon.

The largest tree in the world

Wednesday morning we drove into Sequoia National Park and saw the first snow on the ground of our trip. Funny that this happened in California… We stopped at the LodgePole Visitor Center and then  journeyed to the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree in the world in width and weight. The tree is awe-inspiring, being so massive. I kept staring as we walked around it. Nearby was another fallen tree that you could walk through, and we hiked a few miles on the Congress Trail through the Giant Forest, seeing large trees and mule deer close in the quiet forest. We then hiked up Moro Rock, 400 steps and over 300 feet to the vista with great views of the Sierra Nevada and Sequoia National Park.

One of Adam’s favorite parts of this park was Tunnel Log, where the CCC carved out part of a fallen tree so you can drive through it. We also visited Crescent Meadow then drove out of the park in the dark to Brewbaker’s brew pub in Vidalia where we enjoyed a Sequoia Red and some fries with Sriracha aoili, mmm, tasty. We spent the night in a WalMart parking lot in Bakersfield, CA before driving to Death Valley National Park the next morning, the driest desert drive of our trip.

Artists Drive in Death Valley

Death Valley was a true surprise for us, and definitely a highlight. We weren’t planning to go as we were hoping to visit Yosemite National Park instead but a recent snow there had closed Tioga Pass and other roads, so it made sense to visit at another time. As we arrived in Death Valley we stopped to fill our gas tank, just in case. Luckily we only needed about 6 gallons as this gas station realized they had the power and cranked the price per gallon to $5.98, painful for me. After leaving the gas station, a sad coyote trotted into the road, obviously adept at begging for food from passing cars. We didn’t feed him but saw a few other coyotes in our time in the park doing the same thing. Wiley, they are.

We stopped in at the Stovepipe

Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley

Wells Visitors Center and talked to a great ranger who gave us lots of good hike suggestions and information about the park. We did a beautiful hike in Mosaic Canyon in the early evening, admiring the colors of the rock and the power of nature seeing the evidence of flash floods. The diverse landscape was fascinating and climbing over boulders in the trail made it more interesting. We camped that night at Emigrant and enjoyed a beautifully cool evening with a blanket of stars, pasta, hot chocolate, and a continuation of our Rummy500 game.

Golden Canyon, Death Valley

Awaking early the next morning provided a beautiful sunrise view over the mountains before hiking about 3 miles on gravel in Fall Canyon. We then ventured around Death Valley to Corkscrew Peak, the Death Valley Buttes, Hells Gate, Mud Canyon, Mustard Canyon, and the Harmony Borax Works. There’s so much to see in that park! We stopped in to the Furnace Creek Visitors Center where we learned a lot about the park, then hiked about 2.5miles in Golden Canyon, an interpretive trail.

Salt Flats at Badwater Basin

Badwater Basin is a popular spot in the park, being the lowest place in North America at 282 feet below sea level. We also hiked 1mile to Natural Bridge, then did the 9mile driving loop called Artist’s Drive, a highlight in late afternoon with the sunset colors and beautiful natural stone. That night we paid for a shower at the Furnace Creek Ranch (it was time) and wound our way through the park to Greenwater Canyon and a camping spot in the cool desert. We stared at the bright moon and stars in the supremely quiet night before tucking ourselves in to escape the 40 degree weather.

Early Saturday morning we drove up to Dante’s View for a view of much of the park including all sorts of beautiful colors and mountain ranges like the Panamint, Amargosa, and the tip of the Sierra Nevada range. It was windy but we looked for a while at the large alluvial fans (a new geology term for us) before heading back out to 190 and east to Las Vegas, driving through Pahrump, NV (anyone seen Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip?). In Vegas we stopped at In’N’Out Burger where Adam had his double animal style, then the Tenaya Creek Brewery for an oatmeal stout and some blogging time, then on to Big Dog’s Brewery for a Black Lab Stout and a pint glass. No western city visit would be complete without an REI, so we spent some time there too before heading east through Arizona to Utah.

A branch that fell from the General Sherman tree

A burned Sequoia

Adam’s ideal RV

Artists Drive in Death Valley

Badwater Basin

Beautiful Sequoias

Birds at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Buttress Tree, Sequoia National Park

Corkscrew Peak, Death Valley

Death Valley basin

Death Valley begging coyote

Death Valley National Park

Fallen Sequoia

Fish!

Ouch

Giant Sequoias along the Congress Trail

Golden Canyon, Death Valley

Golden Canyon, Death Valley

Golden Canyon, Death Valley

Golden Gate Bridge

Golden Gate Bridge

Harmony Borax Works, Death Valley

Jellies!

Jellies!

Jellies!

Jellies!

Jellies!

Jellies!

