Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Friday 3rd April
Started the trip with the longest day of my life and finished it with the shortest. Was a mixture of feelings this morning, sadness at the trip coming to an end and saying goodbye to the car that had taken us all of the way down the west coast of America, but happiness at thinking of going home and the good things waiting there. There was only one change in Philadelphia this time, so the flying was quicker and much more straightforward. Had a good chat with a guy on the first flight who was travelling to his grandmother’s memorial service in Philadelphia, a final exchange with the instantly familiar and easy-going American people, it was a nice way to ease out of the American way. Although there are certain things about it that have really stuck with me, things about the whole trip really, things which will hopefully subtly integrate themselves into my life in a positive way. The trip was quite overwhelming at times, just with the sheer quantity of spectacle and experience, and it has made me realise that I definitely want to go back and spend more time in some of these places, and in the country in general. The place can inspire quite a mix of opinions, but the range of places and people is so vast that it can inspire an unlimited amount of exploration, geographically, socially and personally.
Thursday 2nd April
Another late-ish start to the day after the jollities of last night, when we were up we found a place to eat called Karl Strauss Brewing Company, also a brewpub. It was a little trendy but on just the right side of it. I had my first taste of Ahi steak, seared tuna which is basically raw, which I liked more than I thought I would. We drove out to have a look at the Hotel Del Coronado where Some Like It Hot was filmed, but with the expense of parking just as a visitor we decided we weren’t too fussed about going in. We then took a drive out to Ocean Beach, our final bit of time with the coastline. It is quite a strange place, the more bohemian of the beaches in San Diego with a mix of hippy and skater types. It should have been really cool but somehow felt quite insular, if not hostile. As Greg commented, it is probably to do with the fact that it is so close to a city, a city that already has an interesting mix of military retirees and young hipsters. It felt very different to Arcata, which seemed much friendlier and less showier. We walked out onto the pier, which I believe is the longest one on the West Coast, and saw plenty of surfers. We actually saw a pair of dolphins moving in towards the beach which was quite exciting, I don’t think I had ever seen dolphins in the wild before.
After getting back to the hotel and emptying out the car, we headed out for our final meal and few drinks in America. We went back to Karl Strauss and opted for their suggested combo of Double IPA (very strong!) and Shrimp and Andouille Lollipops, which was excellent. And being the creatures of habit that we are, we went back to Rock Bottom for some more of their great Sunset Stout and the final wedge of Triple Chocolate Stout Cheesecake. We got friendly with the barman and he gave us our beers on the house, and also a creation of his own involving Goldschlager, Jagermeister, Blue Curacao and Rockstar energy drink. He calls it the Time Traveller as apparently after a few of those, the name is realised. We piled on the pressure by asking him for the perfect place in San Diego to have our final drink of the trip, and he suggested a rooftop bar called Altitude. We took a bicycle taxi there, the guy transporting us played in a band that was planning on visiting the UK, and the journey ended up being on the house yet again. The bar was atop the Marriott on the 22nd floor, and the views were amazing, looking out over the city, the baseball stadium and the bay. It was indeed a great way to finish off our final night.
After getting back to the hotel and emptying out the car, we headed out for our final meal and few drinks in America. We went back to Karl Strauss and opted for their suggested combo of Double IPA (very strong!) and Shrimp and Andouille Lollipops, which was excellent. And being the creatures of habit that we are, we went back to Rock Bottom for some more of their great Sunset Stout and the final wedge of Triple Chocolate Stout Cheesecake. We got friendly with the barman and he gave us our beers on the house, and also a creation of his own involving Goldschlager, Jagermeister, Blue Curacao and Rockstar energy drink. He calls it the Time Traveller as apparently after a few of those, the name is realised. We piled on the pressure by asking him for the perfect place in San Diego to have our final drink of the trip, and he suggested a rooftop bar called Altitude. We took a bicycle taxi there, the guy transporting us played in a band that was planning on visiting the UK, and the journey ended up being on the house yet again. The bar was atop the Marriott on the 22nd floor, and the views were amazing, looking out over the city, the baseball stadium and the bay. It was indeed a great way to finish off our final night.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Wednesday 1st April
After stocking up on supplies at the local store, we headed west on the 164 along the top of the Mojave National Preserve. I had found a website about ghost towns, so we were going by directions from that site to find a couple that sounded interesting. We took the Ivanpah road south into the preserve, to a ghost town called Goldome. When we got there, we found a gate with a sign saying “No Trespassing”, and beyond it were some industrial buildings that looked like they wouldn’t have been built more than 50 years ago. There were supposed to be some older buildings further up a dirt road, but the road was so bad that we decided just to head for the next town. We went deeper into the preserve in search of Death Valley Mine, south of Cima. We had to go quite far down a dirt road to get to it, but we were well rewarded when we got there. There were a few buildings still standing, some residential, some workshops, and some mining equipment and filled-in mine entrances. It was a very eerie place, especially when we were exploring inside the buildings. We weren’t entirely sure if there might still be someone about there, but the buildings were bare and we didn’t encounter anyone. We found a lot of junk (plus electrical sockets) that suggested people had been living there not too long ago, and we found a newspaper dated July 8 1984, my fourth birthday.
We then drove further south into the preserve to see the Kelso dunes, I was pleased about this seeing as we missed the dunes in Death Valley a few days before. The dunes were very impressive, sloping hundreds of feet upwards. We walked quite far up them although not all the way to the top, as it was tough going and the sand was blowing around pretty fiercely the higher we got. We just about managed to hear the strange sound that causes them to be described as “singing dunes”, a low tone generated by sand being blown down the dunes by the wind creating friction with the static sand. The day was drawing on so we decided to head straight for San Diego. We took the I-40 west to join with the I-15 that skirted LA and took us straight down to San Diego. We went with a Lonely Planet recommendation and checked into the 500 West hotel which was fairly centrally positioned, a converted YMCA.
We had a wander into the Gaslamp district where all the bars seemed to be, and we found a Rock Bottom, the same chain that we had been to in Portland. Each one has a different brewmaster, so we were able to try some beers that were different to the one in Portland, and the ones here were considerably better. I had some enchiladas and enjoyed the return of the fabulous Triple Chocolate Stout cheesecake. We had a beer in another bar called The Bitter End, and then decided to head to one of the bars that Bradley from San Francisco had recommended to us, the Turf Club. It was quite a way away so we got a cab there, but it was worth it, a nice cosy bar that was less trendy than the places in the Gaslamp District. We met a guy called Dan who operates one of the bicycle taxis, and he told us a bit about San Diego, and recommended that we go to Ocean Beach tomorrow. Another late night but good fun, San Diego seemed to be another friendly and very manageable city and already we thought it was a shame that we were only going to be here for a very short time.
We then drove further south into the preserve to see the Kelso dunes, I was pleased about this seeing as we missed the dunes in Death Valley a few days before. The dunes were very impressive, sloping hundreds of feet upwards. We walked quite far up them although not all the way to the top, as it was tough going and the sand was blowing around pretty fiercely the higher we got. We just about managed to hear the strange sound that causes them to be described as “singing dunes”, a low tone generated by sand being blown down the dunes by the wind creating friction with the static sand. The day was drawing on so we decided to head straight for San Diego. We took the I-40 west to join with the I-15 that skirted LA and took us straight down to San Diego. We went with a Lonely Planet recommendation and checked into the 500 West hotel which was fairly centrally positioned, a converted YMCA.
We had a wander into the Gaslamp district where all the bars seemed to be, and we found a Rock Bottom, the same chain that we had been to in Portland. Each one has a different brewmaster, so we were able to try some beers that were different to the one in Portland, and the ones here were considerably better. I had some enchiladas and enjoyed the return of the fabulous Triple Chocolate Stout cheesecake. We had a beer in another bar called The Bitter End, and then decided to head to one of the bars that Bradley from San Francisco had recommended to us, the Turf Club. It was quite a way away so we got a cab there, but it was worth it, a nice cosy bar that was less trendy than the places in the Gaslamp District. We met a guy called Dan who operates one of the bicycle taxis, and he told us a bit about San Diego, and recommended that we go to Ocean Beach tomorrow. Another late night but good fun, San Diego seemed to be another friendly and very manageable city and already we thought it was a shame that we were only going to be here for a very short time.
Tuesday 31st March
We made a reasonable start and got on the 64 heading for the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The amount of traffic on the roads showed us what to expect when we got there. It was quite something to drive in there, park up on the side of the road, walk a few dozen feet through some trees and then have the unimaginably vast panorama of the Grand Canyon laid out before you. I wasn’t quite ready for just how wide it is, let alone how deep. Like many sights we have seen on this trip, it doesn’t quite seem real as you are looking at it, almost like your brain is having some difficulty comprehending the messages being sent by your optic nerve. We walked a little way along the heavily populated rim path, then decided after a trip to the visitor’s centre that we would head out on the Desert View Drive, to see if we could do a little hike to a less populated part of the rim from somewhere along the road.
After a Reuben sandwich and a fabulous chocolate brownie, we started on the drive and found a very appealing looking trail just a little way along it. The road had curved away from the rim a little so we thought it would make a good bit of a hike through the trees to get there. We parked up and started walking out amongst the trees, soon realising that there was no trail as such to follow. The trees were sparse enough that we could easily find our way through. It was great to arrive at the rim at a much less trodden section of it. We went towards an appealing looking promontory to see if we could get an even better view. When we got there we found that we could safely get all the way to the end of it, and were well rewarded with spectacular views that the vast majority of visitors probably do not see from this angle. From the position that we were in, we actually could not see any other people in any direction, it felt like we had the entire Grand Canyon to ourselves!
Very satisfied with how things had worked out today, after the disappointment of not being able to do our hike yesterday, we got back on the road heading west on the I-40 towards the Mojave National Preserve. We knew we were back in Nevada when we started seeing all the casinos again. We stayed in a town called Searchlight on the 95, probably the smallest town we had stayed in so far. We went for dinner in the Golden Nugget Casino, as it seemed to be the only option other than McDonalds, and I had my first taste of meatloaf! Before going to bed, we actually drove a little way into the Preserve with hopes of getting some good views of the night sky. Unfortunately it was fairly cloudy, and it seems that the Vegas light pollution was affecting us even this far away. However, it was quite a strange experience to be out in the desert in the middle of nowhere in the dark.
After a Reuben sandwich and a fabulous chocolate brownie, we started on the drive and found a very appealing looking trail just a little way along it. The road had curved away from the rim a little so we thought it would make a good bit of a hike through the trees to get there. We parked up and started walking out amongst the trees, soon realising that there was no trail as such to follow. The trees were sparse enough that we could easily find our way through. It was great to arrive at the rim at a much less trodden section of it. We went towards an appealing looking promontory to see if we could get an even better view. When we got there we found that we could safely get all the way to the end of it, and were well rewarded with spectacular views that the vast majority of visitors probably do not see from this angle. From the position that we were in, we actually could not see any other people in any direction, it felt like we had the entire Grand Canyon to ourselves!
