Jill and Jimmy Conquer the West!


7/5/02 Atlanta GA - Portland OR

 

The flight was early - since when does that ever happen - and we got our rental car: a 2002 Ford Taurus SES, which we named Hobbes. We ventured east on hwy 14 along the Columbia River. We stopped at many visual points of interest. The first one we stopped at the guy that took our picturewas from Athens!What a small world. We then climbed Beacon Rock - 1 mile vertical. The view was breathtaking. We had to pinch ourselves to remind that we were actually on the trip that we had been talking about for months. We continued on hwy 14 and crossed over the Hood River and headed towards Mt. Hood - the highest point in Oregon (11,000+ ft). We stopped and ate Apple Nachos (a must try - apples with hot caramel and peanuts) at a fruit stand. We drove to the Timberline Lodge at the top of Mt. Hood and ate a salad. Tons of curvy roads, and a consensous was made that this far out of civilization was ludicrious! ("Domino's… yeah the pie will be there in 2 hours.." hell no) People were skiing…apparently good snow for July 5! We ended up eating awesome chowder for dinner on the Columbia River and were glad to go to sleep due to jet lag!

7/6/02 Florence and Bandon OR

 We got up and drove from Portland to Florence. At Sandland Adventures, we had to deal with a not so nice lady in renting the dune buggies. Jimmy verbally expressed his disappointment with their inability to handle a reservation. But we got a slot in the end…three hours later! We had to eat up 3 hours so we went to the recommended diner for the best chowder…a literal hole in the wall, but the chowder was good (and very cheap!). We walked around "Old Towne" Florence. We picked up our dune buggies at 2:45 for a 2-hour adventure. For the next 2 hours there was screaming, jumps, Jimmy splashing through dunes and eating sand. Jill got stuck and that was the first of many removals of ridiculously heavy buggies. We drove for almost 8 miles. We got lost for a while and were nervous about being charged a fine for being late. Jill strategically led us into a heavily wooded trail and shortly after that was fired from leading the pack! After making it back to recognizable dune areas, we played around with more 10-foot cliffs and were doused with even more sand! Once back, we emptied the sand from our shoes, pants, ears, eyes, noses, and hair and headed back onto hwy 101. We ended up in a little port city for the night. Good view from the restaurant. All the people do in Bandon OR is fish and drink heavily. After one drink each, we were soused! With bruised bodies and full stomachs, we were more than thrilled to sleep. Travel tip: dune buggying…a must do!

7/7/02 Eureka CA

 

We spent the first 2 hours driving to the Redwood National Forest in northern CA after a leisurely morning walking the Bandon Pier. The trees were magnificent: 42 in circumference and some up to 300 feet tall! The temp was on the cooler side - 57 degrees. We were definitely a little chilly. We hiked to Fern Canyon, a beautiful place where the ferns seemed to "talk" with you. To get there, we had to drive 8 miles on a gravel road and forge a creek! Hobbes handled it with gusto. We hiked a 1-mile trail and Jimmy partook in some behavior that was not exactly safe. He approached some Elk on foot although forewarned about the dangers of that activity. "We don't have insurance for that!" After hiking a very famous trail and being blown away by the natural giants, we drove on to Eureka. Our room was large but outdated. They hadn't redecorated since 1975! Our pink and red carpet was old and tacky. We ate a great dinner - we were stuffed and all for $20 including tip (2 plates of pasta w/ meatball and sausage, a large salad, and a great soup, plus bread). We walked the town of Eureka…some major urban renewal initiatives not yet complete. Saw a family of sea otters scrounging around fishing boats. We read books at a local coffee shop. We sat by the large fireplace at the inn and read until we fell asleep.

7/8/02 Sonoma Valley CA

 

Drove 6 hours to Sonoma. Started in mountains - Jimmy did well with our boat of a car through the extremely windy roads. Picked up hwy 1 and drove the coast for a few hours…the sights were absolutely breathtaking. Once again, we found ourselves pinching each other to make sure that this was real. Traffic was thick, moving at 35 MPH. We cut back over the mountains from the coast towards Sonoma. Once in town, a needed pick me up was first on the list. Coffee and muffins did the trick. We walked the Sonoma Square…HOT big change from 57 as a high to 105! Everything closes at 6. Not much to do between 6 and 8:30. We ate a most romantic dinner on the back patio by a garden at the Glen Ellen Inn. Music was great and the food was like art. We ventured back to the hotel where Jill relaxed in the claw foot tub. Took 30 minutes to heat the water…but the hotel was built in the 1860s.

7/9/02 Sonoma Valley/Napa Valley CA

 

 Started with a 10am tour at Jarvis. Very cool winery built in a mountain with a stream running through it. After 2 full glasses of wine at the tasting…Jill was a little toasted. We found our Bed and Breakfast and made arrangements for dinner. We went downtown, a more urban place this time, and had an amazing salad. Walked the town and had interesting conversation about urban differences between Sonoma and Napa discussing the economic and development prospects and ramifications of the two towns. Off to Hess Select winery with freaky art and very dry wine…for Jimmy not Jill. Back to Cedar Gables Inn, where we got a free upgrade to a HUGE room with a fireplace and a big bed and bathroom…much better than the closet that we could afford. We napped and tasted wine, which was excellent. Dinner reservations at 8PM at the Napa Valley Grill…most wonderful food and atmosphere. Everything about the valley spurs romantic tendencies. The philosophy is the blending of good food, wine, and romance. Very full, we left to enjoy our books by the fireplace…we sound old!