Kings Canyon National Park

Kings Canyon trail

Kings River

Knapp’s Cabin in Kings Canyon National Park

This bird was playing coy for food

Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley

Natural Bridge, Death Valley

On top of Moro Rock

Salt Flats at Badwater Basin

San Francisco

Sea dragon

Sea horse party

Sea Level elevation, Death Valley

Steps up to Moro Rock

The Fallen Monarch

The footprint of the General Sherman tree

The largest tree in the world

The General Sherman Tree

The view from Moro Rock

Tunnel Log in Sequoia National Park

View of San Francisco from Twin Peaks

View of San Francisco from Twin Peaks

Zumwalt Meadows bridge

The Bluest Water

Crater Lake and Wizard Island

[Truth be told, I write this blog post from Louisville as we made it home safely after 9 weeks on the road with beautiful sights, entertaining adventures, and visits with wonderful friends and family, plus some new acquaintances and definitely some stories. I’m hoping to finish out the blog posts of our time on the road this week, before we head off to new adventures in New Zealand!]

Oregon is a beautiful state, really no matter where you look. The coast, the inland areas, even Portland has a definite charm to it, and its urban growth boundaries ensure that you can be out of the city in no time. With all of this beauty I had high hopes for Crater Lake, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. It’s an amazingly beautiful place!

We arrived in Crater Lake National Park the morning of October 18 and our first sighting of the lake happened at North Junction. The sense of anticipation as we climbed the slight hill to the overlook was palpable. I had heard so much about this lake but had never seen it for myself. The lake was so blue, so clear, so big, it was hard not to stare. It’s on the site of a former volcano that erupted a long time ago, creating this large crater that was sealed and started collecting water. Even today, the lake is only fed by precipitation and a small around of runoff from the crater walls, maintaining its clarity.

The hike to Watchman Peak

We drove to the Watchman overlook for closer views of the larger land mass in the lake, Wizard Island. Impressed by what we saw, and the allure of seeing more, we hiked the 1.6 miles roundtrip to the top of Watchman Peak for stunning views of the lake and the surrounding areas, including Mt. Shasta in northern California. I had heard the lake described by plenty of people that I truly respect, including my dad, but no descriptions do it justice. The blue color of the water is almost indescribable.

We visited the Steel Visitor’s Center for a National Parks passport cancellation stamp, then ventured to the Phantom Ship overlook for a closer look at the smaller land mass in the lake. It’s called Phantom Ship because from certain distances and at certain angles the island isn’t visible. Kind of a cool disappearing act for such a large area of land. Another interesting feature of the lake is the Old Man of the Lake, an ancient hemlock tree trunk over 30′ long that has been floating upright and moving around in the lake for over 100 years. Definitely an interesting story worth reading here. We didn’t actually see the Old Man but the intrigue certainly kept us looking.

The Pinnacles

A drive out to the Pinnacles and a 2mile hike returned us to the area right around the lake just as the sun was setting. Adam hopped out of the car along Dutton Ridge and captured what I think are the best sunset photos of our trip, quite a statement among the beautiful sunsets out west. After gazing at the colorful, quickly changing sky for a while, we found a picnic table to cook dinner in the dark, then began our journey out of Crater Lake National Park. We spent that evening in Grants Pass, Oregon with a beautiful crescent moon and the Milky Way very visible.

Sunset on Dutton Ridge

The next day we crossed the border into California on 199, passing easily through the Agriculture Inspection station and finding our way through beautiful redwoods to Redwood National Park. A drive along Howland Hill Road offered up close viewing of the beautiful, stately trees, and we opened the sunroof to get a better look at their towering majesty. We hiked the Stout Grove Trail, short in distance but impressive with large trees. Looking straight up became a pastime until I thought my neck might not recover.

Giant redwood trees

We passed through more beautiful redwoods on our way to the Newton Drury Scenic Parkway, stopping at the Klamath River overlook which was just fogging over as we climbed the hill. We saw a herd of elk grazing as we passed Prairie Creek, then made our way to a few breweries for some samples. We shared a porter at the Redwood Curtain Brewery in Arcata and then ventured to Eureka and the Lost Coast Brewery for pints of 8Ball Stout and an Apricot Wheat and some fish tacos. Our last stop of the night was very informational, as the bartender at Eel River Brewery shared some of her favorite breweries along the west coast.

The next morning the smell of warm pastries greeted us early at Loleta Bakery in Loleta, CA where my eyes grew bigger than my stomach (and our budget). We shared a cheese danish and some coffee, but the beautiful scones, cookies, bread, cakes, and pies on display had me hungry for more. We spent a few hours blogging and reading while charging our electronics and talking to some locals about their brewery suggestions. We even met a gentleman who grew up not far from Louisville in Kentucky.