Very satisfied with how things had worked out today, after the disappointment of not being able to do our hike yesterday, we got back on the road heading west on the I-40 towards the Mojave National Preserve. We knew we were back in Nevada when we started seeing all the casinos again. We stayed in a town called Searchlight on the 95, probably the smallest town we had stayed in so far. We went for dinner in the Golden Nugget Casino, as it seemed to be the only option other than McDonalds, and I had my first taste of meatloaf! Before going to bed, we actually drove a little way into the Preserve with hopes of getting some good views of the night sky. Unfortunately it was fairly cloudy, and it seems that the Vegas light pollution was affecting us even this far away. However, it was quite a strange experience to be out in the desert in the middle of nowhere in the dark.
Monday 30th March
Up and out of the miserable (but still friendly!) Vegas motel to find Hash House A Go Go for breakfast, as recommended by the fellow from last night. He said to get the chicken waffles so I dutifully obliged. It is quite possibly the most food I have ever had put in front of me in one go, 3 breaded chicken breasts and 4 huge waffles with bacon strips embedded. I got about halfway through and got a take-out box for the rest. We hit the road heading east on the 93 past Lake Mead to have a look at Hoover Dam, a man-made spectacle amidst all of the natural ones. And very impressive it is too, although naturally crawling with tourists like us. There was some sort of construction going on there which was intriguing, looks like a bridge being built over the dam.
We continued east and hit Arizona straight after the dam, our fifth state! We were headed for the 66 south of the Grand Canyon, looking for the hike that Gary from Mariposa had told us about. The road passed through pleasantly arid and mountainous landscapes. We stopped off at the visitors centre in Chloride(!), a strange little town full of ramshackle houses and decorated trees. The lady in the centre showed us how to get there, we had to get to Peach Springs in the Hualapai Indian Reservation on the 66, and ask in the hotel about the hike. When we got there, we were told that it wasn’t a hike as such, but a 21 mile drive down a dirt road that is only open to 4WD vehicles. There was another hike nearby but the road to that one was closed until the start of May. We were disappointed but we got straight back on the road to head towards the main part of the Grand Canyon. It won’t be our private hike, but should hopefully be impressive enough to make the inevitable tourist population tolerable. So back on the famous Route 66 and then the I-40 to the town of Williams, where we got a cheap motel and an early night.
We continued east and hit Arizona straight after the dam, our fifth state! We were headed for the 66 south of the Grand Canyon, looking for the hike that Gary from Mariposa had told us about. The road passed through pleasantly arid and mountainous landscapes. We stopped off at the visitors centre in Chloride(!), a strange little town full of ramshackle houses and decorated trees. The lady in the centre showed us how to get there, we had to get to Peach Springs in the Hualapai Indian Reservation on the 66, and ask in the hotel about the hike. When we got there, we were told that it wasn’t a hike as such, but a 21 mile drive down a dirt road that is only open to 4WD vehicles. There was another hike nearby but the road to that one was closed until the start of May. We were disappointed but we got straight back on the road to head towards the main part of the Grand Canyon. It won’t be our private hike, but should hopefully be impressive enough to make the inevitable tourist population tolerable. So back on the famous Route 66 and then the I-40 to the town of Williams, where we got a cheap motel and an early night.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday 29th March
Another day of recovery after a very late night, we booked another night at the motel which fitted in fine with our schedule we had worked out for the rest of the trip. We had a look at a couple of casinos round the corner from us on Fremont, firstly The Golden Nugget which has the The Hand of Faith nugget, the largest chunk of gold ever discovered, from somewhere in Australia. We went to eat in Binion’s casino, having signed up for a free card purely to get a discount on the chicken and ribs dinner. I went to do the final laundry run, chose to walk rather than drive as it didn’t seem that far on the map. Bad idea really, it was a long way and seemed to be in an insalubrious part of the town, which our motel was on the edge of. Took a cab back and then we headed out to have a proper look at The Strip. Had a wander around The Flamingo and Caesar’s Palace, massive and impressive places but lacking any real substance. It’s easy to get sick of seeing people gambling everywhere, and the whole lifestyle of the city that is built around it. Hard to think of the place as a family holiday destination, but I guess it all depends on your perspective.
We took a cab back to the Downtown area that we were staying in. This is the original part of the city so it has the oldest casinos, it’s now for the more serious gamblers that want to get away from the showy glitz and overpricing of the strip. We went for a drink in an Irish bar called Hennessey’s, met a local guy there who told us about another bar to go to called the Griffin, and he also recommended a place to go tomorrow for the best breakfast in Vegas. We moved on to the Griffin and were delighted with it, it was a really cosy, genuine place with not a gambling machine in sight. It was clearly a place for locals to escape from the tourist side of the city. It was really nice to find that such a place could exist in Las Vegas, and we were happy to spend the rest of the night in this haven. A very pleasant ending of a trip to a city that would otherwise have left somewhat of a bad taste in the mouth.
We took a cab back to the Downtown area that we were staying in. This is the original part of the city so it has the oldest casinos, it’s now for the more serious gamblers that want to get away from the showy glitz and overpricing of the strip. We went for a drink in an Irish bar called Hennessey’s, met a local guy there who told us about another bar to go to called the Griffin, and he also recommended a place to go tomorrow for the best breakfast in Vegas. We moved on to the Griffin and were delighted with it, it was a really cosy, genuine place with not a gambling machine in sight. It was clearly a place for locals to escape from the tourist side of the city. It was really nice to find that such a place could exist in Las Vegas, and we were happy to spend the rest of the night in this haven. A very pleasant ending of a trip to a city that would otherwise have left somewhat of a bad taste in the mouth.
Saturday 28th March
Around this point we realised that we had pretty much abandoned L.A. and the Quantum Leap convention, but we were both perfectly happy with that decision. We were glad to be inland seeing some great sights unlike anything else so far. We got up and went for breakfast burritos at a café called The Indian Trading Post, great way to start the day. We had heard that the road east towards Mount Whitney was a good place to go, so we went for a quick look before heading to Death Valley. The road takes you into the Alabama Hills, which is basically a landscape of boulders nestling up to the base of the mountains. A lot of Westerns have been filmed here and you can see why, it’s really cool terrain, very Wild West indeed.
We then took the 190 east into Death Valley National Park, and hit some classic dried mud and brush desert landscape. It streched out for miles away from the road in all directions, against a mountainous backdrop. There are tons of different sights to see in Death Valley, so we had to be selective. It almost seems as if it has been designed as a progression of different sights as you drive on through, like a natural theme park. Still on the trail of the ghost towns, we took a dirt road off the 190 to a place called Skidoo. We had to take the road very slowly, would have been better suited to a 4 wheel-drive really. After a few very slow miles, we got to the site and found that there were no buildngs left there! A bit disappointing, but we saw some of the old entrances to the gold mine which was pretty interesting. It was quite a strange feeling of really being in the middle of nowhere, although there were a few other people coming and going.
It was now pretty hot, the temperature gauge in the car was reading around 80 degrees F. We had seen it ascending quite rapidly as we had headed down into the heart of the valley. We stopped for coffee in Stovepipe Wells village, pretty much just a rest point for tourists. As we left the village we saw some big sand dunes a little way away from the road. I was tempted to go closer to have a look, but we had already chosen a few other things to look at, sacrifices had to be made as time was pushing on. We went to the Devil’s Golf Course next, an expanse of crystallized salt. Some very strange terrain, it looks like a carpet of jagged rocks covered in frost. Next was Badwater, salt flats that are at the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, 282 feet below sea level. You can walk right out onto the flats, and there are areas of it that have a few inches of salt water.
The last sight before leaving the valley was Artist Drive, a winding scenic loop through volcanic foothills. And then we were back on the 190 and heading out towards Las Vegas. When we reached the end of the 190, we saw a sign for the State Line Road, a direct route to Vegas that wasn’t on our map for some reason, it didn’t seem particularly new. It was now completely dark, so it was quite something seeing the glare of Las Vegas appearing out of the desert night. We headed straight to the strip for a cruise, the traffic was pretty terrible as it was a Saturday night, but that worked in our favour as we were able to take in the sights. The place was really crowded, and the casinos were huge and elaborate as expected. Greg had heard about a rock bar that sounded really good but couldn’t remember the name, so we stopped to use the wi-fi in Mcdonalds, and had our one meal of the trip beneath the cursed yellow arches. We located the bar and found a motel nearby, not terrible but probably the worst place that we had stayed in so far, very dingy and depressing, perfect for the Las Vegas losers I suppose. They didn’t have any twin rooms, but we got two singles for $70 total so we weren’t complaining. We headed out to the bar, it was now about midnight so it was a good job that they were open until 4am. It was a real bikers bar, hard blues music, plenty of raucous beer-swilling and barmaids that shouted around the place with megaphones and danced upon the bar. Not the typical Vegas night, but one suited to us.
We then took the 190 east into Death Valley National Park, and hit some classic dried mud and brush desert landscape. It streched out for miles away from the road in all directions, against a mountainous backdrop. There are tons of different sights to see in Death Valley, so we had to be selective. It almost seems as if it has been designed as a progression of different sights as you drive on through, like a natural theme park. Still on the trail of the ghost towns, we took a dirt road off the 190 to a place called Skidoo. We had to take the road very slowly, would have been better suited to a 4 wheel-drive really. After a few very slow miles, we got to the site and found that there were no buildngs left there! A bit disappointing, but we saw some of the old entrances to the gold mine which was pretty interesting. It was quite a strange feeling of really being in the middle of nowhere, although there were a few other people coming and going.
It was now pretty hot, the temperature gauge in the car was reading around 80 degrees F. We had seen it ascending quite rapidly as we had headed down into the heart of the valley. We stopped for coffee in Stovepipe Wells village, pretty much just a rest point for tourists. As we left the village we saw some big sand dunes a little way away from the road. I was tempted to go closer to have a look, but we had already chosen a few other things to look at, sacrifices had to be made as time was pushing on. We went to the Devil’s Golf Course next, an expanse of crystallized salt. Some very strange terrain, it looks like a carpet of jagged rocks covered in frost. Next was Badwater, salt flats that are at the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, 282 feet below sea level. You can walk right out onto the flats, and there are areas of it that have a few inches of salt water.
