September 2001 Part 2

September 2001 Part 2

This was an area that we were also considering to relocate too. The amount of driving and vagabonding around had pretty much exhausted us; so we spent most of day just vegetating and watching TV and laying in bed; oh yeah, plus we needed to catch up on a lot web site updating. You don't really realize how you can miss doing absolutely NOTHING; no driving, hiking, roaming around from city to city or where the wind blows.

09/11/01: A National Tragedy and a Day of Mourning

We woke up and turned on the TV to what we thought was a movie; but sadly we were dreadfully wrong. We were stunned and in a daze; and could not believe what was happening. The day was a bust for us, so all we did was drop off film to be developed and laundry. Also, I got around to changing the oil of the Scooby.

We send our deepest condolences and sympathies to all the families and friends of the victims.

09/12/01: Portland, OR

We spent the day walking around downtown Portland and then had dinner at Jake's Crawfish Restaurant which has been open since 1892 and is a Portland landmark. Monika had a bucket of crawfish and I had Pacific salmon stuffed with Dungeness Crab, shrimp, and brie cheese. They had seated us late even though we had reservations so then gave us there trademark Stuffed Dungeness crab, on the house. All the food was a 10 out of 10, you must eat here when you're in the area. One cool thing that we don't have in Chi-town and we should really get is a "Free Ride Zone" To help decrease traffic in the downtown area, they have public transportation free of 200 square blocks. They just put in a new "Portland Shuttle" that was awesome. Glenn kept laughing b/c the warning noise it made sounds like the attacking ants in the film "THEM." It was so Star Trek like. There were cool buttons to press to open doors and stuff. The Portland Shuttle is basically a modern electric tram. SO after walking around Portland, we found a cheap city hotel (Value Inn) and took the shuttle to Jake's Crawfish Restaurant. And it was FREE. It's a good thing that Glenn didn't drive anymore that night. Glenn had his first accident. It was sooooo stupid. He backed into a pole. The other accident Glenn had with the Scooby was sliding it into a pole during winter. There is a nice big dent in the back side of the car. Let's hope this was our one accident for the trip. It'll still cost us a bit to undent and paint the area. So with our tummies full of good seafood, I went to sleep and Glenn kept updating TRIPZILLA.

9/13/01

The next day we picked up the film and checked out neighborhoods. If we move here we know where we want to live, it'll only be a question of being able to afford it. B/c of the terrorist attack, everything was being shipped via land, so we had to wait a few extra hours (even though we were a day late picking them up anyway) for the film. It gave us a perfect opportunity to wash the car, fix up minor things with the car. After we looked at the pix, we decided that it was time to retire the Cannon A1 and buy a new camera. This put a huge dent into our trip costs. But since we like to take pix, we need a good camera. So, after Glenn got his new toy, a Cannon EOS Elan II E, we made our way to southern Oregon via Pacific Hwy 101. We finally got to Hwy 101 and decided to camp soon. We drove past Lincoln City and Newport and stopped at South Beach State Park. It was a beautiful campground set off the Pacific Ocean. It cost us $17 a night, but that included untimed HOT shower. It was a bit crowded, and noisy. But the beach was beautiful. After setting up camp, we took a night stroll on the beach. The sand is ultra-fine, the surf thundering, and the air so fresh. Gotta love it.

As we were about to put in for the night, the campers next to us pointed out that there was something big snacking near their picnic bench where they had spilled some dog food. Could it be our 25 lbs. cat Amoeba?, we thought; alas no. A nice sized raccoon about the Amoeba had made its way out at night and was snacking on the spilled food before they had a chance to throw it out. They guy had a limp leg which was sad to see but his did look healthy besides that.

09/14/01

That morning I had to do the chore of cleaning "house", you get a lot of dirt and stuff in the tent and this is the best and quickest way to clean it. No there were no rampant raccoons in there, just dirt.

We cont'd down the Pacific Coast Hwy, and saw some awesome scenery. We pulled over for some lunch: the best clam chowder and fried trout at a place called "The Landmark". Then proceeded onto the Sunset Bay area slightly off of Hwy 101. En-route, we stopped at several different woodcarving galleries and stores. I (Muk) want to buy a big bear, but I haven't found the right one with the right price yet.

We had set up camp and decided to get out to an ocean bay to hike around a bit. It wasn't too far from the campground. Here are a couple of pix of Glenn by the bay and on some rocks by the bay.

09/15/01: Mile 36?? - The Bunker and Hwy 101 to Redwood National Park

Before we left Sunset Bay, we had read of an old WWII bunker that was nearby. This was actually one of a series built along the West Coast after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The U.S. was concerned that Japan would launch another offensive, but this time against mainland America. I've (Glenn) always had a fascination with the history of WWII, so we set out to give it a gander.

