Looks like we made it out of southern California just in time!
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hD2IZRnxz1UHWVEOOcr9ki4jpuhw
http://www.headlinecontent.com/newsarticle.aspx?catId=2&articleId=1575402
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7532021.stm
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/14/tech/main701914.shtml
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25918120/
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/07/29/california-earthquake.html
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
July 20th, 2008 - Williston, ND to home!
Today was our last day of vacation and driving. We were up in good time and checked out the continental breakfast at the Marquis Inn. It was good - with toast, honey nut cheerios and even waffles if you wanted. We were on the road by 9:30am.
We stopped briefly in Minot to fuel up and grabbed a quick snack in Bottineau. We crossed the border at Crystal City/Sarles, arriving at the farm by 3:15pm. Oscar was delighted to see us. ;-)
We hung out at the farm for a while - I even squeezed in a quick nap with Oscar before supper.
Once again, it was really nice to be able to have a home-cooked meal - amazing how quickly you can become tired of eating out after a while. We then packed up Oscar and his toys, and headed for the city, arriving home at exactly 9:00pm.
First things first - we checked out the garden .... wow! The peas have grown almost as tall as me! And the potatoes look awesome. And the lawn wasn't as bad as we thought - someone mowed it while we were away ... thanks!
Spent a couple hours unloading the car and putting stuff away .. now to prepare ourselves to go back to work tomorrow. Sigh .. back to reality ...
Thanks to everyone who has followed our most recent adventure. Stay tuned for a post trip review, to be coming soon - spoiler alert!! - may contain glimpses of our next upcoming adventure ...
=)
We stopped briefly in Minot to fuel up and grabbed a quick snack in Bottineau. We crossed the border at Crystal City/Sarles, arriving at the farm by 3:15pm. Oscar was delighted to see us. ;-)
We hung out at the farm for a while - I even squeezed in a quick nap with Oscar before supper.
Once again, it was really nice to be able to have a home-cooked meal - amazing how quickly you can become tired of eating out after a while. We then packed up Oscar and his toys, and headed for the city, arriving home at exactly 9:00pm.
First things first - we checked out the garden .... wow! The peas have grown almost as tall as me! And the potatoes look awesome. And the lawn wasn't as bad as we thought - someone mowed it while we were away ... thanks!
Spent a couple hours unloading the car and putting stuff away .. now to prepare ourselves to go back to work tomorrow. Sigh .. back to reality ...
Thanks to everyone who has followed our most recent adventure. Stay tuned for a post trip review, to be coming soon - spoiler alert!! - may contain glimpses of our next upcoming adventure ...
=)
Saturday July 19th - Idaho Falls, Idaho to Williston, ND
So close to home .. this is the last night in a hotel .. I cant wait to sleep in my own bed.
We drove 1160 km's today, and have another 700 plus to go ...
Today we saw a lot of Montana on the drive by, we stopped for eats at the Old Chicago restaurant in Bozeman and pretty much kept on trucking. Funny thing about amercian towns .. they like to party on Saturdays. We tried stopping in Three Forks and I think the whole town was out and about .. the restaurants were packed, the streets were packed. We then drove a while and came to another town that had a parade about 10 minutes before we showed up .. needless to say it was weird driving through town and having people on both sides of the street. Then later in the night we were driving through another town and the Main street was blocked off and people were partying like it was 1999.
We finally made it to Williston and found a room ... they apparantly don't respect the Canadian government too much .. only 7$ off the room tonight .. we'll have to make up for it in the morning when we are at the 'free' breakfast.
Nothing too exciting today, just a lot of driving.
We drove 1160 km's today, and have another 700 plus to go ...
Today we saw a lot of Montana on the drive by, we stopped for eats at the Old Chicago restaurant in Bozeman and pretty much kept on trucking. Funny thing about amercian towns .. they like to party on Saturdays. We tried stopping in Three Forks and I think the whole town was out and about .. the restaurants were packed, the streets were packed. We then drove a while and came to another town that had a parade about 10 minutes before we showed up .. needless to say it was weird driving through town and having people on both sides of the street. Then later in the night we were driving through another town and the Main street was blocked off and people were partying like it was 1999.
We finally made it to Williston and found a room ... they apparantly don't respect the Canadian government too much .. only 7$ off the room tonight .. we'll have to make up for it in the morning when we are at the 'free' breakfast.
Nothing too exciting today, just a lot of driving.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Friday July 18th - Cedar City, Utah to Idaho Falls, Idaho
We left Cedar City, Utah this morning and headed north toward Salt Lake City. We drove for a while before stopping for some tacos at Del Taco in Draper, about 30 minutes south of Salt Lake City. We stopped briefly in Salt Lake City, then continued northbound. The traffic leaving Salt Lake City was horrendous. We were stuck on the freeway for about 40 minutes, only travelling about 10 miles.
We saw a glimpse of Great Salt Lake from Farmington as we drove by. Will have to make another trip to Salt Lake City to see more. Other than the Dead Sea, it is the largest salt water lake in the world.
We crossed into Idaho and made our way to Pocatello. We stopped for supper at Applebee's then continued 40 miles to Idaho Falls, where we checked out the campgrounds at Snake River RV Park. We found a decent spot - $25 for the night, with free wifi (Derek was in utter disbelief), an outdoor swimming pool and hottub (probably won't be able to squeeze that in) and a free pancake breakfast in the morning between 7:30 and 9am. So now all we have to is get up for that! But we should be able to pull that off as we'll be waking up with the sun and we have no hotel tv to suck us in till late hours with Leno and Conan, etc. Hopefully I don't get stuck on the computer all night now with the internet!
About 18 hours more of driving ... so a couple more long days ahead.
G'nite! I can't wait to get home. Derek is driving me nuts!!!
We saw a glimpse of Great Salt Lake from Farmington as we drove by. Will have to make another trip to Salt Lake City to see more. Other than the Dead Sea, it is the largest salt water lake in the world.
We crossed into Idaho and made our way to Pocatello. We stopped for supper at Applebee's then continued 40 miles to Idaho Falls, where we checked out the campgrounds at Snake River RV Park. We found a decent spot - $25 for the night, with free wifi (Derek was in utter disbelief), an outdoor swimming pool and hottub (probably won't be able to squeeze that in) and a free pancake breakfast in the morning between 7:30 and 9am. So now all we have to is get up for that! But we should be able to pull that off as we'll be waking up with the sun and we have no hotel tv to suck us in till late hours with Leno and Conan, etc. Hopefully I don't get stuck on the computer all night now with the internet!
About 18 hours more of driving ... so a couple more long days ahead.
G'nite! I can't wait to get home. Derek is driving me nuts!!!