The last sight before leaving the valley was Artist Drive, a winding scenic loop through volcanic foothills. And then we were back on the 190 and heading out towards Las Vegas. When we reached the end of the 190, we saw a sign for the State Line Road, a direct route to Vegas that wasn’t on our map for some reason, it didn’t seem particularly new. It was now completely dark, so it was quite something seeing the glare of Las Vegas appearing out of the desert night. We headed straight to the strip for a cruise, the traffic was pretty terrible as it was a Saturday night, but that worked in our favour as we were able to take in the sights. The place was really crowded, and the casinos were huge and elaborate as expected. Greg had heard about a rock bar that sounded really good but couldn’t remember the name, so we stopped to use the wi-fi in Mcdonalds, and had our one meal of the trip beneath the cursed yellow arches. We located the bar and found a motel nearby, not terrible but probably the worst place that we had stayed in so far, very dingy and depressing, perfect for the Las Vegas losers I suppose. They didn’t have any twin rooms, but we got two singles for $70 total so we weren’t complaining. We headed out to the bar, it was now about midnight so it was a good job that they were open until 4am. It was a real bikers bar, hard blues music, plenty of raucous beer-swilling and barmaids that shouted around the place with megaphones and danced upon the bar. Not the typical Vegas night, but one suited to us.
Friday 27th March
Started the day with a $0.99 breakfast at the casino, exploiting the exploiters yet again. We got on the 88 heading east, our route over the Sierra Nevada mountain range. In fact, it was the most southerly route that had been plowed. The road was beautiful, passing through snowy forest landscapes. We tried to take a short cut to the 395, but got confused reading the signs about which roads were closed, and had to turn back and take a different route which dipped into Nevada. The gambling machines in the petrol station helped us to realise that we had crossed the state line. Onto the 395, we planned to visit a mining ghost town called Bodie, but the road to that was also closed. We then took a turning for Lundy Lake which was supposed to be a beautiful spot in the springtime, but were not surprised in the least to find that a little way down, the road had been closed.
We passed Lake Mono which was pretty spectacular from our high vantage point. The land was beginning to turn pretty desert-like. Before long we had the White Mountains on our eastern flank and the Sierras on the west, the canyon road that Gary had talked about. We picked the town of Lone Pine as our place to spend the night, just west of the Death Valley entrance via the 136. Before we arrived there, we passed the Manzanar National Historic Site, a place where 10,000 Japanese Americans had been placed after the attack on Pearl Harbour. This was something I had never heard about. It may not quite have been a concentration camp, but still quite a shocking affront to the freedoms of American citizens. About the only part of it still standing is a stark watchtower; most of the site was destroyed.
Lone Pine was a nice enough place, a lot of Westerns had been filmed around here so that was heavily played upon. You almost feel like you’re in an Old West town being there, until you look a bit closer and realise how much of it has been styled for tourists. We stayed in a place called the Dow Hotel, which had cheaper rooms than the Dow Motel for some reason. We went for a drink in a bar called Jake’s, which was ok but did not seem as friendly as some we had been in. It was completely covered with Western film memorabilia. We ate at a place called The Mount Whitney Restaurant, serving buffalo, venison, elk and ostrich burgers! Greg went for the buffalo and I the elk, both very good. We then visited the other bar in town, the Double L. This was the least comfortable I had felt in any bar so far, it felt like it was very much a locals place. Nothing bad happened, we just didn’t feel very welcome there. We drank our fastest pint so far, then got an early night in preparation for Death Valley.
We passed Lake Mono which was pretty spectacular from our high vantage point. The land was beginning to turn pretty desert-like. Before long we had the White Mountains on our eastern flank and the Sierras on the west, the canyon road that Gary had talked about. We picked the town of Lone Pine as our place to spend the night, just west of the Death Valley entrance via the 136. Before we arrived there, we passed the Manzanar National Historic Site, a place where 10,000 Japanese Americans had been placed after the attack on Pearl Harbour. This was something I had never heard about. It may not quite have been a concentration camp, but still quite a shocking affront to the freedoms of American citizens. About the only part of it still standing is a stark watchtower; most of the site was destroyed.
Lone Pine was a nice enough place, a lot of Westerns had been filmed around here so that was heavily played upon. You almost feel like you’re in an Old West town being there, until you look a bit closer and realise how much of it has been styled for tourists. We stayed in a place called the Dow Hotel, which had cheaper rooms than the Dow Motel for some reason. We went for a drink in a bar called Jake’s, which was ok but did not seem as friendly as some we had been in. It was completely covered with Western film memorabilia. We ate at a place called The Mount Whitney Restaurant, serving buffalo, venison, elk and ostrich burgers! Greg went for the buffalo and I the elk, both very good. We then visited the other bar in town, the Double L. This was the least comfortable I had felt in any bar so far, it felt like it was very much a locals place. Nothing bad happened, we just didn’t feel very welcome there. We drank our fastest pint so far, then got an early night in preparation for Death Valley.
Thursday 26th March
Set the alarm for 6:30 this morning to make sure we make a really good day of it. Back to the Butterfly for a huge omelette and potatoes breakfast, which set us up for the day very heartily. Good to be up and on the go so early in the day. So off we went into Yosemite. On the way in, we passed through canyons that had wildflowers growing up each side, apparently we have hit a very narrow window at this time of year for seeing them. Saw some spectacular sights in the park, mountains such as El Capitan, waterfalls, forests, rivers, the park really has it all. It also had the most tourists of anywhere that we have seen. It was pretty busy, although there must be ten times as many in the summer months. While the park is clearly spectacular, there is certainly something missing with the experience…everyone is moving around the same paths taking taking the same photographs, there is something very sanitized about the experience. It must have been so incredible for the people who first discovered it, something that could never be recreated with the tourist-friendly setup it now has. On the other hand, it does make it very easy for us to be able to drive around it and see all these sights. We are hoping with where we head next, that we will get some slightly rawer experiences. We have decided to follow Gary’s advice and head further inland from here, he has told us about some routes to take that sound less trodden but no less spectacular.
After driving up to Badger Pass, a nice drive but not much to see at the top apart from people skiing, we left Yosemite on the 120 heading west. We then drove northwest on the 49, through old mining towns, to a place called Sutter Creek on the 88, which is the road we would be taking over the mountains. There did not seem to be any motels about, but we were recommended heading to an out of town casino, where apparently you can get rooms for $35 per night. It was quite a surreal experience, the place was called the Jackson Rancheria and it was an absolutely huge complex. These places are very popular in states where gambling is illegal, they are situated on Indian reservations where it is legal so a lot of people come here. We were told that the room was actually $90, but $75 if you get a card to use the casino, which is free (it actually comes with $5 of credit). We had already said yes to the room, when I told the lady in passing that someone in Sutter Creek had said that rooms here were $35, and then she told us we could have the room for that price! We then saw that there was a restaurant deal for an $8 8oz steak, so naturally we went for that. The room was the nicest we have had so far as well as the cheapest, and the steak was a total bargain, although we felt out of place in the smart restaurant. We weren’t bothered, we just longed for the genuine vibe of the Mission’s Kitchen! We felt obliged to spend our $5 each of credit in the casino, lost it to the slot machines in no time. The casino was quite a depressing place really, full of people just pumping their money away into these machines like robots, with a relentless cacophonic backdrop of slot machine jingles. We didn’t stick around for too long and got a reasonably early night.
After driving up to Badger Pass, a nice drive but not much to see at the top apart from people skiing, we left Yosemite on the 120 heading west. We then drove northwest on the 49, through old mining towns, to a place called Sutter Creek on the 88, which is the road we would be taking over the mountains. There did not seem to be any motels about, but we were recommended heading to an out of town casino, where apparently you can get rooms for $35 per night. It was quite a surreal experience, the place was called the Jackson Rancheria and it was an absolutely huge complex. These places are very popular in states where gambling is illegal, they are situated on Indian reservations where it is legal so a lot of people come here. We were told that the room was actually $90, but $75 if you get a card to use the casino, which is free (it actually comes with $5 of credit). We had already said yes to the room, when I told the lady in passing that someone in Sutter Creek had said that rooms here were $35, and then she told us we could have the room for that price! We then saw that there was a restaurant deal for an $8 8oz steak, so naturally we went for that. The room was the nicest we have had so far as well as the cheapest, and the steak was a total bargain, although we felt out of place in the smart restaurant. We weren’t bothered, we just longed for the genuine vibe of the Mission’s Kitchen! We felt obliged to spend our $5 each of credit in the casino, lost it to the slot machines in no time. The casino was quite a depressing place really, full of people just pumping their money away into these machines like robots, with a relentless cacophonic backdrop of slot machine jingles. We didn’t stick around for too long and got a reasonably early night.
Wednesday 25th March
Off to the Mission’s Kitchen again this morning for breakfast, had the classic pancakes with sausages and eggs. Covered the pancakes in maple syrup, lovely stuff! It is such a great eating place, rough and ready but friendly, and clearly full of locals. We saw a guy who looked like a bum helping himself to coffee behind the counter, and we thought that maybe they just let these people come and have free breakfast and help themselves, then the guy answered the phone and started talking to us, and we realised he probably owned the place! We loaded up on fruit and water and headed to the Castro district on the way out of town. We saw the Castro Theater and the Twin Peaks café and the Harvey Milk Plaza and lots of outwardly gay people. Heading out of San Francisco across the East Bay Bridge, we realised just how big the city is. We drove east towards Yosemite National Park, having decided to enter the park at the southwestern entrance on Highway 140, which we had been told would be open at this time of year. Tonight we would stay somewhere just outside the park, and go into it early tomorrow.
We picked the town of Mariposa where the 140 intersects with the 49, an old gold mining town. We were well into the Gold Country now! We have heard about ghost towns in the desert that were abandoned after the mines dried up, so we are hoping to see some of them. The town was quiet but very pleasant, and we had plenty of fairly cheap motel options. We went for a place called The Mother Lode Lodge, and while Greg had a shower I went for a walk and found a nice little park with an outdoor pool, ampitheater, tennis and basketball courts and a skate park. They certainly provide plenty for people to do in such a small place. A lot of the buildings were very Old West style, it was hard to tell if they were genuine or had been recreated in this way for the tourists. I think it might have been a mix of both.
We went out for food at a place that had just opened called The Butterfly Café. Had a cracking burger and met the owner called John, who had come from Canada to live in the town with his Belgian wife. He seemed very happy to talk to us, he was telling us how from his perspective he found a lot of the townspeople very insular, so I guess he was pleased to talk to some more outsiders. He sat down with us and gave us wine and cheesecake on the house and some leftover pastries, generous fellow! We went over the road to a bar called the 49’er and met a guy called Gary Walker, quite a man of the world and very interesting to talk to, seemed like he was probably quite a bit further left than a lot of the people in the town. He gave us some different ideas about where to go next, basically to head north over the Sierra Nevadas after Yosemite and to head down the 395, which is apparently an amazing road between mountain ranges. He said that we would be better off seeing more things inland than the coast, as we have seen so much of it already, like Death Valley and even The Grand Canyon. Gave us much food for thought.