Wow – the Dyerville Giant

Driving south we explored Humboldt Redwoods State Park and its highlights of the Avenue of the Giants, Founders Grove, dedicated to those who fought originally to preserve the redwoods, and the Dyerville Giant, a redwood tree that fell in 1991 with a big bang, weighing over 1 million pounds at 370 feet tall and 16 feet in diameter. Apparently residents nearby to the tree thought there had been a train crash when they heard the noise of the fall. These trees are beautiful and tall, elegant in their life over thousands of years and certainly inspiring.

A camera self-timer moment gone awry

That afternoon we continued south and found Highway 1, which follows almost the whole California coast. Reaching the ocean again was magnificent and made me smile as we sailed down the windy, narrow, cliff side road (I was honestly glad that Adam was driving). We stopped in Fort Bragg to visit North Coast Brewing Co, home of Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, and sampled a few of their tasty other selections.  We continued down the coast on The 1, pausing to overlook the ocean as the sun set on the horizon. After a quick sunset kiss we hopped back in the car to escape the wind, and journeyed south to Jenner, where we headed inland across 116 to Santa Rosa and the Russian River Brewpub. It was definitely a popular spot on a Saturday night so we shared a porter and headed on to San Francisco!

The northern California coast

A camera self-timer moment gone awry

Crater Lake and Wizard Island

For my dad

Founders Tree

Giant redwood trees

Highway 1

Highway 1!

I’m so tiny in comparison

Redwood National Park (see Adam?)

Sunset in California

Sunset on Dutton Ridge

Sunset on Dutton Ridge

Sunset on Dutton Ridge

The hike to Watchman Peak

The northern California coast

The Pinnacles

Wow – the Dyerville Giant

Portland brewery fun

Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area

After making our way down Highway 101 on the west side of Washington, mostly in the rain, we arrived safe and sound in Portland, Oregon on October 12 at the home of Jamie and Phil, wonderful friends who took us in for the weekend. They share our love of interesting beer, so Saturday, after watching some football (it starts early on the west coast!) we visited a few breweries.

Our 9 beer tastes at Upright Brewery

At the HUB on Friday night the bartender recommended we try Upright Brewery where we made our own table out of a beer barrel and sampled all 9 of their beers (sample size, not pints) including a tasty hopless lemon grass concoction. We then made our way downtown to a Deschutes Brewpub location, with a roaring fireplace, tasty dinner, and more new beer. Just down the street was an REI location, so Adam wandered for a while, actually making a purchase this visit. We then headed out to the Rock Creek McMenamins, a really cool tavern that was built out of timbers from old barns, one dating back to the late 1800s. They had live music, a patio, and a dark beer that Adam couldn’t see through, his favorite.

Old Salmon River Trail

On Sunday Phil made us a tasty brunch at home and I got to watch a bit more football, no Bengals, however. The rain was holding off so the four of us packed the car and headed towards Mount Hood, stopping first at the Old Salmon River Trail for a really nice wooded hike along the Salmon River. Phil and Adam talked fly fishing while Jamie, Stuie, and I caught up on the river bank. We then ventured further up the mountain to the Mt Hood lodge, Timberline. Most of the mountain was hidden in fog but we enjoyed a beer at the Rams Head, then made our way back down to Government Camp and the Mt Hood Brewing Co. for beer and pizza. A tasty end to a fun day outside.

Monday was a day of errands like mailing things and picking up supplies. A trip to Portand wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Voodoo Doughnut for some maple bacon doughy love. Tasty! I also tried an Oreo peanut butter doughnut which was fabulous too. It’s a good thing Adam doesn’t like sweets too much, or his fingers might have disappeared.

The smell of beer brewing drew us in to Widmer Brewery during happy hour. We shared a pint of their signature Hefeweizen and a cup of beer cheese soup, both perfect on a rainy afternoon. Later for dinner, Phil made a super tasty loaded grilled cheese and tomato basil soup and we watched The Hunger Games movie and did some laundry.

A tricky wave got me

It was hard to say goodbye to Jamie and Phil after such a fun, relaxing weekend, but Tuesday we headed to the Oregon coast and our first stop of Cannon Beach. We walked along the beach near Haystack Rock, dipping our toes (and sometimes our knees, unexpectedly) in the cold ocean water. The clouds overhead eventually dropped some rain, so we tucked into the Ecola Fish Market for some homemade clam chowder (with hot sauce, just as Adam likes it).

Driving south on Highway 101 the rain was on and off, so we stopped a few places but just drove by others including Oswald West State Park which had been recommended to us. We did stop at Three Arch Rock in Oceanside, then made an accidental loop back to Tillamook where we sampled some cheese at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company. We managed to catch a great view of the sunset over the ocean in the Pelican Breweryparking lot in Pacific City (see the link for a cool picture of the parking lot location), then headed inside to try their beer wares. We camped that night at the free Castle Rock campground in Suislaw National Forest, an unusual set up with one large tent area separated from the parking area.