Thursday July 17, 2008 - Barstow, CA to Cedar City, UT
Well, didn't make it as far as we had anticipated today .. but we're getting into trucker mode now.
We had a later start than we had hoped for this morning... up and out, a quick fuel up and carwash, then breakfast at the nearby IHOP.
It was 104 degrees driving through the Mojave desert. So hot. There was a sign along the highway at one point advising we turn off the air conditioning in our vehicle for the next 16 miles to avoid overheating.
Crossing into Nevada several casinos started appearing. There was a fun looking amusement park at Primm. I have a hard time imagining a day at the park in that heat though!
We arrived in Las Vegas, stopping at an outlet mall before checking out the Strip. The major casinos along the strip sure look impressive. After we stopped at Hard Rock Cafe so I could pick up another pin for my collection, we decided to hit the road once again. So unfortunately we never got to check out an actual casino. But this was probably a good decision at this time. We get to preview many places on this type of trip, and Vegas is definitely a place to come down for a Thurs-Sun trip sometime - much more to explore on the Strip and downtown, take in some shows and do some more shopping .. oh yeah, and a trip out to see the Hoover Dam perhaps!
Continuing on I-15, we cut across the very NW tip of Arizona, and then into Utah. We stopped in St. George, Utah for fuel and a quick bite to eat at the Burger King at the Flying J. We ate with the other truckers. Then back on the road, making it as far as Cedar City.
We stopped relatively early tonight - around 9:00, actually 10:00 now (back on Mountain time since crossing into Arizona). We found a decent room at the EconoLodge and I even got to enjoy the outdoor pool and hottub. With stopping earlier, the plan once again is to get up in the morning and make tracks. We are still about 24 hours of driving to do in the next 3 days. How early do the truckers start out in the morning?
G'nite ... over and out.
We had a later start than we had hoped for this morning... up and out, a quick fuel up and carwash, then breakfast at the nearby IHOP.
It was 104 degrees driving through the Mojave desert. So hot. There was a sign along the highway at one point advising we turn off the air conditioning in our vehicle for the next 16 miles to avoid overheating.
Crossing into Nevada several casinos started appearing. There was a fun looking amusement park at Primm. I have a hard time imagining a day at the park in that heat though!
We arrived in Las Vegas, stopping at an outlet mall before checking out the Strip. The major casinos along the strip sure look impressive. After we stopped at Hard Rock Cafe so I could pick up another pin for my collection, we decided to hit the road once again. So unfortunately we never got to check out an actual casino. But this was probably a good decision at this time. We get to preview many places on this type of trip, and Vegas is definitely a place to come down for a Thurs-Sun trip sometime - much more to explore on the Strip and downtown, take in some shows and do some more shopping .. oh yeah, and a trip out to see the Hoover Dam perhaps!
Continuing on I-15, we cut across the very NW tip of Arizona, and then into Utah. We stopped in St. George, Utah for fuel and a quick bite to eat at the Burger King at the Flying J. We ate with the other truckers. Then back on the road, making it as far as Cedar City.
We stopped relatively early tonight - around 9:00, actually 10:00 now (back on Mountain time since crossing into Arizona). We found a decent room at the EconoLodge and I even got to enjoy the outdoor pool and hottub. With stopping earlier, the plan once again is to get up in the morning and make tracks. We are still about 24 hours of driving to do in the next 3 days. How early do the truckers start out in the morning?
G'nite ... over and out.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Wednesday, July 16th - Los Angeles to Las Vegas
Vegas baby, yeah!
Six Flags here has the Superman ride, not the Spiderman ride .. sheesh .. ever since we got here Luanne hasnt been able to put down the crack pipe ... when in Rome right!! lol, jk .. Luanne is so going to kill me when she reads this ...
I hope to play one round of roulette when we get to vegas ... 20$ on black 6
UPDATE:
Ok, so we never made it to Vegas .. we are on the way, just about 2 hours short though. After packing the car again, we drove to Beverly Hills again, this time stopping to see the Playboy mansion .. or the gate to the Playboy mansion ... weird thing was the fact we could hear a lot of animal sounds from just on the other side.
We then made our way to the beach, for our last visit this trip. We had our first experience of LA traffic .. Santa Monica boulevard was sick .. bumper to bumper traffic the whole way .. if only I had a gun!
We made it to the beach, strapped on the roller blades and strolled the Venice beach boulevard .. I think people recogized me from the Leno show .. hard not to feel like a star when in LA.
Lu looked like a surfer girl, like totally .. she was catching waves like a pro! After convincing her we had to go, we packed into the car headed for vegas .. but had to reconsider after taking so long to get the heck out of LA .. traffic was crazy again .. it was like everyone wanted to see us before we left .. I was touched at first, but man after an hour of 15 kilometers an hour I was ready to go on a shooting spree .. ok, not that bad, but honestly, I now understand how that can happen.
We finally broke free of the LA tractor beam and hit the freeway at full speed .. only to stop in Bartstow at a Motel 6 ... 39.99 plus 2.99 for internet .. and you really get what you pay for! We are currently sleeping in our sleeping bags and using our own pillows ... yikes!
Vegas tomorrow!! Yee Haw ..
Six Flags here has the Superman ride, not the Spiderman ride .. sheesh .. ever since we got here Luanne hasnt been able to put down the crack pipe ... when in Rome right!! lol, jk .. Luanne is so going to kill me when she reads this ...
I hope to play one round of roulette when we get to vegas ... 20$ on black 6
UPDATE:
Ok, so we never made it to Vegas .. we are on the way, just about 2 hours short though. After packing the car again, we drove to Beverly Hills again, this time stopping to see the Playboy mansion .. or the gate to the Playboy mansion ... weird thing was the fact we could hear a lot of animal sounds from just on the other side.
We then made our way to the beach, for our last visit this trip. We had our first experience of LA traffic .. Santa Monica boulevard was sick .. bumper to bumper traffic the whole way .. if only I had a gun!
We made it to the beach, strapped on the roller blades and strolled the Venice beach boulevard .. I think people recogized me from the Leno show .. hard not to feel like a star when in LA.
Lu looked like a surfer girl, like totally .. she was catching waves like a pro! After convincing her we had to go, we packed into the car headed for vegas .. but had to reconsider after taking so long to get the heck out of LA .. traffic was crazy again .. it was like everyone wanted to see us before we left .. I was touched at first, but man after an hour of 15 kilometers an hour I was ready to go on a shooting spree .. ok, not that bad, but honestly, I now understand how that can happen.
We finally broke free of the LA tractor beam and hit the freeway at full speed .. only to stop in Bartstow at a Motel 6 ... 39.99 plus 2.99 for internet .. and you really get what you pay for! We are currently sleeping in our sleeping bags and using our own pillows ... yikes!