We picked the town of Mariposa where the 140 intersects with the 49, an old gold mining town. We were well into the Gold Country now! We have heard about ghost towns in the desert that were abandoned after the mines dried up, so we are hoping to see some of them. The town was quiet but very pleasant, and we had plenty of fairly cheap motel options. We went for a place called The Mother Lode Lodge, and while Greg had a shower I went for a walk and found a nice little park with an outdoor pool, ampitheater, tennis and basketball courts and a skate park. They certainly provide plenty for people to do in such a small place. A lot of the buildings were very Old West style, it was hard to tell if they were genuine or had been recreated in this way for the tourists. I think it might have been a mix of both.
We went out for food at a place that had just opened called The Butterfly Café. Had a cracking burger and met the owner called John, who had come from Canada to live in the town with his Belgian wife. He seemed very happy to talk to us, he was telling us how from his perspective he found a lot of the townspeople very insular, so I guess he was pleased to talk to some more outsiders. He sat down with us and gave us wine and cheesecake on the house and some leftover pastries, generous fellow! We went over the road to a bar called the 49’er and met a guy called Gary Walker, quite a man of the world and very interesting to talk to, seemed like he was probably quite a bit further left than a lot of the people in the town. He gave us some different ideas about where to go next, basically to head north over the Sierra Nevadas after Yosemite and to head down the 395, which is apparently an amazing road between mountain ranges. He said that we would be better off seeing more things inland than the coast, as we have seen so much of it already, like Death Valley and even The Grand Canyon. Gave us much food for thought.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Tuesday 24th March
A quiet one today, mostly taken up with recovering from last night, catching up some sleep and doing laundry. After getting another fabulous burrito from La Taquria, we took an early evening trip to Fisherman’s Wharf on the cable car which was pretty good fun, got to experience those classic steep San Franciscan roads in the ideal transport. From what we could see of Fisherman’s Wharf, it was an unpleasant tourist trap, although it has a great deal more history to it than that. It was good to go there in a way though, it made us appreciate how good it was to have based ourselves in the Mission, much more like the real city. We headed back to the hostel, realising that there was a rooftop bar on the floor above us, which accounted for a lot of the strange noise that had been disturbing our sleep. We spurned its overpricing for a cocktail bar over the road, and perused the map and guidebooks over rum cocktails. Still in a quandary over how to do the rest of the trip, pretty much decided on heading to Yosemite tomorrow and then taking it from there. It’s really a question of whether to keep heading inland and hit some proper desert, or to come back to the coast for Big Sur and maybe a spot of fishing. We can always head out to the desert further south. And we’re still undecided about whether to even bother with L.A. Hopefully all will become clear.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday 23rd March
We managed to drag ourselves out of bed to make it to the tour of Anchor Brewery at 11am, which Greg had booked us in for a while ago. They are the oldest brewery in San Francisco, and they run free weekday tours of the brewery with samples of their beers at the end! We had already tried a couple of their brews, so we knew that there were good things in store. The tour was really interesting, I learnt a lot about the brewing process and the incredible scale of their operation. They make all their beer on these small premises but they manage to kick out 100,000 bottles a day! We had a sampling session at the end of the tour which was obviously very pleasant, got chatting to a few people including a wildlife photographer called Don who gave us some good ideas about which direction to head in after San Francisco.
We left the brewery somewhat light-headed, grabbed a coffee and decided to be lazy and get a taxi back to the hostel, it had been quite a walk to get to the brewery! We then decided to head for a bar called Toronados, another place that had been recommended to us last night. It was another great rock/metal bar, with an owner who had been born in Salisbury, and used to work at the hospital where Greg was born! We also had the Rosamunde Sausage Grill next to the bar which we had been told about, had a cracking smoked lamb banger. Back to the hostel for a freshen up, debated having a nap after the daytime drinking but thought that as we had got this far through the day, it would be better just to push on. We went to a burrito place called La Taqueria that had been recommended in the Lonely Planet guide, and we certainly weren’t disappointed. The burritos were awesome, and incredibly heavy (non-hippy use of the word). We had a drink in Zeitgeist, where we met a lady who told us about how San Francisco has changed in the last couple of decades, with the influx of yuppies during the dotcom explosion.
Then off to meet Bradley and his friend Roy, lovely pair of guys who took us to some bars we hadn’t been to yet. Firstly the 500 Club, where Greg got in trouble for giving the end of his beer to a bum who came in off the street. And then on to the Amber Bar, still a smoking bar which I was not delighted about. We met one of Bradley’s friends called Rob, a massive long-haired guy who was a perfect example of the classic drunk American metalhead! I bought a tamale from the legendary Tamale Lady (http://sf.wikispot.org/Tamale_Lady), and then we headed back to Kilowatt to finish up the night. So cool to meet these guys, so far on the trip we have met so many great people, it’s almost overwhelming.
We left the brewery somewhat light-headed, grabbed a coffee and decided to be lazy and get a taxi back to the hostel, it had been quite a walk to get to the brewery! We then decided to head for a bar called Toronados, another place that had been recommended to us last night. It was another great rock/metal bar, with an owner who had been born in Salisbury, and used to work at the hospital where Greg was born! We also had the Rosamunde Sausage Grill next to the bar which we had been told about, had a cracking smoked lamb banger. Back to the hostel for a freshen up, debated having a nap after the daytime drinking but thought that as we had got this far through the day, it would be better just to push on. We went to a burrito place called La Taqueria that had been recommended in the Lonely Planet guide, and we certainly weren’t disappointed. The burritos were awesome, and incredibly heavy (non-hippy use of the word). We had a drink in Zeitgeist, where we met a lady who told us about how San Francisco has changed in the last couple of decades, with the influx of yuppies during the dotcom explosion.
Then off to meet Bradley and his friend Roy, lovely pair of guys who took us to some bars we hadn’t been to yet. Firstly the 500 Club, where Greg got in trouble for giving the end of his beer to a bum who came in off the street. And then on to the Amber Bar, still a smoking bar which I was not delighted about. We met one of Bradley’s friends called Rob, a massive long-haired guy who was a perfect example of the classic drunk American metalhead! I bought a tamale from the legendary Tamale Lady (http://sf.wikispot.org/Tamale_Lady), and then we headed back to Kilowatt to finish up the night. So cool to meet these guys, so far on the trip we have met so many great people, it’s almost overwhelming.
Sunday 22nd March
And so into San Francisco! I always have mixed feelings about heading back into a big city after being in amazing natural places, but I have heard good things about this place. The journey from Santa Rosa only took about an hour, and we were both pretty excited when the Golden Gate Bridge came into view. After crossing the bridge into the city, we headed straight for the hostel, in the centre of the Mission District. The roads were busy, but not horrendous. We had a bit of trouble finding street parking near the hostel though, and ended up just putting the car in a parking lot. We unloaded our bags and had a little wander to find some food. We went to a place called the Mission Kitchen, seemed like a proper locals place which was really cool. Had a sandwich and then jumped back in the car to go for a proper look at the Golden Gate Bridge.
It was a strange experience seeing the bridge, as we had recently seen a documentary about it being a suicide hotspot, with about two people a month ending their lives here. The bridge is quite a spectacular creation, with amazing views surrounding it, but it can also represent a lot that is damaging about modern society. When you stand on the bridge with the surrounding beauty hampered by the incessant roar of six lanes of traffic, with tourists and their cameras crawling all over the place, you can feel a strange juxtaposition of utter crowded chaos and complete isolation from everyone around. You can imagine how someone contemplating suicide would feel coming to this place.
After leaving the bridge, we had a drive down to Ocean Beach, skirting Golden Gate Park. It was very windy so we just grabbed a coffee and pastry and didn’t hang around for too long. We got back to the hostel and realised it was that time of the day again, so off we went to check out some bars. There are a lot of cool untrendy bars in San Francisco (dives they call them over here, which means something a bit better than it does back home!) We went to a bar called Uptown first of all, which had been recommended in the Lonely Planet, and that was a pretty decent place. The barlady there suggested that we try one called Kilowatt, as we looked like we belonged there! We took that as a compliment and found that it was a really cool rock/metal bar. We met a guy behind the bar called Bradley who recommended some others that we should go to, and said we could meet him tomorrow night and he and his friend would take us round a few. We went to another called Lucky 13 which was decent but quiet, then headed to another called Zeitgeist. This place was really good, obviously a popular local hangout. They were doing food so I got a Sloppy Joe’s, chilli in a burger bun which was incredibly hot (for me, anyway). We got even more recommendations of places to go, although for tonight we were ready just to finish the night back at Kilowatt and head back to the hostel. A lady also leaving Zeitgeist gave us a lift over there in her pickup which was jolly nice of her. In Kilowatt, we met a couple of guys from out of town who were here for a hockey match, they had their sticks with them so we ended up playing hockey in the street in the early hours of the morning!
It was a strange experience seeing the bridge, as we had recently seen a documentary about it being a suicide hotspot, with about two people a month ending their lives here. The bridge is quite a spectacular creation, with amazing views surrounding it, but it can also represent a lot that is damaging about modern society. When you stand on the bridge with the surrounding beauty hampered by the incessant roar of six lanes of traffic, with tourists and their cameras crawling all over the place, you can feel a strange juxtaposition of utter crowded chaos and complete isolation from everyone around. You can imagine how someone contemplating suicide would feel coming to this place.
After leaving the bridge, we had a drive down to Ocean Beach, skirting Golden Gate Park. It was very windy so we just grabbed a coffee and pastry and didn’t hang around for too long. We got back to the hostel and realised it was that time of the day again, so off we went to check out some bars. There are a lot of cool untrendy bars in San Francisco (dives they call them over here, which means something a bit better than it does back home!) We went to a bar called Uptown first of all, which had been recommended in the Lonely Planet, and that was a pretty decent place. The barlady there suggested that we try one called Kilowatt, as we looked like we belonged there! We took that as a compliment and found that it was a really cool rock/metal bar. We met a guy behind the bar called Bradley who recommended some others that we should go to, and said we could meet him tomorrow night and he and his friend would take us round a few. We went to another called Lucky 13 which was decent but quiet, then headed to another called Zeitgeist. This place was really good, obviously a popular local hangout. They were doing food so I got a Sloppy Joe’s, chilli in a burger bun which was incredibly hot (for me, anyway). We got even more recommendations of places to go, although for tonight we were ready just to finish the night back at Kilowatt and head back to the hostel. A lady also leaving Zeitgeist gave us a lift over there in her pickup which was jolly nice of her. In Kilowatt, we met a couple of guys from out of town who were here for a hockey match, they had their sticks with them so we ended up playing hockey in the street in the early hours of the morning!