Here's a picture of me in the concrete bunker. It consisted of two square rooms with no ceilings as you can see. Above me are two observation posts (they looked like smokestacks) that look across the pacific coast.

From this point, we were hearing strange noises; no they weren't the sound of artillery shells landing, but the calls of sea lions, seals, and other aquatic mammals. So we hiked back to the car and drove a little further to an observation point.

Overlooking Simpson Reef, we saw many species of seals. There were hundreds laying on the rocks you see here and many more playing in the water surrounding them. We saw several swim in from about 100 yards off. They were leaping through the air similar to dolphins; it was really a beautiful site to see.

Hungry for some breakfast, specifically bacon and eggs (you get a bit tired of granola and tea in the mornings camping); on our way back to Hwy 101, we stopped in Charleston at the Breakfast Barn. Oh man was breakfast good and as a bonus - it was cheap!! About $10 for two people for eggs, bacon, links, hash browns, french toast and coffee.

We continued along Hwy. 101 through southern Oregon. There were just breathtaking views of the Pacific Coast, so we had to pull over and play in the sand a bit. While playing, we came across several jelly fish that were washed up on shore.

Mile 3696: Redwood National Park

Making our way through Crescent City, CA we finally reach Redwood NP. We got there late afternoon so we set up camp and planned our schedule for the morning. Our plan was to check out the world's largest redwood - 365 ft; yup almost a forty story building. As we were about to go to bed, the site next to us quietly let us know that they had a visitor. The raccoon was snacking on some dogfood that was spilled earlier; it was probably about 15 pounds or so. It ate and then went on its way as we took pictures and video.

09/16/01: Hike to tallest redwood and then Napa Valley

Getting to the Tall Tree trailhead requires that you obtain a road access pass to a gated 6-mile windy gravel road. The pass was free but is only given to the first 50 cars (on weekends only this time of year). After reaching the trailhead and hiking 1.5 miles in and descending 700 feet. We came across it. It was pretty impressive; well at least the trunk was. We couldn't even see the top through the tree canopy and we didn't quite feel like hiking another 2 miles to get a better tree-top view.

Here are to pix along the trail. The one with Glenn in the gap in the tree; the gap is called a "goosepen". It's formed when trees survive fires but a portion had burned away. The tree continues growing but a sort of cave forms. The name comes from pioneer settlers that used them to pen chickens, goats, and yes - geese. With the other pix you can tell which tree is the tallest redwood in the world - just look for the "tree-huggers". The picture doesn't show it but its diameter is about 20 or so feet.

Mile 3970: Calistogo, CA

Well Monika's birthday was going to be tomorrow and she wanted something special. So here goes a 5.5 hour drive on Hwy. 101 and then to Hwy. 128. The picture here is for you Mary; ASTI winery,sorry we weren't able to investigate further. It was too far out of our way so no bubbly for you!!!!

The drive south on Hwy. 128 was gorgeous. It's a easy windy road that weaves through grape vineyards on each side. Low trees also lined the road as we came up on Hwy. 29 and into Calistoga. Why Calistoga, CA you ask? Well, we wanted something special and I wanted Monika to have a full spa treatment as part of her birthday and also be in wine country. This place fit the requirements.

The town reminded us a bit of Galena, IL with its little shops and small town atmosphere. The are hot springs and mineral spring throughout the area and therefore there are many spas available. As a plus, you are surrounded by vineyards and wineries. We really liked the area. Everyone there was really friendly and the atmosphere was very relaxing and romantic; just what we wanted.

We stayed at the Calistoga Village Inn and Spa which we would recommend to folks. It's about a 5 minute walk just outside of town so it's pretty quiet and the gardens around it are beautiful. We spent the evening walking through town and had some good Mexican food. Afterward, in the dark with the stars showing brightly in the sky, we got into the Mineral Spring Fed Hot Tub/Whirlpool and soaked our stress and aches away. Then it was a little bit of T.V. and sleep.

09/17/01: Monika's Birthday and the Winery

Well the Virgo's morning was spent with spa treatments: a massage, mud bath treatment which she described as "interesting", and a facial read about it in her own words...

***Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me!!! It's my birthday! Yeah, another year younger, heeeeheeeeh! First thing in the morning, I went for my scheduled Mudbath treatment, massage, and facial. It was about a 2-3 hour spa treatment package to start my birthday. The mudbath treatment consisted of 15 minutes in a mudbath: white clay, peat moss, and Hot spring water. It was a bit un-nerving to go in their in the buff. It just feels and looks yucky. Afterward, you take a shower to get all the mud off, and it was a chore trying to wash all that gunk out of cracks and crannies. Then it was a 15 minute soak in the hot mineral springs jacuzzi. Next was an herbal steaming, and finally a blanket wrap. I kept thinking of that one James Bond movie where he is at a European Spa and gets attacked. I kept envisioning judo-chopping spies into the different spa contraptions lying around. Finally the massage therapist walked in to give me a 55 minutes massage. It was a soothing body rub, then the facial. I could hear Glenn talking up a storm to his massage therapist himself. Yup, after Glenn "ran some errands" he got himself a massage. My stomach started growling, man getting pampered is hard work. Now back to Glenn...

I got a massage also but then had to plan the rest of the day - all in 1.5 hours. After a light lunch at Checkers, a trattoria; we set out to the Rutherford Hill winery for a tour. They have one of the largest wine caves in the nation; just under 1 mile of tunnels. They actually have an area where they show plays and hold dinners for guests and winery members. It' looked really cool; there were candles set up (unlit though) and there were also chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The wines are aged in the caves which are naturally at the perfect environment to age wine. It ends up being more cost-effective than manually controlled aging warehouses. Rutherford Hill is know for its fine wines. We bought a small bottle of wine to have with the surprise picnic planned. We snacked on fruit, sausage, and cheese sipping wine while overlooking Napa Valley.

After driving back through the beautiful Silverado Trail, seeing the vineyards and estates, we went back to the hotel room to watch some TV and catch up on the website. We then went to eat dinner at a Charhouse and got way too much BBQ. It lasted us for another 2 meals. It was excellent though. Then it was off to sleep.

09/18/01

We woke up and continued with updating the website and checking emails and stuff. We checked out at the normal time and headed into town to do laundry and minor shopping. Most of the stores are geared towards wine and cheese picnics. The cheese and bread selections were awesome. Afterwards we drove 3 miles to the Bothe-Napa Valley campsite. It was a nice area, and cheap. We set up camp, took a nap, and then took a long walk. A nice calm day.

09/19/01

Today we packed up and headed toward one last wine tour before we leave Napa Valley and go to Point Reyes National Seashore. We wanted to tour the Mum Sparkling Wine Winery. It was worth it. We learned so much more about the whole wine making process on a large scale. We got to walk through the vineyard and taste some different types of grapes. Mary, eat your heart out. They had HUGE (Double Magnum Size) sparkling wine bottles. Glenn and I tried out some of the typical sparkling wine and a flight of the DVX or premium (THE BEST) sparkling wines. The grape is squeezed for the juice, and the first juice that comes out is made into the DVX premium sparkling wine. Glenn and I got a bit rosy in the cheeks after all that sparkling wine. Mmmmmm.

So with fuzzy heads we headed toward Point Reyes. We arrived in the late afternoon, and found out that we could only camp at one of their sites. We were really hoping that we could relive what we did before. We really wanted to play on the Pacific Coastline. Instead we decided to hike in 1.5 miles (all uphill) to Sky Camp and stay their 2 nights. The fog started rolling in so we had to hurry up and get to our site before we couldn't see anymore. Lots have changed since the last time we were here. A huge forest fire devastated the forest here. There is only small shrubbery. They did add potable water instead of the non-potable well contraption (see pic). And the bathrooms were a bit nicer.

09/20/01

The whole night it sounded like it was pouring rain. It's all from the fog rolling in off the Pacific. We made some eggs and bacon. Since it is cold outside and our hike was minimal, we brought some fresh food to cook up. What a treat! We then proceeded to walk around, waiting for the fog to lift. We took some pix for you guys to see just how foggy it is. One pic has Glenn in it and you can't even see him. The fog never cleared. We couldn't see more than 50 feet in front of us. We were soooooooo bored. What to do? Taking a nap killed 4 hours or so, but we were so bored we started to beat each other up for lack of anything else to do. We decided to not waste any of our precious vacation time and we packed up and hiked out so that we could drive into San Francisco tonight. We packed up in record time, ran down the path, almost got hit by two blacktail deer, and made it to the car. We quickly repacked the car, and changed our clothes. Then off to San Fran down a curvy Hwy 1. We found a cheap but decent hotel in downtown called the Economy Inn. We unloaded our stuff into the rooms and headed out to paint the town red. We ate at a great Gourmet Burger Place. They had over 20 different types of burgers. You'd never see some of these combos in Chi-town. We got in late and we were so wired we couldn't fall asleep. But somehow we finally did. Ahhhh, San Fran!

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