Vegas tomorrow!! Yee Haw ..
Tuesday, July 15th - Hollywood and Venice Beach
The first part of today we spent in Hollywood checking out a few of the main attractions on Hollywood Blvd. We finally found a good location to see the Hollywood sign and took a few pictures, then parked near Grauman's Chinese Theatre and got out to wander up and down Hollywood Blvd to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame with the many stars on the sidewalk. We checked out several of the shops along the way. Several blocks down, we even saw an argument up ahead; that's when we decided to cross the street. Within minutes there was a police car there to calm things down. We saw the outside of the Kodak Theatre; tours are available, but we'll have to wait for when we have more time. We considered going on a Hollywood stars tour for a bit .. but in the end, have left that to a future trip to LA - as our time here is limited and we would rather spend it at the beach than on a bus.
So we started making our way back to Santa Monica beach area. Along the way, found an oil change place on Melrose, so stopped for a "10 minute" (more like 45 minutes!) oil change for Felix (the Focus). Then a slight detour to drive through Beverly Hills and up Rodeo drive. The grandeur of the expensive shops! Would be fun to wander around and look someday. Probably not much more than that .. but it's still fun to look!
Finally we arrived at Santa Monica beach, parked in the same lot we did on Sunday. We threw our rollerblades on and skated up to the Santa Monica Pier - didn't go up to the Pacific Park though (maybe another day?). Then we skated south along the boardwalk, all the way to Venice Beach. Okay, on the map it doesn't look far at all. There goes our hopes of skating all the way to Redondo Beach. Maybe if we had a whole day, but a few hours is just not enough time!
At Venice Beach there's many shops along the boardwalk, so of course we took a peak in many of them. It's pretty cool because we were able to skate right in with all our beach stuff (Derek was carrying our beach bag and I had our boogie board). We skated by Muscle Beach and then decided to stop and check out the waves at Venice Beach. So the flip flops came out and we settled onto the beach. Again, we took turns trying to catch the perfect wave. What a blast! So much fun when the wave takes you for a ride right up to the shore and then rolls you over a couple times. Of course by then the undercurrent is trying to pull you back out again, but as if that's not enough - another wave rolls in and splashes right over your head! I love the ocean!
We stayed till the sun was starting to set, then packed up, tried to remove sand and donned our blades once again. We skated back to Santa Monica - quicker this time as many of the shops at Venice Beach were closing for the night.
I still needed to go to Hard Rock cafe for my pin, so we drove to Universal City (CityWalk) and had supper at Hard Rock cafe. We also explored CityWalk and did a little shopping. Universal is another thing I'd love to do - have to come back and spend a couple days at Universal (the theme park). Derek says the Spiderman rollercoaster is at this Universal. (We went to Universal in Florida a few years ago and had a great time, especially on the Hulk rollercoaster!).
Back to the hotel late, and spent a little time packing up and getting organized, as tomorrow we have to be moving out. Too bad - as it's been nice staying in 1 place for a few days and it's been a nice hotel (in Sherman Oaks, not Encino!). And also because there is so many things yet to see and do in LA (and surrounding areas). But we figure it'll take at least 4 days to drive home, and we got to be back to work on Monday. That'll be tough! ;-)
Wednesday we hope to make it back to beach even for a few hours before we have to leave (pushing our time limits a bit here) then head out .. Vegas is 4 hours away, should be there by tonight. Then Salt Lake City is along the way home, and then we overlap into familiar territory when we reach Montana.
Time to rock and roll .. gotta get moving and see what we can do yet before heading back east!
So we started making our way back to Santa Monica beach area. Along the way, found an oil change place on Melrose, so stopped for a "10 minute" (more like 45 minutes!) oil change for Felix (the Focus). Then a slight detour to drive through Beverly Hills and up Rodeo drive. The grandeur of the expensive shops! Would be fun to wander around and look someday. Probably not much more than that .. but it's still fun to look!
Finally we arrived at Santa Monica beach, parked in the same lot we did on Sunday. We threw our rollerblades on and skated up to the Santa Monica Pier - didn't go up to the Pacific Park though (maybe another day?). Then we skated south along the boardwalk, all the way to Venice Beach. Okay, on the map it doesn't look far at all. There goes our hopes of skating all the way to Redondo Beach. Maybe if we had a whole day, but a few hours is just not enough time!
At Venice Beach there's many shops along the boardwalk, so of course we took a peak in many of them. It's pretty cool because we were able to skate right in with all our beach stuff (Derek was carrying our beach bag and I had our boogie board). We skated by Muscle Beach and then decided to stop and check out the waves at Venice Beach. So the flip flops came out and we settled onto the beach. Again, we took turns trying to catch the perfect wave. What a blast! So much fun when the wave takes you for a ride right up to the shore and then rolls you over a couple times. Of course by then the undercurrent is trying to pull you back out again, but as if that's not enough - another wave rolls in and splashes right over your head! I love the ocean!
We stayed till the sun was starting to set, then packed up, tried to remove sand and donned our blades once again. We skated back to Santa Monica - quicker this time as many of the shops at Venice Beach were closing for the night.
I still needed to go to Hard Rock cafe for my pin, so we drove to Universal City (CityWalk) and had supper at Hard Rock cafe. We also explored CityWalk and did a little shopping. Universal is another thing I'd love to do - have to come back and spend a couple days at Universal (the theme park). Derek says the Spiderman rollercoaster is at this Universal. (We went to Universal in Florida a few years ago and had a great time, especially on the Hulk rollercoaster!).
Back to the hotel late, and spent a little time packing up and getting organized, as tomorrow we have to be moving out. Too bad - as it's been nice staying in 1 place for a few days and it's been a nice hotel (in Sherman Oaks, not Encino!). And also because there is so many things yet to see and do in LA (and surrounding areas). But we figure it'll take at least 4 days to drive home, and we got to be back to work on Monday. That'll be tough! ;-)
Wednesday we hope to make it back to beach even for a few hours before we have to leave (pushing our time limits a bit here) then head out .. Vegas is 4 hours away, should be there by tonight. Then Salt Lake City is along the way home, and then we overlap into familiar territory when we reach Montana.
Time to rock and roll .. gotta get moving and see what we can do yet before heading back east!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Monday, July 14th - The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Today we had hoped to get down to NBC studios early and wait in line for tickets to the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Well, we were a little later than we had hoped - sleep is good! - but were up by 8:15 and out the door by 8:45. We had read that the office opens at 8am, but people start lining up even earlier of course. By the time we made our way to Burbank and found 3000 Alameda, there was no sign of ever having been any line. But we decided to walk around the building and see what we could find out.