Saturday 21st March
Back on the 101 today, and heading south towards San Francisco. We took a road off the 101 which runs parallel, called “Avenue of the Giants”, a 32-mile drive through some old-growth redwoods. Some of these trees are absolutely huge, over 300 feet, and they can live for up to 2000 years. It was a very reverential place, makes you feel quite humble walking the trails amongst these ancient beings. We rejoined the 101 which had come a little way inland, and then took a westerly turn onto Highway 1, which was now the coast road. There was an incredibly winding section before the road reached the coast, but we were well rewarded by some more great coastline. Not quite as spectacular as the Oregon coast, but still beautiful, and we were just glad to be back by the sea after quite a lot of inland mileage.
We passed through a few small towns on this road, inluding Mendocino, a nice little artistic community by the sea. We were trying to decide what to do at this point, whether to head into San Francisco tonight or to wait until tomorrow so we could orient ourselves by daylight. We called a few hostels in SF and they were all full for tonight, so that decided it. We booked a room for the next night, and then headed back towards the 101 to find a motel. We stopped off at a roadside diner called Libby’s, which turned out to be a Mexican restaurant, which showed us which part of the country we were now entering. Had some great Enchiladas, sadly had to pass up the chocolate brownie sundae, appetite seems to be dwindling a tad. We headed for a Motel 6 on the outskirts of Santa Rosa, was pretty tired today so good to get an early night in preparation for hitting the big city tomorrow.
We passed through a few small towns on this road, inluding Mendocino, a nice little artistic community by the sea. We were trying to decide what to do at this point, whether to head into San Francisco tonight or to wait until tomorrow so we could orient ourselves by daylight. We called a few hostels in SF and they were all full for tonight, so that decided it. We booked a room for the next night, and then headed back towards the 101 to find a motel. We stopped off at a roadside diner called Libby’s, which turned out to be a Mexican restaurant, which showed us which part of the country we were now entering. Had some great Enchiladas, sadly had to pass up the chocolate brownie sundae, appetite seems to be dwindling a tad. We headed for a Motel 6 on the outskirts of Santa Rosa, was pretty tired today so good to get an early night in preparation for hitting the big city tomorrow.
Friday 20th March
First off today we took the car to a tire (tyre) garage and the guy that gave it the OK, he said that the damage was only cosmetic. This was good news, as the hassle in getting the money back from the hire company would probably have been huge. We left Ashland on the I-5, headed for Mount Shasta. We noticed that it was getting much warmer as we headed south and away from the coast. Into CaliMount Shasta came dramatically into view as we headed down the freeway. We arrived in Mount Shasta City, which was definitely more of a town, as with many of the “cities” over here. Greg dutifully purchased a Mount Shasta baseball cap, and we began the drive up the mountain. As it was winter, the furthest we could go was up to Bunny Flats at 6950 feet, the road had only been ploughed that far. There were awesome views up to the peak and down to the surrounding mountains and countryside. It was very strange being surrounded by snow but feeling very warm in the sunlight. We headed back down to a café in the town where we lunched on clam chowder and cinnamon coffee, and checked on the internet to find the location of the next port of call.
We took the 89 heading east and south to find the Lake Britton Bridge railroad where it crosses the McCloud river. It felt like we were heading into the middle of nowhere. When we got there, the bridge really was in the middle of nowhere. The bridge features in one of my favourite childhood films, Stand By Me. The boys are crossing it and a train comes, and they have to run like crazy. We were not even sure if it would still be there, there was talk of it being destroyed. In fact, the rails had been taken up but the bridge was still standing. It was a beautiful day, and a wonderful sentimental place to be, I’m very proud of the pictures of me there in my Stand By Me T-shirt! A man and a lady showed up in their car, they were checking their crawfish traps down by the river. They showed us what they had caught, and I held my first crawfish! The guy was called Free(!), and he fitted the typical hick/hillbilly stereotype, but was actually really nice and friendly. He told us about some caves that were in the hills just behind us, and said he would show them to us. After some searching he discovered the location of one of them, and in we went. It almost seemed man-made, it was more of a tunnel that went back into the hillside with a sandy floor. It was a bit scary but quite a rush, especially when we found the bats at the end of the cave. We didn’t stick about in there for too long, but it was very exciting. Then he showed us a much bigger and shallower one, with evidence of fires and parties that had gone on in there. The whole thing was a very un-guidebook-like experience, which we were pleased about.
Then we had a long journey back to the coast on the 299, a very windy road through hills and forest, it was dark and foggy but dealt with by some good solid driving by Greg. We stayed in the town of Arcata, a very left-wing college town on the coast, just north of Eureka. There were lots of people hanging around on the streets, it was hard to tell which were students and which were bums. We stayed in a Super 8 motel on the edge of town, and took a taxi into the centre. We ate in a place called The Alibi, I had a Monte Cristo sandwich which was ham, turkey, cheese and optional strawberry jam! We went next door to a bar called The Sidelines which was full of students. We managed to make friends with the the only older guy in there, called David Bastable. He was very proud of his Devonshire roots, and kept informing us of our brotherhood. He meant well and was a nice guy despite being very drunk, he was obviously envious of what we were doing, it was quite touching and slightly depressing. We ended up chatting with people on the streets after the bar had closed, there were a lot of interesting characters. We all got moved along from the Plaza by the police, which seemed to be quite symbolic of the way things are in this left-wing free-thinking pocket of Northern California. Now we are back on the coast, tomorrow will bring a day of some serious southerly travelling!
We took the 89 heading east and south to find the Lake Britton Bridge railroad where it crosses the McCloud river. It felt like we were heading into the middle of nowhere. When we got there, the bridge really was in the middle of nowhere. The bridge features in one of my favourite childhood films, Stand By Me. The boys are crossing it and a train comes, and they have to run like crazy. We were not even sure if it would still be there, there was talk of it being destroyed. In fact, the rails had been taken up but the bridge was still standing. It was a beautiful day, and a wonderful sentimental place to be, I’m very proud of the pictures of me there in my Stand By Me T-shirt! A man and a lady showed up in their car, they were checking their crawfish traps down by the river. They showed us what they had caught, and I held my first crawfish! The guy was called Free(!), and he fitted the typical hick/hillbilly stereotype, but was actually really nice and friendly. He told us about some caves that were in the hills just behind us, and said he would show them to us. After some searching he discovered the location of one of them, and in we went. It almost seemed man-made, it was more of a tunnel that went back into the hillside with a sandy floor. It was a bit scary but quite a rush, especially when we found the bats at the end of the cave. We didn’t stick about in there for too long, but it was very exciting. Then he showed us a much bigger and shallower one, with evidence of fires and parties that had gone on in there. The whole thing was a very un-guidebook-like experience, which we were pleased about.
Then we had a long journey back to the coast on the 299, a very windy road through hills and forest, it was dark and foggy but dealt with by some good solid driving by Greg. We stayed in the town of Arcata, a very left-wing college town on the coast, just north of Eureka. There were lots of people hanging around on the streets, it was hard to tell which were students and which were bums. We stayed in a Super 8 motel on the edge of town, and took a taxi into the centre. We ate in a place called The Alibi, I had a Monte Cristo sandwich which was ham, turkey, cheese and optional strawberry jam! We went next door to a bar called The Sidelines which was full of students. We managed to make friends with the the only older guy in there, called David Bastable. He was very proud of his Devonshire roots, and kept informing us of our brotherhood. He meant well and was a nice guy despite being very drunk, he was obviously envious of what we were doing, it was quite touching and slightly depressing. We ended up chatting with people on the streets after the bar had closed, there were a lot of interesting characters. We all got moved along from the Plaza by the police, which seemed to be quite symbolic of the way things are in this left-wing free-thinking pocket of Northern California. Now we are back on the coast, tomorrow will bring a day of some serious southerly travelling!
Thursday 19th March
Very proud of our early start, we got on the 138 heading east towards Crater Lake, alongside the Umpqua river. Our first stop was to be the Umpqua hot springs. We turned off on the road towards them, but after about a mile we were stopped by a single lane bridge that was blocked with snow. We saw that there was a hiking trail towards the springs, and a handwritten sign by the trail saying that it takes one hour to get there. Scribbled in underneath was a note saying to take the road instead as it only took 45 minutes. So we set out on the snowed over road, hoping that we were going in the right direction. It felt very isolated out there, and we were hoping that the tracks in the snow were just made by someone’s dog. After walking for about half an hour, we got to the information point. To our dismay we discovered that the bridge over the river to the springs had been down for a few years. We presumed that there would be somewhere else to cross, but we couldn’t find anywhere feasible. So with tails between legs we started heading back, only to see someone else walking up the road in our direction. It was a guy called Michael who lived in the area and knew the springs well, he told us he would show us the place that you can cross. So we headed back with him, and he showed us a tree crossing the river that had boards bolted into it to make a platform to cross. Over we went and joined the trail that lead up to the springs, getting involved in some interesting discussions with Michael about the surrounding areas and the various Oregonian political stances.
The springs were absolutely wonderful, there were a few different ones with slightly varying temperatures, the average being about 104 degrees F. Very physically and mentally cleansing. We spent longer there than we should have done going by the schedule we were aiming for, but it was hard to leave. When we got back to the car we found that one of the tyres had some nasty gashes on the side, so we decided to get it checked out when we got to the place we would be staying. There were lots of waterfalls on this road but we realised we only had time to see one, so naturally we went for the biggest. Watson Falls at 272 feet, very impressive. There were good paths to get pretty close to the falls, so we were able to get some great photos.
Then we were back on the road to Crater Lake. We were well into the afternoon by now, but we knew that the roads up to the lake would be limited because of the snow, so we knew we wouldn’t need that much time up there anyway. There was a crazy ploughed road leading up to the lake, with massive snowdrifts either side. The lake was very beautiful, but there was so much snow everywhere that we were limited as to how much of it we could see. The lake is exclusively fed by rain and snow, and utterly isolated, a very special place. We lightened the mood of awe by playing around making imprints in the huge snowdrifts, then headed back down.
We headed southwest on the 62 to the town of Ashland for the night, the town had been recommended to us by a couple of people. It is famous for the Oregon Shakespeare festival (runs for nine months of the year!), and the town has a strangely English feel to it. We stayed in a Best Western Motel, a bit more expensive than some but the cheaper motels were right out of town. Went for food at The Black Sheep, a British-themed pub so we were not too happy about that! Good Norfolk fish pie though, and Guiness chocolate cake. We tried a porter from the nearby town of Medford which was pretty decent. There was a red British phone box in the corner of the pub which turned out to be from Sheffield! We went to another bar for one more drink after eating, they had a reggae/surf/ska band playing, with people of all ages dancing. We laughed in glee as a large middle aged guy fell into a mike stand, and then off to bed.