7/10/02 Napa Valley

 

Everything about this day was amazing! Started at 4:45…or at least Jimmy did. Jill did not rise until 5:04 and the van picked us up at 5:10 for ballooning. Morning balloon ride over valley was incredible…there aren't words. We had a great group in our basket…all New Yorkers, which made Jimmy very happy. We had to land in a residential area…in a minor league baseball field to be exact. You know the kind, small patch of grass the size of 1 ½ tennis courts in size with a fence facing the road! A celebratory food offering by the company was provided and included Mimosas - first time ever, and at 7:15 in the morning! We made it back to the hotel for breakfast even though we ate brunch with the ballooning company. Off to Opus One. First of all, how we got in, is a wonder. To get the big picture, we were by far the youngest people in the town! We learned about the process of making "premium" wine. Also, found a great local market with Italian olive oils, balsamic vinegars and braesaola (Italian dried and salt cured beef). We ventured up to St. Helena and walked the town a bit. We headed back to Cedar Gables, where we had to jump in the middle of a wedding to get to our room. Then drove the 35 minutes back to St. Helena to experience one of the best meals of our lives…we agreed. First, our waiter was from Atlanta…then the flavor of all the courses was so intense and the setting was incredible. Tra Vigne…another must do! We turned in early due to our early start.

7/11/02 San Francisco CA

 

Drove Hobbes into San Fran and had to get even more gas considering his complex when it came to hills. (Hobbes considered inclines greater than 15 degrees a reason to empty the gas tank.. literally we had a half a tank, then bang.. E - with gas light glowing..) We found the hotel, returned the car, which we had tore up and ragged out, then began to walk some serious inclines up to Nobb Hill. We visited Grace Cathedral and we attempted to find the crookedest street in America and walked through 3 districts to find it. As it turns out, the geography teacher can read a map…somewhat. We continued to walk and found ourselves at Ghiradelli Square, which Jimmy kept renaming as 'Godiva". After sampling chocolates we purchased some gifts and headed the 40+ blocks back to the hotel…this time on a streetcar. We went to Teatro Zinzanni, a dinner theater in a tent, where we had strong drinks that put us in the mood to laugh. There were trapeze artists, contortionists, singers, jugglers, acrobats, an orchestra, and comedians. Show lasted 3.5 hours. After a bottle of wine and many stumbles later, we made it back…LOVE, CHAOS, AND DINNER!!!

7/12/02 San Francisco CA

 

Went to Tiffany's to look at sparklies…Jill was thrilled, Jimmy not so entertained. We went to Gump's where the society people of San Francisco register for their china and we made fun of them. Bought warmer clothing at Old Navy and changed at the hotel to prepare for an afternoon walk and tour of Alcatraz. We walked China Town - dirty and cheap - and walked to Coit Tower and North Beach. We ended up at Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. Very crowded and too touristy. Walked back to Ghiradelli Square and had a mint chocolate chip waffle cone with syrup and a classic chocolate soda. EXCELLENT! Needed soup to warm us up and found a seat by an oven in a restaurant. Jimmy got a coffee and we bought jackets, where we officially became tourists. Took evening tour of Alcatraz via the Blue and Gold Fleet. Very cool audio tour, demonstration of cell doors, saw video of secrets of Alcatraz. The fog was so thick, you couldn't hear the waves crashing against the island. The birds were flying, but you couldn't hear them. The prison was damp, dark, and cold…the way it would have been if you were locked up there. Once back, we couldn't catch a trolley so we walked the entire way to the hotel…not happy campers. After pizza and a serious upset stomach, Jill passed out while Jimmy watched TV.

7/13/02 San Francisco CA

 

 

 

Ate a late breakfast and got a late start. Jimmy's Marriott reward points gave us access to the concierge level, so we had a great breakfast. Took a 30-minute bus ride through true San Francisco…all sorts of interesting people. Got to the Golden Gate Bridge and suited up for the 2.25 mile walk across the COLD bridge. Took about an hour and a half to make it there and back. We caught a bus back to Fisherman's Wharf where we flew our Scooby Doo kite. It didn't fare well with the strong ocean winds. (Our kite commited a couple kamikazi runs against some tourists, and after an escape attempt we brought the kite down) We had just enough time to make it to High Tea at the Ritz where our extremely eccentric waiter, Charles, served us good finger food and tea. There was a harpist and it felt good to sit…we had a great table and couch. We went back to hotel to relax before dinner. On our way back to Fisherman's Wharf, we missed the F-Line street car and ended up walking to our restaurant…over 30 piers! Ate a good seafood dinner and found an even better restaurant for coffee and dessert. We had excellent Crème Brule and good tea. Back to hotel for last night's sleep of trip.

7/14/02 SFO - ATL

The flight back seemed quick and painless. Ma picked us up at the airport. It was good to be home. Now going back to work…that is a different story. All in all, there were laughs, good food, and awesome sights. This was a most memorable trip where the many memories will stick with both of us.

- Jimmy and Jill