Just walking around the corner of the building, a guy was sweeping the sidewalk and Derek spontaneously asked him if he happened to know where we should go to find tickets. The guy reached into his pocket saying, "you need tickets - I have 2 right here..." and handed them to Derek. Now my first thought was that we'd have to pay some marked up price for these tickets; however these tickets are free... short story - he had them for some friends, but his friend had just called and wouldn't be able to make it - so he no longer needed them. So just like that, we walked into 2 tickets for the show, and didn't even have to wait in line (well the line to get them anyway).
We wandered around to the office and ended up going on the NBC studio tour - saw the sets of Days of our Lives, The Tonight show, and NBC news shows including one called Telemundo from one of their spanish channels. Pretty neat to see the behind the scenes happenings - very different than how we see things on tv. Very different perspective. We even got to see Jay's car of the day - this one was a Bentley. Nice looking car, but no pictures allowed through this whole tour. =(
We then hurried back to the hotel to extend our stay another night and get cleaned up - to come back to Burbank and wait in line to get into the show with our tickets. We now knew that the studio seats about 350 people, but there was already 3 people starting the line by 11:15 when we were leaving there. We had been advised to line up around 1:00 or 1:30/2:00, but we figured we might be better off to improve our chances by coming even a bit earlier. So we made it back there by 12:30.
And then we waited. We got the last of the spots where you could sit along the wall. The line got quite long after we arrived, and we waited for at least 2 hours before anything significant happened. There was a lady there when we arrived who welcomed everyone to the line and answered any questions. Everyone thought at first she worked for NBC, but turns out she just seems to love hanging out in front of the Tonight Show all day, many days. She said she'd been to over 400 tonight shows. Whether or not that's entirely true, she certainly knew the drill and provided some entertainment to help the time go by. We chatted with a couple from Arkansas who joined the line behind us, and a local behind them was able to confirm our parking on a side street would be okay. Throughout the afternoon, people would go grab food/drinks from nearby fastfood restaurants and bring back for their parties. We had burgers and fries on the sidewalk of 3000 Alameda.
Shortly after 3, the NBC staff began counting people and checking IDs. Filming of the show was to begin at 4 and last about an hour. We ended up being seated just off center to the left of the stage in the second row on the floor. This enabled us to be some of the few to run up and stand by the stage when Jay came out to do his monologue. Pretty neat! Everyone in these front rows seemed to agree on the theory that we must have been selected for these spots because we're the best looking/best dressed. I'm sure people in other sections probably would disagree, but whatever!
Watching the show live is quite different than on tv - seeing the cameras in operation and just the experience. Will Ferrell and Mary McCormack were the guest stars and James Hunter was the musical guest. Pretty cool to be that close to Will Ferrell! But NBC security was pretty tough and only pre-selected guests got to go on stage after to get autographs. And of course, no pictures ... just not fair, it was torture!
After the show (around 5:30), we took a quick drive into downtown LA. Drove around a bit (saw the Walt Disney theatre ..) and then hit the freeway back to the hotel. By the time we made it back, we were both tired - how could we be so tired from sitting on a sidewalk all day?! Derek had a quick nap, then joined me in the hotel pool. It was nice to just relax and hang out for a bit. We then went to the Denny's on the hotel site to grab something to eat. I think we were feeling a little tired of the freeways and traffic, so seemed a good idea just to eat close. Afterward it was still early (around 9:30), but we were exhausted so just hung out in the hotel room. We were waiting for Leno to come on tv, but it doesn't air here till 11:35 so needless to say, neither of us made it to the that time. Oh well .. once again, sleep is good!
Just walking around the corner of the building, a guy was sweeping the sidewalk and Derek spontaneously asked him if he happened to know where we should go to find tickets. The guy reached into his pocket saying, "you need tickets - I have 2 right here..." and handed them to Derek. Now my first thought was that we'd have to pay some marked up price for these tickets; however these tickets are free... short story - he had them for some friends, but his friend had just called and wouldn't be able to make it - so he no longer needed them. So just like that, we walked into 2 tickets for the show, and didn't even have to wait in line (well the line to get them anyway).
We wandered around to the office and ended up going on the NBC studio tour - saw the sets of Days of our Lives, The Tonight show, and NBC news shows including one called Telemundo from one of their spanish channels. Pretty neat to see the behind the scenes happenings - very different than how we see things on tv. Very different perspective. We even got to see Jay's car of the day - this one was a Bentley. Nice looking car, but no pictures allowed through this whole tour. =(
We then hurried back to the hotel to extend our stay another night and get cleaned up - to come back to Burbank and wait in line to get into the show with our tickets. We now knew that the studio seats about 350 people, but there was already 3 people starting the line by 11:15 when we were leaving there. We had been advised to line up around 1:00 or 1:30/2:00, but we figured we might be better off to improve our chances by coming even a bit earlier. So we made it back there by 12:30.
And then we waited. We got the last of the spots where you could sit along the wall. The line got quite long after we arrived, and we waited for at least 2 hours before anything significant happened. There was a lady there when we arrived who welcomed everyone to the line and answered any questions. Everyone thought at first she worked for NBC, but turns out she just seems to love hanging out in front of the Tonight Show all day, many days. She said she'd been to over 400 tonight shows. Whether or not that's entirely true, she certainly knew the drill and provided some entertainment to help the time go by. We chatted with a couple from Arkansas who joined the line behind us, and a local behind them was able to confirm our parking on a side street would be okay. Throughout the afternoon, people would go grab food/drinks from nearby fastfood restaurants and bring back for their parties. We had burgers and fries on the sidewalk of 3000 Alameda.
Shortly after 3, the NBC staff began counting people and checking IDs. Filming of the show was to begin at 4 and last about an hour. We ended up being seated just off center to the left of the stage in the second row on the floor. This enabled us to be some of the few to run up and stand by the stage when Jay came out to do his monologue. Pretty neat! Everyone in these front rows seemed to agree on the theory that we must have been selected for these spots because we're the best looking/best dressed. I'm sure people in other sections probably would disagree, but whatever!
Watching the show live is quite different than on tv - seeing the cameras in operation and just the experience. Will Ferrell and Mary McCormack were the guest stars and James Hunter was the musical guest. Pretty cool to be that close to Will Ferrell! But NBC security was pretty tough and only pre-selected guests got to go on stage after to get autographs. And of course, no pictures ... just not fair, it was torture!