The springs were absolutely wonderful, there were a few different ones with slightly varying temperatures, the average being about 104 degrees F. Very physically and mentally cleansing. We spent longer there than we should have done going by the schedule we were aiming for, but it was hard to leave. When we got back to the car we found that one of the tyres had some nasty gashes on the side, so we decided to get it checked out when we got to the place we would be staying. There were lots of waterfalls on this road but we realised we only had time to see one, so naturally we went for the biggest. Watson Falls at 272 feet, very impressive. There were good paths to get pretty close to the falls, so we were able to get some great photos.
Then we were back on the road to Crater Lake. We were well into the afternoon by now, but we knew that the roads up to the lake would be limited because of the snow, so we knew we wouldn’t need that much time up there anyway. There was a crazy ploughed road leading up to the lake, with massive snowdrifts either side. The lake was very beautiful, but there was so much snow everywhere that we were limited as to how much of it we could see. The lake is exclusively fed by rain and snow, and utterly isolated, a very special place. We lightened the mood of awe by playing around making imprints in the huge snowdrifts, then headed back down.
We headed southwest on the 62 to the town of Ashland for the night, the town had been recommended to us by a couple of people. It is famous for the Oregon Shakespeare festival (runs for nine months of the year!), and the town has a strangely English feel to it. We stayed in a Best Western Motel, a bit more expensive than some but the cheaper motels were right out of town. Went for food at The Black Sheep, a British-themed pub so we were not too happy about that! Good Norfolk fish pie though, and Guiness chocolate cake. We tried a porter from the nearby town of Medford which was pretty decent. There was a red British phone box in the corner of the pub which turned out to be from Sheffield! We went to another bar for one more drink after eating, they had a reggae/surf/ska band playing, with people of all ages dancing. We laughed in glee as a large middle aged guy fell into a mike stand, and then off to bed.
Wednesday 18th March
Free pastries, doughnuts and fruit, great start to the day! First off we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, billed as being one of the best in the country. And it was pretty amazing, many varieties of fish, jellyfish, crustaceans, an outdoor area with sea lions and sea otters, an octopus that was in hiding, and a deep sea walk through section. This was fantastic, a tunnel you went through with glass all around and sharks, rays and other deeper sea creatures swimming alongside and above you. And even below you….there were sections of glass on the floor, I was reluctant to walk on them even though there were kids sprawling all over them.
Time to hit the road again, south on the 101 a short distance to Yachats for lunch at the Drift Inn, which had open umbrellas hanging right-way-up from the ceiling! I had seafood lasagne and Greg had crab quesadillas, tasty stuff. Just south of Yachats were Cape Perpetua (another Captain Cook naming) and Devil’s Churn. The Cape is a bluff 803 feet above sea level, described as the best view on Oregon’s coast. It would be hard to argue, pretty incredible up that high, being able to see about 70 miles of craggy coastline. Devil’s Churn just beneath the Cape was an instant favourite of ours, a deep inlet where the Pacific causes its merry havoc. Great views from above and you can get right down to it perfectly safely, but it still feels pretty intimidating having the raw power of the ocean doing its stuff that close to you!
Then the alarmingly sudden change from cliffscapes to dunescapes. You actually can’t see that much of the Oregon dunes from the 101, and unfortunately we missed our turning for the place where you get a grand overview of a large section of the dunes. But we found a beach road in a little place called Winchester Bay, and we were well rewarded. The road took us through some massive dunes, and we saw people riding ATV’s and motorbikes through them, looked like a helluva lotta fun. We stopped in a car park at the end of the road a few miles in, with huge dunes behind us and a sandy ridge just in front. We had lost our bearings a little, and were not prepared for the wonders that lay just over this little ridge. It was a wide beach stretching as far as the eye could see in both directions virtually in a straight line, with the vast Pacific waves rolling in. There was no-one else at all on the beach, and minimal signs of human intrusion, it was quite an incredible place to be in those circumstances.
It was quite late in the day by now, so we picked the town of Roseburg to be our stopover place. It was east on the 42, we wanted to start moving in towards Crater Lake. We found a cheap motel very quickly, which never seems to be too difficult. Very large and comfortable room and beds, again with free breakfast, yet again very impressed with the motel standard! It was getting late and we were not excessively hungry so we chose tonight to be our first experience of Taco Bell, the Mexican Mcdonalds. It was actually surprisingly and rather worringly tasty. Having read up on the journey to Crater Lake we found that we would be passing hot springs and waterfalls on the way, so we set the alarm for 7am and got an early night.
Time to hit the road again, south on the 101 a short distance to Yachats for lunch at the Drift Inn, which had open umbrellas hanging right-way-up from the ceiling! I had seafood lasagne and Greg had crab quesadillas, tasty stuff. Just south of Yachats were Cape Perpetua (another Captain Cook naming) and Devil’s Churn. The Cape is a bluff 803 feet above sea level, described as the best view on Oregon’s coast. It would be hard to argue, pretty incredible up that high, being able to see about 70 miles of craggy coastline. Devil’s Churn just beneath the Cape was an instant favourite of ours, a deep inlet where the Pacific causes its merry havoc. Great views from above and you can get right down to it perfectly safely, but it still feels pretty intimidating having the raw power of the ocean doing its stuff that close to you!
Then the alarmingly sudden change from cliffscapes to dunescapes. You actually can’t see that much of the Oregon dunes from the 101, and unfortunately we missed our turning for the place where you get a grand overview of a large section of the dunes. But we found a beach road in a little place called Winchester Bay, and we were well rewarded. The road took us through some massive dunes, and we saw people riding ATV’s and motorbikes through them, looked like a helluva lotta fun. We stopped in a car park at the end of the road a few miles in, with huge dunes behind us and a sandy ridge just in front. We had lost our bearings a little, and were not prepared for the wonders that lay just over this little ridge. It was a wide beach stretching as far as the eye could see in both directions virtually in a straight line, with the vast Pacific waves rolling in. There was no-one else at all on the beach, and minimal signs of human intrusion, it was quite an incredible place to be in those circumstances.
It was quite late in the day by now, so we picked the town of Roseburg to be our stopover place. It was east on the 42, we wanted to start moving in towards Crater Lake. We found a cheap motel very quickly, which never seems to be too difficult. Very large and comfortable room and beds, again with free breakfast, yet again very impressed with the motel standard! It was getting late and we were not excessively hungry so we chose tonight to be our first experience of Taco Bell, the Mexican Mcdonalds. It was actually surprisingly and rather worringly tasty. Having read up on the journey to Crater Lake we found that we would be passing hot springs and waterfalls on the way, so we set the alarm for 7am and got an early night.
Tuesday 17th March
Time to leave Portland, and time to head back to the coast. And we had a day of amazing coastline ahead of us. The first stop was in Depoe Bay, which had been recommended to us back in Astoria. There is a sea wall which you can drive right up to, with the Pacific behaving particularly ferociously just beyond it, and spouting horns where the sea is rushing in and is thrown up into the air through channels in the rock. Next stop was a place Captain Cook had jovially named Cape Foulweather, which was actually looking very pleasant today with great views up and down the coast. Well, to see the view back up the coast you had to walk all the way through the gift shop. But we smashed a penny in there so it was all ok. We then moved on to the Devil’s Punchbowl, a massive natural bowl eroded into the rock by the sea. We got up close and personal with some surprisingly tame chipmunks before heading down to a very wide beach at low tide and poking around in some tide pools. There was some crazy seaweed which strangely resembled the kind of thick cable that we are used to hauling around on the railway back home.
Our final destination for the day was Newport, a pleasant little coastal town. We had food at the Rogue’s brewery bar, Japanese Kobe beefburger and awesome rum cheesecake. Some great homebrews as well, the Chocolate Stout and Russian Imperial Stout. Missed out on the Mocha Porter but will hopefully be able to find it at another Rogue’s bar on the road. Stayed at the America Inn motel, another great motel experience with an excessively friendly worker, and this one with pastries and fruit for breakfast. We hit the town in the Nye Beach area with a choice of three places to go, so naturally we tried them all. First was the Sandbar and Grill, a standard bar that seemed ok and served the decent Deschultes Black Butte porter which we had already sampled. Then we went to Mundo’s Café, a hippy-ish place with live jazz music which was very pleasant. The third place was Nana’s café, an Irish bar that had been recommended to us so seemed the obvious choice for St. Patrick’s Day. Things seemed to be quietening down and they had run out of Guinness so we played some darts and headed back to the Sandbar where things seemed to be livening up. We hooked up there with a guy called Terry who we had met in Nana’s, a Brit from Weston-Super-Mare who was living and working in Astoria on the West Coast Groundfish Observer Program. He told us about places to go in San Francisco, and then we just seemed to meet a constant stream of people who all had advice of places to go on the way south through Oregon and into California, which was frantically being scribbled down in my notebook through a haze of porter. It was another great night in smalltown America.
Our final destination for the day was Newport, a pleasant little coastal town. We had food at the Rogue’s brewery bar, Japanese Kobe beefburger and awesome rum cheesecake. Some great homebrews as well, the Chocolate Stout and Russian Imperial Stout. Missed out on the Mocha Porter but will hopefully be able to find it at another Rogue’s bar on the road. Stayed at the America Inn motel, another great motel experience with an excessively friendly worker, and this one with pastries and fruit for breakfast. We hit the town in the Nye Beach area with a choice of three places to go, so naturally we tried them all. First was the Sandbar and Grill, a standard bar that seemed ok and served the decent Deschultes Black Butte porter which we had already sampled. Then we went to Mundo’s Café, a hippy-ish place with live jazz music which was very pleasant. The third place was Nana’s café, an Irish bar that had been recommended to us so seemed the obvious choice for St. Patrick’s Day. Things seemed to be quietening down and they had run out of Guinness so we played some darts and headed back to the Sandbar where things seemed to be livening up. We hooked up there with a guy called Terry who we had met in Nana’s, a Brit from Weston-Super-Mare who was living and working in Astoria on the West Coast Groundfish Observer Program. He told us about places to go in San Francisco, and then we just seemed to meet a constant stream of people who all had advice of places to go on the way south through Oregon and into California, which was frantically being scribbled down in my notebook through a haze of porter. It was another great night in smalltown America.
