Day 13: Things Don’t Always Go As Planned
After a great night’s sleep Wednesday, I got up, packed, and bade Dan farewell. I had some time before I was scheduled to meet two of my “California cousins,” so I took RB back to Fort Point in the hope the fog would have lifted from the San Francisco Bay so I could get a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge. It had lifted enough to get a few pictures of the base of the bridge and its surroundings: Unfortunately, the plan to meet my cousins fell through, so I began my trek east. The route through San Fran took me close enough to the Haight Ashbury district that I was able to briefly detour. The neighborhood is best known as a focal point for the American counterculture that arose in the late 1960s, including 1967’s “Summer of Love.” Even today, the shops there still seem to take on that…
Days 11/12: The (Foggy) Streets of San Francisco
Tuesday turned out to be a recovery day. I didn’t even make it to see the San Francisco Opera’s production of “Show Boat,” which was a disappointment because I was looking forward to meeting several people backstage after the performance. Wednesday, however, my host–a gentleman named Dan–and I did some sightseeing around town. I actually let him drive RB–something only my parents had done before this–and my teeth were gritting the entire time. We started at the Presidio and made our way to the Golden Gate Bridge. Yes, hidden amongst the fog is the infamous bridge, as well as Alcatraz. If you squint your eyes ju-u-ust right…. Dan, who loves to grill, prepped a lunch of brats, stuffed chicken, carrots, sweet potatoes and mushrooms for us. Yum!! I’d not had grilled mushrooms before, but I must do so again. Even the carrots, of which I’m not a fan, were delicious…
Day 10: Talk about Big Trees!
Got RB all squared away, then we completed the trip towards Redwood National Park. The sign leaving Oregon looked more welcoming than the one we passed on arrival. I actually stopped to get pictures of the California welcome sign. This is far from my first visit to the state, but I’d always flown in before, so… Upon reaching Redwood National and State Parks, my first order of business was to stop by the visitors center at its entrance. (I also had to do a quick clothes change–anything that can spill on white will spill on white.) The rangers there gave me a map of the park and a couple of suggestions on routes based on the amount of time I had available to visit. I was surprised there was no admission charge into the park (nor did they ask for my national park pass). I found out why.…
Day 9: Heading South(west)
Sunday morning. Before leaving the Portland area, I went to a Missouri Synod Lutheran church to worship. On one hand, it was wonderful to be able to sing very familiar hymns and to be able to sing as I have been unable to do in a while. On the other, it was a curious thing to watch the minister, who clearly was leading a more contemporary version of the standard service, give a sermon based on very conservative beliefs–ones I guess I’ll never reconcile with my fellow Missouri Synod Lutherans. Still, folks were very gracious and welcoming. One lady even tried to recruit me for the choir until I told her I was only in town for the day. Sunday is not a good day for sightseeing. Most things are closed. By this point, it was nearly noon, so I decided to head south towards my next major objective: Redwood…
Day 8: When It Rainier(s), It Pours
Saturday morning, but I got off to an early start in the hope of beating the crowd into Mt. Rainier National Park. First things, first, though. I discovered you don’t enter one of these parks low on gas. There’s usually no gas station inside, and you can potentially be miles away from one. So, I gave RB a half-tank (at $4.16 a gallon, I wasn’t going to fill her up). (A side note: when I left Des Moines, I filled RB up at a gas station that charged $3.39 a gallon. It’s going to be a long time before I complain about our prices again!!!) Mt. Rainier is HUGE. Much of it seems to be geared to the climber and the hiker, but there is plenty of roadway for the auto tourist. The red lined route I drove is below, going from the yellow highlight on the left to the…
Day 7: From Olympia towards Rainier
Got off to a later-than-usual start. What the heck, I’m on vacation, aren’t I?! Any way, I decided to try to get in two national parks that day since both were near the Seattle area (greedy state–four national parks?!?). Really, the plan was to see one and complete the drive to the other so I could have all of the next day there. I made it to the outskirts of Olympic National Park and after chatting with the ranger at the visitor center, I realized there was no way I could do more than a cursory visit of the beach area on the park’s outer edge and still make the drive to Rainier that day. So, RB and I drove to Ocean City and a couple of other beaches. We had journeyed 2451 miles to see the Pacific Ocean. I didn’t get out, though. The air that afternoon was quite…
Day 6: Take Me Out to the Ballgame
After a late arrival in Seattle Wednesday night and with nothing specific planned until the Thursday evening game between the Mariners and the LA Angels, I’d decided to turn it into a rest day. Good idea, but I was too hyper to just sit in the room. My solution was simple: select activities that didn’t require a lot of activity. I did a search and found a movie theater close by the motel where I was staying that had an early afternoon showing of “Belle,” which I’d been unable to see at home. After the movie, I’d get something to eat and then drive to the game, which had a schedule 7 p.m. start. It turned out to be a pretty good plan. The movie was excellent (when you can get me to cry, you’ve accomplished quite a bit), and I found a restaurant that served pseudo-Cajun cuisine–tasted fine, it…
Day 5: There’s More Than One Washington
Having made the decision to forego visiting Glacier National Park, saving over 200 miles of travel, RB and I set out from Missoula early and headed west. The 600-mile drive took us through the upper portion of Idaho–unfortunately my first time in that state didn’t include any stops. There was a state park off the interstate, but it hadn’t opened yet and I wasn’t willing to wait. I did get a few pictures. It didn’t take long to cross into Washington State. Under the category of unplanned stops, I ran into an exit that took me by Grand Coulee Dam, and the route went by Chief Joseph Dam, both on the Columbia River. I didn’t tour either facility, but I did get in a few shots. Rather than choosing to stay on I-90 and take the direct route to Seattle, we turned north and sent the day in the North…
Day 4: Yellowstoned
Yellowstone National Park has been on my bucket list for years, and I’d missed two previous opportunities to visit. With this in mind, and looking forward with concern that the visit would not live up to expectations, I left Billings earlier than usual and without visiting the two sites I’d added to my list for the town because I wanted to spend as much time as possible at Yellowstone. The park entrance was in Montana, but I shortly entered Wyoming during my driving tour. (This was not my first visit to Wyoming. In 2008, one of my nieces and I crossed briefly into the state during the first Goin West adventure–our visit to the Black Hills in South Dakota. A couple, who were also there to tour Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse, suggested we should see The Devil’s Tower since it was only about an hour’s drive further west. …
Day 3: Memorial Day at Little Bighorn
Before hitting the road, I headed to the nearby zoo but didn’t go inside. The weather was a little cool, and I was still getting over the flu. So, I visited the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck. They had just concluded a Memorial Day program, and there were WWII posters on display in the corridors. The main displays featured animals from prehistorical eras and Native American artifacts. There was also a small display of gemstones. My next scheduled stop was Billings, Montana. I heard, however, that the Little Bighorn Battlefield was not far from my planned route. Since this was Memorial Day, it seemed like a most appropriate place to visit. This visit was indescribable, seeing the many markers where soldiers had fallen and imagining how many Sioux must’ve died there, too. Drove into Billings, Montana–also a first visit for me (this was the second of four states…