After the show (around 5:30), we took a quick drive into downtown LA. Drove around a bit (saw the Walt Disney theatre ..) and then hit the freeway back to the hotel. By the time we made it back, we were both tired - how could we be so tired from sitting on a sidewalk all day?! Derek had a quick nap, then joined me in the hotel pool. It was nice to just relax and hang out for a bit. We then went to the Denny's on the hotel site to grab something to eat. I think we were feeling a little tired of the freeways and traffic, so seemed a good idea just to eat close. Afterward it was still early (around 9:30), but we were exhausted so just hung out in the hotel room. We were waiting for Leno to come on tv, but it doesn't air here till 11:35 so needless to say, neither of us made it to the that time. Oh well .. once again, sleep is good!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Sunday, July 13th - Santa Monica Beach
Beach baby, yeah!
We finally hit a real beach .. it was late by the time we actually got to sit and check it out, but well worth it. We brought the boogie board we purchased in Virginia (we never could catch a wave in Virginia) and lo and behold it worked! I can totally see how surfing is a life style .. after catching your first wave (even on a boogie board) is awesome. I compare it to hitting that perfect golf shot - you know you can do it, it's just a matter of trying a million times until you do it again. We both tried over and over again to figure out how we had done it .. it still is pretty much a random event .. but like I said it was very cool.
After scouting a few places for a room we ended up in Encino .. and found an excellent room at the Best Western on Ventura ... we lucked out ... and they give discounts to Canadian government workers.
After eating a late supper (10:15 ish) we hit the freeway and guided by our trusty NUVI worked the Hollywood hills ... up and down the Sunset strip, past the Viper room and through Bel Air we got a glimpse of Hollywood.
We hit the room late and have plans on getting tickets to the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
We finally hit a real beach .. it was late by the time we actually got to sit and check it out, but well worth it. We brought the boogie board we purchased in Virginia (we never could catch a wave in Virginia) and lo and behold it worked! I can totally see how surfing is a life style .. after catching your first wave (even on a boogie board) is awesome. I compare it to hitting that perfect golf shot - you know you can do it, it's just a matter of trying a million times until you do it again. We both tried over and over again to figure out how we had done it .. it still is pretty much a random event .. but like I said it was very cool.
After scouting a few places for a room we ended up in Encino .. and found an excellent room at the Best Western on Ventura ... we lucked out ... and they give discounts to Canadian government workers.
After eating a late supper (10:15 ish) we hit the freeway and guided by our trusty NUVI worked the Hollywood hills ... up and down the Sunset strip, past the Viper room and through Bel Air we got a glimpse of Hollywood.
We hit the room late and have plans on getting tickets to the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Saturday, July 12th - Watsonville, CA to Ventura, CA
We headed to the coast only to find out highway 1 through Big Sur was closed due to the forest fires - we decided to go to Carmel and turn around if we had to. On the way to Carmel we went through Monterey, CA and hit the beach quickly. The beach was ok ... the water was still very cold .. a few people were enjoying the day but not a lot. After a stroll to the pier we turned around and got back to the car.
At this point we toured "17 Mile Drive" a scenic road through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach. Most of the road hugs the Pacific Coasstline and passes through the famous Pebble Beach golf course. The mansions along this drive were very impressive too. We were able to see some sea lions and their youngins lounging on the rocks soaking in the sun .. I was a bit jealous.
After this tour we headed for Carmel, CA - this is where Clint Eastwood was mayor ... I am not sure if he still is - nonetheless, this town was really nice too. We followed the masses and headed for the beach ... the traffic through the parking lot was sick .. we were stopped for a few minutes, Luanne got out and took some pictures, but finding a spot to park would prove to be too much so we headed out and around to a less populated beach. We got out and the sand was different .. not as nice as the beach in town, but the waves were pretty kewl .. still not very big, but they are getting bigger.
We then started off for Santa Barbera .. which is a spot for the rich and famous ... a lot of really expensive cars driving everywhere in this town. We should have known the motel 6 here would be 3 times the average of anywhere else .. and not to mention it being a saturday night, finding a room proved difficult. So we trekked to Ventura California, again rooms were tough to find, but we found a guy that knew a guy that got us a room in a smaller mom and pop motel .. it was ok .. nothing special and the price (for the area) was ok.
At this point we toured "17 Mile Drive" a scenic road through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach. Most of the road hugs the Pacific Coasstline and passes through the famous Pebble Beach golf course. The mansions along this drive were very impressive too. We were able to see some sea lions and their youngins lounging on the rocks soaking in the sun .. I was a bit jealous.
After this tour we headed for Carmel, CA - this is where Clint Eastwood was mayor ... I am not sure if he still is - nonetheless, this town was really nice too. We followed the masses and headed for the beach ... the traffic through the parking lot was sick .. we were stopped for a few minutes, Luanne got out and took some pictures, but finding a spot to park would prove to be too much so we headed out and around to a less populated beach. We got out and the sand was different .. not as nice as the beach in town, but the waves were pretty kewl .. still not very big, but they are getting bigger.
We then started off for Santa Barbera .. which is a spot for the rich and famous ... a lot of really expensive cars driving everywhere in this town. We should have known the motel 6 here would be 3 times the average of anywhere else .. and not to mention it being a saturday night, finding a room proved difficult. So we trekked to Ventura California, again rooms were tough to find, but we found a guy that knew a guy that got us a room in a smaller mom and pop motel .. it was ok .. nothing special and the price (for the area) was ok.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Friday, July 11th, 2008 - Another Day in San Francisco
Up at 7:00 .. and out the door at 7:30 .. in line waiting for the last few walk up tickets for the trip to Alcatraz. I have to admit, being mobile so early in the morning is a pretty cool thing.
So after an hour and 15 minute wait in line we secured 2 tickets for the 10:30 boat to The Rock .. yeah!
After the 12 minute ride to the island we got off the boat and begun our tour. The trip to the top was equal to a 10 storey climb (glute work out number one for the day). I was surprised to see how run down everything was .. a lot of the concrete was crumbling away .. metal rebar exposed and rusted quite bad ... as it turns out that was the major reason why Alcatraz was shut down, the maintenance costs associated with keeping it running was very high. However, the areas that were open were very interesting - the best part was a narrated audio tour that was excellent!! (yes, two exclamation marks). We were given a little iPod like device and headphones that had a mix of actual guards and inmates giving a tour through the jail. After close to 3 hours we jumped on a boat and made our own escape.
Back on land we made tracks about 10 blocks to the real cable cars ... for 5$ you can ride in one as far as you want ... we wanted to go up the hill to the top of the curvy road ... whats the curvey road? It is a steep section of road that for one block weaves its way down .. cars lined up for blocks to give it a go. Anyhow, we quickly found out the line to get on a car was about 40 minutes long .. so we decided to walk up to the top .. a 5 block hike .. glute workout # 2.
Once we made it to the top we took a few pictures and walked on down .. car after car winded their way to the bottom .. looked like fun, but this was one experience we did on foot.