Monday 16th March
We had quite a late start today after the previous night of merriment, and it was time for the fun job of doing some laundry. Our limited sightseeing involved Mills End Park which is in the middle of a busy road and 24 inches in diameter(!) We had a late lunch in Jake’s Famous Crawfish Restaurant, which is apparently used in My Own Private Idaho. It was happy hour so we tried lots of different seafood dishes at nicely reduced rates. We went for a drink in Kell’s Irish Bar which was a surprisingly bland place, then picked up a big box of doughnuts for the road from Voodoo Doughnuts. Lots of different novelty doughnuts, one of these was the largest one I had ever seen, a great photo opportunity but I could only eat about a third of it. God bless America.
The next bar was a place near our hostel called the Blue Moon, this was much more like it, not a brewery but plenty of local beers on tap. We met a guy called David who directed us to some other bars on the hip strips of 21st and 23rd Avenues. Went to another bar called North 45, more good beer and met an English teacher from Mississippi called Will who was visiting friends. Could really hear the difference with the local accents when I heard his deep south drawl. Went on to a place called Moo Moos which David had recommended but we couldn’t find earlier, and there he was to greet us at the bar! Chatted to him a bit more and he gushed about Crater Lake enough to REALLY make us want to go there. Had some pricey but damn fine sandwiches before heading back to Rock Bottom for more Stout cheesecake. There is a lot of eating to be done in this country. Took our first US cab to get to Rock Bottom, the cabbie was great, really friendly and streetwise (no pun intended), very different to most cabbies back home. Had the final beer in Kelly’s Olympia, put Smashing Pumpkins and Iron Maiden on the jukebox while supping more of the fine local stout and porter.
The next bar was a place near our hostel called the Blue Moon, this was much more like it, not a brewery but plenty of local beers on tap. We met a guy called David who directed us to some other bars on the hip strips of 21st and 23rd Avenues. Went to another bar called North 45, more good beer and met an English teacher from Mississippi called Will who was visiting friends. Could really hear the difference with the local accents when I heard his deep south drawl. Went on to a place called Moo Moos which David had recommended but we couldn’t find earlier, and there he was to greet us at the bar! Chatted to him a bit more and he gushed about Crater Lake enough to REALLY make us want to go there. Had some pricey but damn fine sandwiches before heading back to Rock Bottom for more Stout cheesecake. There is a lot of eating to be done in this country. Took our first US cab to get to Rock Bottom, the cabbie was great, really friendly and streetwise (no pun intended), very different to most cabbies back home. Had the final beer in Kelly’s Olympia, put Smashing Pumpkins and Iron Maiden on the jukebox while supping more of the fine local stout and porter.
Sunday 15th March
Back to the Wet Dog for breakfast to stoke us up for our little Goonies tour! We went to the visitors centre to see if there might be a self-guided tour or any information on the locations, but it was closed as it was Sunday. Feeling quite gutted about this as we peered through the window at the Goonies paraphernalia, and then the owner of the place drove in at just the right moment for us to catch him. Another very helpful and friendly guy, he told us plenty about the surounding area and gave us free Goonies stickers! First stop was the Flavel House Museum and the Clatsop County Jail, virtually next door to each other. The Museum is the place where Mikey’s Dad works, you see him waving from the steps as the kids cycle past. The jail is in the first scene of the film, when the Fratellis break out. It’s a free-standing building and a lot smaller than it looks in the film. We then went to the Goonies jewel of Astoria, the house where the boys lived. Very recognisable from the film, was very strange to be there and quite emotional for a film geek. Plenty of photos taken, obviously.
We then headed out of Astoria to Ecola State Park, a great place to go aside from the Goonies connection. It overlooks Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock, which Mikey lines up in the doubloon with the restaurant and the lighthouse. The restaurant was built specially for the film, but you can see where it would have been near the picnicing area of the park. Also in the film is the winding entrance to the park, you see the kids riding their bikes along there and looking at Haystack Rock through the trees. We went on to Cannon Beach to see Haystack Rock up close, very impressive.
We then travelled back inland to Portland, our second majot city stop. We had booked a private room in a hostel earlier in the day which made things nice and easy. As soon as we got there we heard other English voices which we found a bit depressing, we were more interested in hanging out with locals rather than other travellers! Portland seemed a nice enough city, although it had a lot to live up to after Seattle. First place we went to was the Rock Bottom Bar & Brewery, we were actually a bit disappointed with the beer there considering Portland has more microbreweries than any other US city, but the jambalaya, enchiladas and chocolate cheescake more than made up for it. We met a couple of people there who took us to a place called Dante’s which had some sort of cabaret night with a guy breathing fire! When we came out of the club there was a guy doing some astounding drumming on the bottom of some tubs and a dog bowl, completely blew us away! It was a fun first night in the city, which seemed like a friendly and manageable place.
We then headed out of Astoria to Ecola State Park, a great place to go aside from the Goonies connection. It overlooks Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock, which Mikey lines up in the doubloon with the restaurant and the lighthouse. The restaurant was built specially for the film, but you can see where it would have been near the picnicing area of the park. Also in the film is the winding entrance to the park, you see the kids riding their bikes along there and looking at Haystack Rock through the trees. We went on to Cannon Beach to see Haystack Rock up close, very impressive.
We then travelled back inland to Portland, our second majot city stop. We had booked a private room in a hostel earlier in the day which made things nice and easy. As soon as we got there we heard other English voices which we found a bit depressing, we were more interested in hanging out with locals rather than other travellers! Portland seemed a nice enough city, although it had a lot to live up to after Seattle. First place we went to was the Rock Bottom Bar & Brewery, we were actually a bit disappointed with the beer there considering Portland has more microbreweries than any other US city, but the jambalaya, enchiladas and chocolate cheescake more than made up for it. We met a couple of people there who took us to a place called Dante’s which had some sort of cabaret night with a guy breathing fire! When we came out of the club there was a guy doing some astounding drumming on the bottom of some tubs and a dog bowl, completely blew us away! It was a fun first night in the city, which seemed like a friendly and manageable place.
Saturday 14th March
We woke up to a hearty Ranch breakfast with Bob and Mary, and some other people who appeared to be friends and ranch workers. We had Dutch Baby which was very similar to Yorkshire pudding, but they have it with jam! Actually works really well. We were regaled with stories about the surrounding area, and a lady called Jeanette who may have been Bob and Mary’s daughter, very kindly gave us a few framed local photos she had taken. She also told us about when she had seen a Bigfoot in 1975, and told us to keep our eyes peeled for prints as we were in the prime territory for it!
It was a shame to only stay at the ranch for one night, but we needed to keep moving. Our next stop was the Hoh Humm rainforest. After picking up some souvenir waterproofs and seeing an enormous Sitka spruce tree on the way, we went to the visitor’s centre for the rainforest. We met a ranger there with a very quirky and sarcastic sense of humour who was great fun, telling us how he loves hearing about people who come to these places unprepared for the extreme weather. Today was our first day of rain, and it just wouldn’t stop. We took a short trail through the rainforest called the Hall of Mosses, which the guidebooks insist on describing as Tolkienesque. Lots of big trees covered in hanging moss, quite a strange place. We moved on down the coast from there to Ruby Beach, our first taste of the Pacific proper. It was a really cool beach with loads of driftwood timber strewn all over the place as is typical of many places on the Northwest coast. It was very wet and cold though so we didn’t stay for long!
Next was a stop in a town called Aberdeen, the birthplace of Kurt Cobain. We saw his school and a house he lived in aged 19 in the autumn of 1986 with Matt Lukin of Mudhoney. We also saw the tribute underneath the bridge over the Wishkah River, as written about in the song “Something in the Way”. It was a very strange place, especially on a desolate day such as this, full of graffiti in honour of the man. A pillow on the ground suggested that Kurt has not been the only person to spend a night here. The whole town was pretty depressing, so a lot of things made sense!
On a lighter note, our next move was across the longest continuous truss bridge in the world (4.1 miles) linking Washington and Oregon, into the town of Astoria, Goonies-land! We checked into our first motel of the trip, the Columbia Inn. Very clean and well-equipped, very impressed! Went for food at the Wet Dog Café and Brewery, more solid unhealthy American fare. They had some great local brews there, particularly the Kickass Stout and the Poop Deck Porter, also a very unique tasting Pumpkin beer. A lady working there told us about a few places we should go as we head down the coast. Her friend then took us on to another bar where we played pool with a load of locals, some really great people who were happy to chat and buy drinks for two English guys! It was our first night in smalltown America and we loved it. Especially an old guy who was blind in one eye, who couldn’t help making me think of One-Eyed Willie and his rich stuff!
It was a shame to only stay at the ranch for one night, but we needed to keep moving. Our next stop was the Hoh Humm rainforest. After picking up some souvenir waterproofs and seeing an enormous Sitka spruce tree on the way, we went to the visitor’s centre for the rainforest. We met a ranger there with a very quirky and sarcastic sense of humour who was great fun, telling us how he loves hearing about people who come to these places unprepared for the extreme weather. Today was our first day of rain, and it just wouldn’t stop. We took a short trail through the rainforest called the Hall of Mosses, which the guidebooks insist on describing as Tolkienesque. Lots of big trees covered in hanging moss, quite a strange place. We moved on down the coast from there to Ruby Beach, our first taste of the Pacific proper. It was a really cool beach with loads of driftwood timber strewn all over the place as is typical of many places on the Northwest coast. It was very wet and cold though so we didn’t stay for long!
Next was a stop in a town called Aberdeen, the birthplace of Kurt Cobain. We saw his school and a house he lived in aged 19 in the autumn of 1986 with Matt Lukin of Mudhoney. We also saw the tribute underneath the bridge over the Wishkah River, as written about in the song “Something in the Way”. It was a very strange place, especially on a desolate day such as this, full of graffiti in honour of the man. A pillow on the ground suggested that Kurt has not been the only person to spend a night here. The whole town was pretty depressing, so a lot of things made sense!
On a lighter note, our next move was across the longest continuous truss bridge in the world (4.1 miles) linking Washington and Oregon, into the town of Astoria, Goonies-land! We checked into our first motel of the trip, the Columbia Inn. Very clean and well-equipped, very impressed! Went for food at the Wet Dog Café and Brewery, more solid unhealthy American fare. They had some great local brews there, particularly the Kickass Stout and the Poop Deck Porter, also a very unique tasting Pumpkin beer. A lady working there told us about a few places we should go as we head down the coast. Her friend then took us on to another bar where we played pool with a load of locals, some really great people who were happy to chat and buy drinks for two English guys! It was our first night in smalltown America and we loved it. Especially an old guy who was blind in one eye, who couldn’t help making me think of One-Eyed Willie and his rich stuff!
