My epic adventure is slowly winding down. I'm somewhere in Iowa right now and with a little luck, I'll be sitting at a bar stool at The Wave Friday night...but that's only if I really push myself driving tomorrow. The last week of my trip have been great and here's why...
After Seattle, I slowly made my way to Port Orford, Oregon to spend a couple days with my aunt Louise and uncle Coy. The ride there was terrific. Why? Because I was driving one of my "dream roads". Route 101 has been pretty high up there for me ever since I started researching this trip a couple years ago. The number one road is Route 66, obviously. But that will be a completely different trip. So, Route 101. Awesome. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Fun. The Washington coast wasn't much to look at in the beginning. There were lots of stumps and tree debris from what used to be forests. Kinda sad looking, but we gotta have paper! Once I got to the Long Beach area...all hell broke loose! Not really, but it was fun. You're actually able to drive right on the beach and I did that for well over 20 miles. I was zigging and zagging out of the ocean, which probably wasn't the best idea, but whatever. It was crazy!
Also in Washington, I stumbled upon a couple lighthouses near the weirdly named Cape Disappointment. I really don't know why such a place would be named that, but it was NOT a disappointment.
I spent the night in Seaside, Oregon which was a cute, quaint tourist town that I'm sure is rockin' in the summertime. I think I was one of three people staying in the hotel that night. The town was dead except for locals and a few tourists on the beach during sunset, which was gorgeous.
The next day before I got to Port Orford, I did some more scenic driving along the coast of Oregon. I've really seen nothing like it before. And if I had to recommend one drive that everyone must do before they die, Route 101 would be it. The Oregon coast is just miles and miles of beaches. The rock formations that the coast is made up of is really neat too. Sometimes it reminded me of the Caribbean. I also think the Pacific Ocean is much clearer then the Atlantic. I don't know, maybe it's because I haven't seen the Atlantic in so long...but anyways, needless to say....great drive.
The next three nights were spent in Port Orford, Oregon. They were definitely days of relaxation. Louise showed me the "sights" around town and there really wasn't much to see. But it was still nice. I hadn't seen my uncle Coy in a few years, and the dogs were basically still puppies when they came up to Wareham years ago. It was a nice area of the country, but I would probably not survive there. Especially since I'm not a seafood fan! Haha.
I was originally going to drive straight to Reno, Nevada for a day and then spend some time in the Salt Lake City area but basically last minute, I decided to spend a couple nights in San Francisco. So the trip down route 101 continued! Passing through all the giant redwood trees was different, but after a while the thrill kind of wore off and I just wanted to get to San Fran! But California is a big state so I had to spend the night in Ukiah, California. Fun fact: Ukiah is haiku spelled backwards. I really liked that area of the state. Very free-spirited and hippie-ish. Probably because of all the marijuana...And the breweries I went to were awesome! Since I could feel the end of the trip approaching, I decided to bypass the Napa/Sonoma valley. I'm not that big a fan of wine and I think that trip would best be done with a group of people so...next time!
San Francisco was everything I thought it would be and more! Originally, I wasn't too excited to be there. It was raining, the parking situation downtown was bad and I think I was just in a bad mood. But despite the rain, I managed to have an AWESOME time! I did a tour of AT&T ballpark, where the Giants play. Cool park, but I did the tour with a group of cub scouts. Shoot me! I sure did a lot of walking. The first day I walked from the park to 21st Amendment Brewery (tasty!) and all the way up Market Street. I was trying to get to the Castro but I never made it. Instead.....I randomly bought a ticket to see one of my favorite Broadway show Wicked. I was in the second row and it was amazing! I can't help but act like a fangirl over that show...
Since I never got down to the waterfront the first full day I was there, I decided to book an extra night at the hotel. Great decision because it turned out to be a really nice day and one of the most memorable on the trip. The rain stopped and the sun tried to come out so I took a walk down to the Golden Gate Bridge and snapped some great pictures - especially with the fog rolling in. From there I walked down to the Fisherman's Wharf and spent some time there. I experienced my first In 'N Out burger! The waterfront in San Francisco is great. The view is spectacular, when the weather is cooperating. I tried to get out to Alcatraz, but I literally "missed the boat". Soooo...instead I took a boat tour around the harbor, right before sunset. One of the best things I did on this trip. I also rode one of the trolley cars up to the Castro. The Castro is the gay section of San Fran and I really like the vibe in that area. I went to the famous Castro Theatre and saw "The Wizard of Oz" on the big screen. Honestly, there is no other place in the world that I would have rather seen that movie then the Castro. Everyone was clapping and laughing, especially at the innuendos. I really think the Cowardly Lion was the first gay icon in America. Haha.
All in all, I LOVED San Francisco. It's become a habit of mine on this trip to see if I can imagine myself living in the area that I'm in. And I really think I could fit in here. Not to say I'm going to up and move across the country, but it's one of those places (along with Tennessee) that will always be in the back of my mind now.
On Monday, I started the looooooooooooong trek back to Wareham. Driving through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Nebraska has proved to be the most boring thing ever. Nothing to look at, lots of hills and lots of TRUCKS. Ugh, my hatred for truck (and their drivers) has only gotten worse since I started home. My road rage is coming out! I love being able to do over 75 on these highways, but trucks like to do their own thing. JUST STAY IN THE RIGHT LANE AND DON'T TRY TO PASS ANYONE!!! Oh, the frustration. I did stop off in Salt Lake City yesterday for a couple hours. I wanted to see the big Temple, so that's what I did.
Right now I'm in Council Bluffs, Iowa. At this point I would LOVE to be home by Friday but we'll see what happens. Tomorrow will be a BIG powerdriving day. Usually I stop for a hotel between 5 and 6 PM, but tomorrow I'm really going to push it (if I'm not too tired). I've had the best time on the trip and I know I wasn't looking forward to going home, but right now I have the destination in my head and I just want to get there!
The next update will be from my desktop in my room! One thing I am looking forward to is: not having to use wireless!
Like always, if you like what you read (or didn't), leave me a comment!
I am so happy you enjoyed San Francisco. I know I enjoyed my little time I had there as well when I went there on my business trip. It didn't even feel like I was there on business. I stayed at the Handlery Union Square Hotel (right next to the cable cars). It was an amazing experience. I would love to go back there sometime. Maybe we will have to make a trip there together! Can't wait to see you.
ReplyDeleteAwesome update, as always! I Love u r blog so much!
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