We slowly made our way back to the hotel and picked up the car ... on the way we got a good laugh as one of the street performers had himself a set of bushes he put up in front of him .. and he would wait for unsuspecting paserby's and give them a good scare .. it was priceless.
After a few chuckles we did get the car and made a trek to the top of Coit tower .. long story short, some rich lady donated a bunch of her money to build this tower after the earthquake of 1906.
After the ride to the top of the 21 storey tower, we made one last random trip a la deek through the heart of San Francisco .. I had a cabbie follow me for about 6 blocks and the guy would honk at me at every light .. I would give a friendly wave as if saying "Hi, how you doing" ... I hope this pissed him off, but I guess I'll never know.
We are now on our Los Angeles leg of the trip, which included a quick zip through Santa Cruz .. which looked very busy .. being a Friday and all probably not the best day to try and see it without a million people.
Anyhow, its late .. gotta sleep!
So after an hour and 15 minute wait in line we secured 2 tickets for the 10:30 boat to The Rock .. yeah!
After the 12 minute ride to the island we got off the boat and begun our tour. The trip to the top was equal to a 10 storey climb (glute work out number one for the day). I was surprised to see how run down everything was .. a lot of the concrete was crumbling away .. metal rebar exposed and rusted quite bad ... as it turns out that was the major reason why Alcatraz was shut down, the maintenance costs associated with keeping it running was very high. However, the areas that were open were very interesting - the best part was a narrated audio tour that was excellent!! (yes, two exclamation marks). We were given a little iPod like device and headphones that had a mix of actual guards and inmates giving a tour through the jail. After close to 3 hours we jumped on a boat and made our own escape.
Back on land we made tracks about 10 blocks to the real cable cars ... for 5$ you can ride in one as far as you want ... we wanted to go up the hill to the top of the curvy road ... whats the curvey road? It is a steep section of road that for one block weaves its way down .. cars lined up for blocks to give it a go. Anyhow, we quickly found out the line to get on a car was about 40 minutes long .. so we decided to walk up to the top .. a 5 block hike .. glute workout # 2.
Once we made it to the top we took a few pictures and walked on down .. car after car winded their way to the bottom .. looked like fun, but this was one experience we did on foot.
We slowly made our way back to the hotel and picked up the car ... on the way we got a good laugh as one of the street performers had himself a set of bushes he put up in front of him .. and he would wait for unsuspecting paserby's and give them a good scare .. it was priceless.
After a few chuckles we did get the car and made a trek to the top of Coit tower .. long story short, some rich lady donated a bunch of her money to build this tower after the earthquake of 1906.
After the ride to the top of the 21 storey tower, we made one last random trip a la deek through the heart of San Francisco .. I had a cabbie follow me for about 6 blocks and the guy would honk at me at every light .. I would give a friendly wave as if saying "Hi, how you doing" ... I hope this pissed him off, but I guess I'll never know.
We are now on our Los Angeles leg of the trip, which included a quick zip through Santa Cruz .. which looked very busy .. being a Friday and all probably not the best day to try and see it without a million people.
Anyhow, its late .. gotta sleep!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Thursday July 10th - A Day in San Francisco
So many things to do, so little time. We finally made it to San Francisco in the morning .. crossing the Golden Gate bridge around 10 am. Funny thing is we couldnt see much .. the bay fog was so thick you could see part of the bridge in front of you and that was it. By the end of the ride across the bridge we owed 5$ ... nice.
We then gave the city a Derek style tour .. driving randomly hoping to see something cool ... we saw some bums among other things .. nothing cool, yet.
After securing some digs at The Wharf Inn right near pier 39 and parking the wheels for the day we went looking for a guided tour .. a must when in San Francisco. We took the 2.5 hour guided tour on a motoroized cable car .. it was pretty good. We saw the remains of the city's 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and then off to the bridge again. This time we were able to walk around and take some really nice pictures, Lu was brave enough to walk the bridge a little .. I on the other hand started the walk but had to turn around and get back to land as this bridge really is high up there. After our tour of the bridge we got back on the cable car and continued through the Presidio and some of San Frnacisco's streets .. seeing the China town, Japan town and the Italian town areas.
We then checked out the million or so tourist traps in the area ... almost every store had the same stuff for sale as the other .. but we checked them out none the less.
Weirdest part of the day, eating pizza from a place owned and operated by a chinaman .. which made me wonder would I eat chinese food from an italian?
We then gave the city a Derek style tour .. driving randomly hoping to see something cool ... we saw some bums among other things .. nothing cool, yet.
After securing some digs at The Wharf Inn right near pier 39 and parking the wheels for the day we went looking for a guided tour .. a must when in San Francisco. We took the 2.5 hour guided tour on a motoroized cable car .. it was pretty good. We saw the remains of the city's 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and then off to the bridge again. This time we were able to walk around and take some really nice pictures, Lu was brave enough to walk the bridge a little .. I on the other hand started the walk but had to turn around and get back to land as this bridge really is high up there. After our tour of the bridge we got back on the cable car and continued through the Presidio and some of San Frnacisco's streets .. seeing the China town, Japan town and the Italian town areas.
We then checked out the million or so tourist traps in the area ... almost every store had the same stuff for sale as the other .. but we checked them out none the less.
Weirdest part of the day, eating pizza from a place owned and operated by a chinaman .. which made me wonder would I eat chinese food from an italian?
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Wednesday July 9th – Crescent City to San Francisco, California
We made it to the ocean today .. just south of Crescent city on the 101 we decided to make a quick stop and "touch" the ocean .. something tells me to stay out of the water as the last thing we need is to be swept to sea, but we did get our feet wet.
We are currently in Eureka at the Lost Coast Brewery (free wifi is a good thing) headed for San Fran .. hoping to find somewhere to camp.
UPDATE: Well, once again our plans have been thrown off course .. we didnt quite make it to San Fran (big surprise huh) ... we are about an hour short of the Golden Gate city .. but what a day! We jumped off the freeway today and headed through the mountains to the ocean ... I had total mixed feelings about this. First feeling, car sickness .. the winding twisting road through the mountain was like an Xbox racing game ... power down shifts, high acceleration .. for like an hour. The pay off was worth it though ... nothing like driving down the coast with a birds eye view .. literally. I found the fact that they bothered to put sides on the bridges a waste of concrete considering the rest of the road had no gaurd rails what so ever .. the bridges were the safest part of the drive!
After driving at various speeds (from 15 MPH all the way to 35 MPH) we quickly realized this route to San Francisco was going to take too long, so we drove through Mendocino - apparantly the town they shot Murder She Wrote - and then headed through the mountain to the freeway again ... this was not nearly as hilly as the trip to the coast, but every bit winding - funny how one thinks about how well their car was put together at the factory when making the thousandth hairpin turn!