Pelican Brewery parking lot

Wednesday brought beautiful coastal view points including a stop at Boiler Bay where the big waves crashed and sprayed multiple stories in the air. We ate our sandwiches in the car, much to the chagrin of the inquisitive sea gulls waiting patiently for crumbs. We also visited the Yaquina Head Lighthouseand saw dozens of birds in their nests on the sea stacks just off the coast. The wind didn’t stop the rocks from applauding on Cobble Beach, a unique beach feature that was hard to miss (as the water recedes from each wave, it ripples the large pebbles on the beach, creating a sound much like applause).

Cobble Beach

The Oregon coast is definitely beautiful and unique, so we stopped at Rogue Ale’s Brewers on the Bay for a taste of their Double Chocolate Stout, Baltic Porter, Mocha Porter, Smoke Ale, Chipotle Ale, and Shakes Ale, just a few of their selections on tap. Rogue also brews a Maple Bacon Ale, in coordination with Voodoo Doughnut, that apparently is tasty when used in pancake batter instead of water. I’ll have to try that sometime soon as the thought of maple and bacon flavors already in my pancakes sounds fabulous to me.

Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach

We then traveled inland to Eugene and Ninkasi Brewing Company, I think my favorite so far on the trip. Arriving at the tasting room we met Nikos, co-owner, and James, marketing director, who were staffing the TR that night so their staff could all hang out together. Seems like a really neat operation which has grown tremendously in just the last 7 years. They have some really cool metal work, all handmade by their friend and employee, on the beer taps, bar, and outdoor patio area. They also gave us a prototype of their soon-to-be-produced Ninkasi bottle opener which is super cool, plus stickers, info, and a parking lot to sleep in. Definitely a great stop and worth the trip to Eugene.

We got some car errands done in Eugene, then headed for Crater Lake National Park, definitely a favorite on the trip. Check our next post for our thoughts on Crater Lake!

A tricky wave got me

Boiler Bay

Boiler Bay

Cobble Beach

Voodoo Doughnut!

Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach

Mt. Hood in the clouds

Old Salmon River Trail

Our 9 beer tastes at Upright Brewery

Pelican Brewery parking lot

Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area

Flying Fish

Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle

Driving southwest on October 11 we rolled into Seattle on an overcast but not rainy day, stopping first at the REI flagship store, then heading to the very famous Pike Place Market where I managed to see some fish fly through the air although Adam didn’t so thought I was making the whole thing up. We wandered around taking in the sights and sounds, stopping at Beecher’s Handmade Cheese for a crusty grilled cheese and delicious tomato soup, then Three Girls Bakery for a cookie.

Seattle skyline from Kerry Park

Since it wasn’t raining we visited tiny Kerry Park for the impressive views of downtown Seattle and a quick drive through the Queen Anne neighborhood (hi Stacey!)

Fremont Brewery was our next stop for a Wet Hop IPA (we’ve been learning all sorts of things about beer) then made it to Olympic Sculpture Park for a colorful sunset over the Puget Sound.

The car ferry to Bainbridge Island in the dark was quite an experience. We made our way up to the open top deck as the large ship slipped through the cold evening, 30 minutes to the far side and our drive northwest to Port Angeles, WA for the night.

Stream, Hall of Mosses trail

The Olympic Peninsula brought our first real rain of the trip, starting in the morning as we drove along Hwy 101 in Olympic National Park. Lake Crescent was a shimmering blue, formed long ago by a glacier pushing through the area. We hiked from the Hoh Rainforest visitor’s center along the Hall of Mosses trail and the enormous trees provided shelter from the rain. I guess it’s only appropriate that it was gently raining in the temperate rain forest. A park volunteer encouraged us to look for the baby Coho salmon along the trail, and there they were, slender and about 2 inches long, hiding out amongst the brilliant green river plants.

Hall of Mosses trail

The rain fell a bit harder as we left the Hoh area so we didn’t linger too long on rocky Ruby Beach but it was still wonderful to be next to the ocean. Waves, sea stacks, driftwood and large pebbles provided plenty for Adam to photograph as I just stared at the ocean for a while. Water has always been very restorative for me. Perhaps its my Cancer sign, perhaps it’s the rhythm and beauty, power and simplicity of the element, but it always puts me at ease.

Ruby Beach sea stacks

Ahead of us was a few hundred miles to Portland in the rain but our wonderful friends, Jamie and Phil, were waiting at the end. We spent some time catching up with them, then all ventured to the HUB (Hopworks Urban Brewery), a Portland brewery where the bartender gave us recommendations for others to try in the area. More from Portland soon!

Hall of Mosses trail

Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle

Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle

Ruby Beach sea stacks

Seattle skyline from Kerry Park

Stream, Hall of Mosses trail