Friday 13th March
Woke up to another apparently uncharacteristically gorgeous day in Seattle, got ourselves showered, packed and the car loaded and then headed down to Pike Place Market for the last time. A hearty breakfast at the Athenian, some fresh fruit from the market and doughnuts from Top Pot for the journey and we hit the road! We headed North on a short journey to get the ferry from Edmonds over to Kingston, half an hour on the ocean to get us across to the Olympic Peninsula. Although we loved Seattle, it felt great to be leaving the city and moving into the countryside, standing on the deck of the ferry under blue sky above blue water, with mountains all around. Then the real driving started on Highway 101, heading around Olympic National Park. We stopped in a place called Port Angeles for coffee, Greg picked up some hiking boots and I had my first go at using flags to cross a main road! We turned south off the road from Port Angeles to drive up to Hurricane Ridge, we had heard that it was a fantastic ride through the mountains. But we got to an unmanned checkpoint with a sign that said you could only proceed if you had chains for your tyres, for driving on snow. We debated going ahead anyway but decided that it might be a little foolhardy, and it was starting to get late anyway. So we got back on the 101 heading west and south to the place we had booked to stay for the night.
And what a place! It was called the Hoh Humm Ranch, it was in the middle of nowhere and it was wonderful. (Check out the website - http://www.olypen.com/hohhumm/) A working ranch with sheep, cattle and llamas, and a lovely elderly couple called Bob and Mary running the place. It was an incredible contrast to being in the city the night before, the views were fantastic and it was so serene. We had a walk around the ranch grounds before heading back north 20 miles to the town of Forks, where we went to The In Place for food, a typical American diner. We had clam strips and crab and shrimp sandwiches with fries, rounded off with Bumbleberry pie dessert - rhubarb, blackberry, blueberry and apple, lovely stuff!
And what a place! It was called the Hoh Humm Ranch, it was in the middle of nowhere and it was wonderful. (Check out the website - http://www.olypen.com/hohhumm/) A working ranch with sheep, cattle and llamas, and a lovely elderly couple called Bob and Mary running the place. It was an incredible contrast to being in the city the night before, the views were fantastic and it was so serene. We had a walk around the ranch grounds before heading back north 20 miles to the town of Forks, where we went to The In Place for food, a typical American diner. We had clam strips and crab and shrimp sandwiches with fries, rounded off with Bumbleberry pie dessert - rhubarb, blackberry, blueberry and apple, lovely stuff!
Thursday 12th March
Having some trouble with sleeping, perhaps it’s still adjustment from the time zone shift, perhaps it’s the fact I’m trying to shake off a non-debilitating but darn annoying cold. Ah well, I’m sure things will level out. Another great day in Seattle. Started on the correct note with coffee and fruity doughnuts back at Top Pot Doughnuts round the corner from our hotel. Then it was time to jump in the car for our first proper driving excursion. We headed about 45 minutes east on the I-90 to the towns of Snoqualmie and North Bend, the land of Twin Peaks. First stop was Snoqualmie Falls, as featured in the opening credits of the program, a breathtaking waterfall to also be admired on its own merits. Atop the falls sits the Salish Lodge & Spa, the exterior of which is better known as the Great Northern Hotel where Agent Dale Cooper spent his stay in the area. Then we travelled another 3 miles east into North Bend, parking up round the back of Twede’s diner, also known as the Double R. We went in for lunch and the mandatory coffee and cherry pie, which was indeed good enough to satisfy any FBI agent or road tripper. Plenty of memorabilia on the walls and locals to tell you about the program being filmed. Sadly the place was gutted by an act of arson 10 years ago so the interior was somewhat different. This was our first taste of smalltown America, and what better place to start could there be!
On our way back we stopped in the Fremont district of Seattle to see the enormous concrete troll under the Aurora Avenue Bridge, a local art project. Then it was time to hit the town for the evening, we had found a few places in the Lonely Planet guides that we wanted to try out. Hit the jackpot first time with the Two Bells Tavern, a bar with a fine selection of ales and Colin, the friendliest and most talkative of barmen. We looked round a few more places in the Belltown district, known for its strange mix of divey but wholesome joints and newer trendy bars and eateries. After being put off by a few of the latter we found the perfect place to eat, Mama’s Mexican Kitchen, which had already caught my eye when we had passed by the previous morning. Had a cracking Elvis Presley burrito! After being turned away from a cool looking bar called The 5 Point because driving licenses were not adequate ID, we headed back to Shorty’s to finish the night with beer and pinball.
So, time to leave Seattle. It is such a great place, I’m sure we have only seen a fraction of what it has to offer but time is limited and there are a lot of places to go. Time to head west to the Olympic National Park, this is where the road trip really begins!
On our way back we stopped in the Fremont district of Seattle to see the enormous concrete troll under the Aurora Avenue Bridge, a local art project. Then it was time to hit the town for the evening, we had found a few places in the Lonely Planet guides that we wanted to try out. Hit the jackpot first time with the Two Bells Tavern, a bar with a fine selection of ales and Colin, the friendliest and most talkative of barmen. We looked round a few more places in the Belltown district, known for its strange mix of divey but wholesome joints and newer trendy bars and eateries. After being put off by a few of the latter we found the perfect place to eat, Mama’s Mexican Kitchen, which had already caught my eye when we had passed by the previous morning. Had a cracking Elvis Presley burrito! After being turned away from a cool looking bar called The 5 Point because driving licenses were not adequate ID, we headed back to Shorty’s to finish the night with beer and pinball.
So, time to leave Seattle. It is such a great place, I’m sure we have only seen a fraction of what it has to offer but time is limited and there are a lot of places to go. Time to head west to the Olympic National Park, this is where the road trip really begins!
Wednesday 11th March
Way too tired to do any writing last night so here I am at the start of our second full day in the States. Yesterday was an awesome day in Seattle, both me and Greg have pretty much fallen in love with the city. We were both awake pretty early considering the day we had yesterday, so we just decided to get up and get down to the market at what is supposed to be the best day time of the day to see it. And it was, we saw some incredible seafood for sale, enormous salmon and massive crabs as well as clams, oysters, octopus and all sorts. We found a place for breakfast called The Athenian which overlooks Elliott Bay, good to work by the old Lonely Planet recommendations sometimes. The view across the water to the Olympic Mountains was just breathtaking, amazing view to have from a city centre. My first proper American meal was Steak and Eggs, perfect! The place felt really friendly and genuine, and we had our first experience of free refills of coffee just when they were needed. Coffee was certainly a dominant feature of the day.
We then went for the most obvious choice and headed for the Space Needle in Seattle Center. Heard a strange noise coming from the top of a news station building on our way and saw our first news chopper taking off. That’s the timely way to get to the breaking stories! There were some fantastic views from the top of the Needle, obviously. More coffee up there and then we headed next door to the Experience Music Project. Just before going in we were delighted to hear Slint playing through outdoor speakers, not the kind of thing that would ever be experienced back home. The Project was great, there was all sorts of Hendrix and grunge memorabilia included hand-written lyrics and diaries from Hendrix, Cobain and Cornell. There was a huge sculpture made from various musical instruments, and booths where you could play different instruments and learn the basics. There were also jamming booths so me and Greg went and had a little play, giving me the chance to make some atrocious sounds on an electric drumkit.
Then it was the Monorail back into our part of town to pick up our rental car. After a huge-bellied Duane failed to sell us any extras, I managed to get the car back to the hotel parking lot with Greg giving me verbal assistance which was much needed. Driving on the right isn’t such a problem as I have done plenty of it before, but driving from the passenger seat is pretty unusual. I’m sure we’ll get used to it fairly quickly though. Round the corner next to an LP recommended place called Top Pot Doughnuts for more coffee and a stupidly huge apple fritter doughnutty thing. Tasted fantastic but so so big! Gotta get used to all the supersizing.
We headed to a bar called Shorty’s next, described as a punk rock place with tons of pinball machines, so I was very happy. Had some good beer on tap in there, trying a few new brews which have mostly been very decent. On to the Pike Pub and Brewery which had some lovely extra stout, then to an Irish pub called The Owl and Thistle for late night fish and chips, which was pretty full-on. Put the Twin Peaks theme on the jukebox to get us in the mood for where we planned to go the next day. Was feeling very tired by this time so after one more in Shorty’s we went back to the hotel and got an earlyish night. Fantastic first day in Seattle!
We then went for the most obvious choice and headed for the Space Needle in Seattle Center. Heard a strange noise coming from the top of a news station building on our way and saw our first news chopper taking off. That’s the timely way to get to the breaking stories! There were some fantastic views from the top of the Needle, obviously. More coffee up there and then we headed next door to the Experience Music Project. Just before going in we were delighted to hear Slint playing through outdoor speakers, not the kind of thing that would ever be experienced back home. The Project was great, there was all sorts of Hendrix and grunge memorabilia included hand-written lyrics and diaries from Hendrix, Cobain and Cornell. There was a huge sculpture made from various musical instruments, and booths where you could play different instruments and learn the basics. There were also jamming booths so me and Greg went and had a little play, giving me the chance to make some atrocious sounds on an electric drumkit.
Then it was the Monorail back into our part of town to pick up our rental car. After a huge-bellied Duane failed to sell us any extras, I managed to get the car back to the hotel parking lot with Greg giving me verbal assistance which was much needed. Driving on the right isn’t such a problem as I have done plenty of it before, but driving from the passenger seat is pretty unusual. I’m sure we’ll get used to it fairly quickly though. Round the corner next to an LP recommended place called Top Pot Doughnuts for more coffee and a stupidly huge apple fritter doughnutty thing. Tasted fantastic but so so big! Gotta get used to all the supersizing.
We headed to a bar called Shorty’s next, described as a punk rock place with tons of pinball machines, so I was very happy. Had some good beer on tap in there, trying a few new brews which have mostly been very decent. On to the Pike Pub and Brewery which had some lovely extra stout, then to an Irish pub called The Owl and Thistle for late night fish and chips, which was pretty full-on. Put the Twin Peaks theme on the jukebox to get us in the mood for where we planned to go the next day. Was feeling very tired by this time so after one more in Shorty’s we went back to the hotel and got an earlyish night. Fantastic first day in Seattle!
Tuesday 10th March
Writing this from the hotel room in Seattle, off to bed shortly after over 24 hours of travelling. Our original routing from Philadelphia to Chicago was changed from Philly to Denver for some aerotechnical reason, which added on extra time to the travelling. Shuffling from airport to airport doesn’t really give you the feeling you’ve actually arrived in a new place, but once we hit the night bus from the airport to Seattle downtown, we really felt we had arrived in America. Down and outs sleeping on the bus and in shop doorways, steaming manhole covers, motels and plenty of neon, the classic American image is holding strong so far. And we somehow managed to pay $40 for 4 beers in an airport bar in Philly, a great start to the holiday budgeting. Off to the famous Pike Place Market tomorrow morning, hoping that we enjoy it as much as Stephen Fry. And everyone enjoys Stephen Fry.
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