Once back on the freeway it was quite nice to see a straight stretch ... and again back to 65 MPH for more than 8 seconds. This brought us to Santa Rosa where we made our first stop at Applebees .. and then decided to call it a night.
So good night and stay tuned .. we will make it to San Fran yet .. and I can't wait!
We are currently in Eureka at the Lost Coast Brewery (free wifi is a good thing) headed for San Fran .. hoping to find somewhere to camp.
UPDATE: Well, once again our plans have been thrown off course .. we didnt quite make it to San Fran (big surprise huh) ... we are about an hour short of the Golden Gate city .. but what a day! We jumped off the freeway today and headed through the mountains to the ocean ... I had total mixed feelings about this. First feeling, car sickness .. the winding twisting road through the mountain was like an Xbox racing game ... power down shifts, high acceleration .. for like an hour. The pay off was worth it though ... nothing like driving down the coast with a birds eye view .. literally. I found the fact that they bothered to put sides on the bridges a waste of concrete considering the rest of the road had no gaurd rails what so ever .. the bridges were the safest part of the drive!
After driving at various speeds (from 15 MPH all the way to 35 MPH) we quickly realized this route to San Francisco was going to take too long, so we drove through Mendocino - apparantly the town they shot Murder She Wrote - and then headed through the mountain to the freeway again ... this was not nearly as hilly as the trip to the coast, but every bit winding - funny how one thinks about how well their car was put together at the factory when making the thousandth hairpin turn!
Once back on the freeway it was quite nice to see a straight stretch ... and again back to 65 MPH for more than 8 seconds. This brought us to Santa Rosa where we made our first stop at Applebees .. and then decided to call it a night.
So good night and stay tuned .. we will make it to San Fran yet .. and I can't wait!
Tuesday July 8th – Mary hill, Washington to Crescent City, California
We woke up early this morning, along with the sun – up and on the road by 9am! Fuelled up and drove along the interstate (back in Oregon, just south of the Columbia River) toward Portland. We saw some impressive scenery along the way, many steep cliffs – can hardly imagine what the Grand Canyon would look like! Saw The Dalles Dam in The Dalles. Stopped in Hood River to grab a quick breakfast – found Hood River Bagel Co in the downtown area. It just happened to have free wifi in the café, so I was able to post Monday’s update! A neat little town – apparently Hood River is popular for wind surfing. There were little surf shops all over.
Made a quick stop at Multnomah Falls – they are either second or third tallest in the world. I believe some falls in Venezuela are the tallest.
Arrived in Portland and took about a half hour to check out the downtown area. We ended up grabbing a Starbuck’s while there and tried to check out their wireless café to no avail. Turns out we needed to sign up for an account with a provider.
Decided we’d spent enough time there so we continued on our way, both mildly disappointed that we had not yet found any outlet malls. Our previously mapped out route had us continuing to Crescent City via Lincoln City. This is where we found the outlet shopping last year. But we determined that the interstate would be the quickest route. So we head south.
Driving along we saw a mall and wondered if maybe it was an outlet mall. After getting to Salem, we confirmed it was and decided to turn around and check it out. So back 27 km to do some shopping! We spent about 2 ½ hours checking out all the deals.
Grabbed a quick bite to eat at Arby’s and continued on toward Grant’s Pass. Fuelled up and switched drivers at Roseburg. Pushed through Grant’s Pass to Crescent City – only 1 ½ hours. This stretch was through the mountains and no longer interstate highway, so 1 lane of oncoming traffic along the winding roads hugging the cliffs. And just when we’d gotten use to 3 lanes divided!
Arrived in Crescent City around 10:30 and found a really nice room at the Lighthouse Inn – right off highway 101, just across the street from the marina. http://www.crescentcitylighthouseinn.com/
This is also near the Battery Point Lighthouse which we checked out last year.
Made a quick stop at Multnomah Falls – they are either second or third tallest in the world. I believe some falls in Venezuela are the tallest.
Arrived in Portland and took about a half hour to check out the downtown area. We ended up grabbing a Starbuck’s while there and tried to check out their wireless café to no avail. Turns out we needed to sign up for an account with a provider.
Decided we’d spent enough time there so we continued on our way, both mildly disappointed that we had not yet found any outlet malls. Our previously mapped out route had us continuing to Crescent City via Lincoln City. This is where we found the outlet shopping last year. But we determined that the interstate would be the quickest route. So we head south.
Driving along we saw a mall and wondered if maybe it was an outlet mall. After getting to Salem, we confirmed it was and decided to turn around and check it out. So back 27 km to do some shopping! We spent about 2 ½ hours checking out all the deals.
Grabbed a quick bite to eat at Arby’s and continued on toward Grant’s Pass. Fuelled up and switched drivers at Roseburg. Pushed through Grant’s Pass to Crescent City – only 1 ½ hours. This stretch was through the mountains and no longer interstate highway, so 1 lane of oncoming traffic along the winding roads hugging the cliffs. And just when we’d gotten use to 3 lanes divided!
Arrived in Crescent City around 10:30 and found a really nice room at the Lighthouse Inn – right off highway 101, just across the street from the marina. http://www.crescentcitylighthouseinn.com/
This is also near the Battery Point Lighthouse which we checked out last year.
Some quick pics from Sunday and Monday
Cows hanging out under the TCBY billboard near Williston, ND
Montana scenery
Luanne with mountain scenery in Idaho
Derek in downtown Spokane, Washington
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Monday July 7th – Butte, Montana to Biggs, Oregon/Maryhill, Washington
Today we covered 4 states and back to 1!
We started off in Butte this morning, after a short but restful sleep. The Holiday Inn Express was top notch in our books – real nice rooms and comfy beds!
We were up a bit earlier than yesterday, but moving a little slower. Started waking up around 8:30, but didn’t really get moving till around 9. And even then, we just seemed to be dragging a little.
Breakfast was good – a full continental breakfast with fruit, yogourt, cereal, toast, bagels, pastries, omelettes and bacon. Derek really enjoyed the coffee this morning – always a delight to see him cheery in the morning ;-)
After getting ourselves organized a bit, we finished getting ready and made it out of the hotel before 11am. Felix got fuelled up and we were off!
We stopped for lunch in Missoula, at Finnegan’s Family Restaurant. Had a semi-healthy sit-down meal – a nice change from quick stops and “fast food”. The restaurant was a neat place, situated overtop a creek.
Back on the road again, we entered into Idaho through Lookout Pass. Not as scary as some roads we’ve traveled on our adventures, but scary for me as I was driving! Such big hills for a prairie girl …
Drove past Coeur D’Alene - we had stayed in the parking lot of the Best Western on our trip last year. Saw the Best Western as we drove by the exit – we can both still picture our spot.
