Settling in

So we arrived safely in Oregon on March 6. We spent Sunday riding around but the weather didn't cooperate and our asses were tired from being the car for so long. Monday, March 8 I made 2 trips to the Portland airport (PDX). First at 430am to drop off Bailey and again at 9am to drop off my dad. After the second trip to the airport I returned to the MINI and sat for a second in the car, alone. I hadn't been alone in my car in 8 days and it was a little weird. As the MINI and I drove back to our new home it was amazing to think of all of the new things I would get to experience as a result of making this move.

I spent the first few days just getting to know the area around the apartment. We live in Hillsboro, OR. Without traffic it is about 20 mins from the Portland city center. It is a cute little community. Dan and I spent his two days off getting the apartment in order and showing me around.

Now I have a pretty good hang of it, even though I got lost the other night. Nothing a GPS can't fix.  So I've spent the past few days getting around town, checking out all of the grocery stores-  there are 3 within walking distance- and just getting familiar with my surroundings.


This morning, March 20, I woke up and went  to the opening day of the PSU (Portland State University) Farmers Market. It was fun. All these different people, stands, and so much fresh good food. I was in heaven. I bought spinach, broccoli raab, lamb  shanks, lamb sausage, fresh made pancetta, buffalo sirloin, and homemade bacon. I'm looking forward to getting to know some of the vendors and experience the seasonal change in the produce.

After the Farmers Market I headed for the coast. We have been having some beautiful weather lately so I wanted to take advantage of it. I've decided that I really like Canon Beach. So named for some old canon that washed up on shore, or something like that. It is a great little beach town and has some really spectacular scenery. Certainly I would not get in the water because it is freezing, but it is fun to watch the dogs go at it with such joy and children with such disregard for the weather.

There is some amazing scenery at this beach- totally foreign to me  because I am used to flat beaches. The rocks jutting up from the ocean and the images of where the mountains meet the sea will never cease to amaze me.

There is also a very famous lighthouse just off the coast that is one of the most photographed images on the west coast. You can get closer by going into the Ecola State Park, which is a harrowing experience. The roads are super narrow and in some places there is no shoulder- just a straight drop down the hill. Its a heart pounding ride. I captured this photo from a much safer location.

 And with that my friends I end my journey to Oregon. I can now navigate around my little burb with some confidence and Dan is getting totally spoiled with the excellent dinners I've been making in my new found free time. I miss you all and hope that one day you will come visit us.

Love,
Sam

San Francisco

What can I say? I see why this is one of the most popular cities in all of the US. It was amazing and we hit it on the perfect day. it was a bit chilly but clear blue skies kept us motivated to see the city. We started with breakfast a small outdoor cafe - thank god for hot chai tea! Then we boarded a blue double-decker bus for our tour of the city. There were only 11 other people on the bus plus the tour guide and driver so it was all ours.

First stop: Fisherman's Wharf a seafood and sightseeing mecca. So many great little shops, vintage seaside stands, and places to eat it was almost overwhelming- where do I start first? Luckily the bus whisked us off to the next stop before I my head could spin too much. We  drove through the city and made our way to our next stop which was the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. We seriously couldn't have asked for a better day- it was clear with no fog and we got some great views of the city, of Alcatraz, and of course, of the bridge. The next site was Presidio and the large central park. We cruised through the park viewing the different plants, fields, and gardens. The Japanese Tea Garden was pretty impressive as was the center of the park- a large art museum that was show casing a King Tut exhibit and a small park planted with a living roof. Of course this being winter there was no roof to be seen but I can only imagine what it looks like in the spring.

We wound our way through San Francisco- Haight Ashbury, classical San Fran row houses, Union Square, and Chinatown. All completely amazing. It's hard to believe that this city has been shattered by earthquakes and destroyed by fires several times. It was totally alive. Do you recognize the yellow house in the middle? One hint: it's where Mary Kate and Ashley started in a full house.

We continued our tour and saw more of the iconic San Francisco architecture.

We even saw Francis Ford Coopola eating at the place he owns in San Francisco-

Our final stop was back on the wharf where we left the bus behind and headed for Alcatraz. We took a ferry boat into the bay and towards the Rock. It is a pretty ominous looking site from the mainland but coming up on it from the ferry added that much more to the mystique. For a fee we got the ferry ride and a recorded walking tour narrated by a few of the ex guards and prisoners of Alcatraz. Did you know that the guards families-wives and children- lived on Alcatraz too? There were small housing facilities for them outside of the main prison building. I had no idea. We toured the showers, the various cell blocks and heard stories of the escape attempts. The prison was only open for about 30 years and was eventually shut down because it was too expensive to run. Of course there were the famous residents like Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and the Bird Man, but many of the prisoners were repeat offenders who had broken prison rules elsewhere.

Safely back on the ferry and making our way back towards freedom we landed again on Fisherman's Wharf. We did a quick stroll and stopped at Boudin's for the original clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. We explored the wharf, saw the sea lions and soaked in the salty sea air.

We strolled up to Hyde St and caught the classic San Francisco trolley. You really can hang off the rails on these things, just be careful because the other cars pass closer than you think. We hopped off and headed into Chinatown. After finding the gates and stopping in a few stores we headed back to the wharf on the trolley for dinner. I had the classic seafood stew with tomato broth and Bailey and Pops enjoyed fresh shellfish.

San Francisco was an amazing city and I will certainly put it on my list of places to come back to.

Going back to Cali

We left the Grand Canyon in our dust and set in for the long drive to California. This was our last long haul drive- 13 hours. We went from Flagstaff, AZ to Barstow, CA to Sacramento, CA and finally into San Francisco, CA.

The drive was spectacular. Who knew that this amazing landscape was out there? From Arizona to California it is all mountains and different kinds of mountains- rocky, sandy, grass covered.

On the docket for today is sightseeing in San Francisco and of course, some In and Out Burger!

Total states: 2

Arizona

California

Miles Driven: 795

The Grand Canyon

Some things in this world are big enough that you have to devote one whole day to them even if you'd like to spend more than one day- the Louvre, Paris, London, and now the Grand Canyon.

My dad flew into Flagstaff, AZ yesterday to finish the journey with us.

We had a quick lunch at the Black Bean- if you are ever in Flagstaff, AZ go there! Great burritos. After lunch we did the quick 87 miles to the Grand Canyon. The drive out there takes about 2 hours and winds it's way through the Kaibib National Forest and some pretty desolate areas. One of the constant themes we keep discussing is what do people do who live in these far away places? They must be living off the grid.

At any rate, we arrived at the Grand Canyon National Forest.

Pops decided  the only way to see the Grand Canyon was a helicopter ride so we headed for the tiny little Tusayan airport and mounted up.

To say that the sights were amazing doesn't do it justice. There are not words to describe this. I've lived in Orlando all my life and people come there and are amazed by Disney and Universal but they cannot hold a candle to the Grand Canyon. It is absolutely amazing that mother nature created something this breathtaking. It's breadth and depth can't be described and I wasn't prepared. It was just indescribable. 

The helicopter ride was 50 mins and it was amazing. If you ever come to the Grand Canyon spring for the helicopter ride. It is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

After the helicopter ride we drove into the park to check out a few of the lookouts. Again, the majesty of the Grand Canyon took our breath away, that and being over 7000 feet above sea level. It was COLD and getting colder as the sun went down. 

There was so much untouched snow on the ground we couldn't get over it. It was as if all they did was plow it to clear the roads but no one dared to walk on it. Someone took the risk though and built a little snowman.

After we finished at the park we went back into Tusayan and had dinner at the Yippie-ei-o Steakhouse and settled in for the night.

It was a great trip and a much needed break from our usual 9-13 hour days in the car. It was nice to get out an experience something that we will likely not see again. 

Today we make the 12-13 hour drive to San Francisco, CA. It's going to be a long one but it is the last long drive of this trip so we'll power through it and with Pops in the mix we are able to split the driving responsibilities so that will make the trip easier. 

Total states: 1

Arizona

Miles driven: 87

Peaks and Valleys- Day 3

First let me start by saying sorry for the severe lack of photos. We have tried to upload several times but with the random internet connections we are getting at the hotels it's been tough.

For breakfast in Amarillo, TX we went to the Big Texan which has been featured on both the Travel Channel and Food Network as a kitchy place to eat in Texas. There is a giant cow and giant cowboy boat out front and if you want, they will pick you up in a limo with giant steer's horns strapped to the hood. We had our own little Man vs Food challenge on our hands when we ordered the breakfast buffet. Bailey ate 2 eggs, 1 piece of toast, enchiladas, potatoes, a milkshake,fruit salad and 1 pancake. Whew, that was a lot but it kept us full until we reached Flagstaff, AZ.

At any rate, we left Amarillo, TX and headed for Flagstaff, AZ. This was our shortest drive yet and good thing because Texas is kinda boring. It's flat with nothing to see for miles. As soon as we entered New Mexico the landscape started to change. At first it was small plateaus and stubby mountains. We saw an actual tumble weed rolling down the highway. But as we approached Albuquerque, NM the landscape started to shift and snow capped mountains were visible. It was pretty amazing and I said to Bailey "just think, some people in this country have never seen the ocean and we've never seen anything like this". Photos cannot describe the images before us. Albuquerque is off of a pass that was cut through the mountains so we got to drive right through them and Bailey did an excellent job. Who knows, maybe her next car will be a stick after this...

We stopped briefly in Albuquerque but didn't stay long. We were motivated by the short drive and chance to stretch our legs a little in Flagstaff, AZ

The approach to Flagstaff, NM was amazing- giant plateaus and mountains on either side. There was still snow on the ground in many places which made it even more beautiful. Our approach into Flagstaff, NM was probably the most breathtaking part of this trip yet. Giant mountains jutted up from flat lands, covered with snow and set off by the setting sun it was absolutely amazing. We tried to take pictures but they just couldn't do it justice.

We arrived in Flagstaff and checked. Thanks to our friends Heather and Chris we got a great dinner recommendation. The Beaver Brewery makes their own beer and has good bar food. While we wanted to go wander around the town the head cold that we both have been fighting got the better of us and we turned in early.

Today, Wednesday, we are going to look around historic Flagstaff, pick my dad up at the airport and head to the Grand Canyon!

States visited: 3
Texas
Arizona
New Mexico

Miles driven: 580

Total time: 7.5 hours