I really like Coeur D’Alene Lake. It looks so beautiful in the middle of the mountains. Nice cabins (homes even maybe?) on the hills surrounding it. It seems to be a nice refreshing vacation area for the people.
From Coeur D’Alene to Spokane, Washington, it is essentially well-populated and it is difficult to really see the distinction between the different towns/cities/suburbs. We decided to make a quick stop in Spokane to check it out. Last year we had only driven by in the dark, so we had no true impressions of the city.
I discovered that there is a river that runs through their downtown, and there is a Canada Island in the middle of it. So what a perfect site to see! The nuvi helped us to find where we wanted to go, of course with a few “recalculating” messages. Sometimes we just don’t listen! Anyway, we parked the car nearby - $0.35 for 20 minutes (the parking meter took nickels!) – and wandered toward the river. There was this park – Riverside Park – and was it ever neat! They had a fountain structure for kids that sprinkled water on them periodically. There was an indoor carousel and a small amusement park for kids, with all the major rides including bumper cars. An Imax Theatre was also on site. There as a pond with pedestrian bridges and places to just hang out in the park. The many large trees including weeping willows softened the noise from surrounding traffic. What a great little park in the middle of downtown! And on the north side of this park, we were able to look across the river and see Canada Island in the middle. That wasn’t as exciting, but looking for it helped us to stumble upon this neat little treasure. The Canadian highlight was seeing a Canada flag sculpture which we took a few photo opportunities. I’ll try to remember to post a picture with this when we find internet!
From Spokane to Kennewick … the greatest thing about many of the American cities we’ve checked out is how quickly you can get out of downtown and back on the freeway. Within minutes! Back home, it’d be at least 20 minutes to drive from city center to the perimeter – start and stop, start and stop. I digress!
About 2 hours to Kennewick, the landscape changed once again – to very dry and hilly. Almost desert-like, I guess (I have yet to see a true desert, hopefully on the way home this trip …). I realized that there were actually no trees for a while – none, at all! Little shrub-like things, but no trees… Then the landscape became similar to eastern Montana for a while, then areas of ranches, and then a couple vineyards. Farmers in some of these areas were doing some serious irrigation.
The nuvi took us on a brief tour in Kennewick. I guess I had previously entered Kennewick as a way point, and so it proceeded to take us right to the heart of Kennewick, then “make a u-turn, when possible …” Of course this adventure, we just listened to every instruction from the nuvi and only clued into its little game minutes before it announced we had arrived in Kennewick. Oh well, some time wasted, but we found a neat bridge on the way out. We also came across the Jack in the Box, where we had eaten supper last year on the way through. Figured we better stop for supper here again this year too. So when Kennewick (now twice ever), we always eat at the Jack in the Box.
We crossed the Columbia River into Oregon and took I-84 heading west. There is some real beautiful scenery along this stretch; unfortunately after a while it was starting to get dark (only 9:00 even!) and we were still a couple hours away from Portland. So we started to think about the camping option. It didn’t look promising for a while – most searches on the nuvi seemed to be about RV campgrounds only. We quickly checked out one place in some small town to no avail, and then got lucky finding Maryhill State Park in Washington (just across the Columbia River from Biggs, Oregon). Although we had been targeting Portland for tonight, we both feel good about our decision to stop for tonight and be able to continue this stretch along the Columbia River in the daylight. Too beautiful to drive through in the dark!
We found a spot in the Peach Beach Campark in Maryhill State Park with no troubles and had the tent set up within 20 minutes. Sleeping outdoors, we anticipate getting a good sleep tonight and waking up with the sun tomorrow morning. So here’s to an early start tomorrow morning … we got some shopping to do in Oregon (no tax!) … and more ground to cover, as ideally we’ll should be in San Francisco by tomorrow (Tuesday) night.
Another bonus of camping is we save $$ - only $20 for tonight ;-)
Downside is no free wifi comes with the site … but will post this tomorrow whenever we can.
Good night!
We started off in Butte this morning, after a short but restful sleep. The Holiday Inn Express was top notch in our books – real nice rooms and comfy beds!
We were up a bit earlier than yesterday, but moving a little slower. Started waking up around 8:30, but didn’t really get moving till around 9. And even then, we just seemed to be dragging a little.
Breakfast was good – a full continental breakfast with fruit, yogourt, cereal, toast, bagels, pastries, omelettes and bacon. Derek really enjoyed the coffee this morning – always a delight to see him cheery in the morning ;-)
After getting ourselves organized a bit, we finished getting ready and made it out of the hotel before 11am. Felix got fuelled up and we were off!
We stopped for lunch in Missoula, at Finnegan’s Family Restaurant. Had a semi-healthy sit-down meal – a nice change from quick stops and “fast food”. The restaurant was a neat place, situated overtop a creek.
Back on the road again, we entered into Idaho through Lookout Pass. Not as scary as some roads we’ve traveled on our adventures, but scary for me as I was driving! Such big hills for a prairie girl …
Drove past Coeur D’Alene - we had stayed in the parking lot of the Best Western on our trip last year. Saw the Best Western as we drove by the exit – we can both still picture our spot.
I really like Coeur D’Alene Lake. It looks so beautiful in the middle of the mountains. Nice cabins (homes even maybe?) on the hills surrounding it. It seems to be a nice refreshing vacation area for the people.
From Coeur D’Alene to Spokane, Washington, it is essentially well-populated and it is difficult to really see the distinction between the different towns/cities/suburbs. We decided to make a quick stop in Spokane to check it out. Last year we had only driven by in the dark, so we had no true impressions of the city.
I discovered that there is a river that runs through their downtown, and there is a Canada Island in the middle of it. So what a perfect site to see! The nuvi helped us to find where we wanted to go, of course with a few “recalculating” messages. Sometimes we just don’t listen! Anyway, we parked the car nearby - $0.35 for 20 minutes (the parking meter took nickels!) – and wandered toward the river. There was this park – Riverside Park – and was it ever neat! They had a fountain structure for kids that sprinkled water on them periodically. There was an indoor carousel and a small amusement park for kids, with all the major rides including bumper cars. An Imax Theatre was also on site. There as a pond with pedestrian bridges and places to just hang out in the park. The many large trees including weeping willows softened the noise from surrounding traffic. What a great little park in the middle of downtown! And on the north side of this park, we were able to look across the river and see Canada Island in the middle. That wasn’t as exciting, but looking for it helped us to stumble upon this neat little treasure. The Canadian highlight was seeing a Canada flag sculpture which we took a few photo opportunities. I’ll try to remember to post a picture with this when we find internet!
From Spokane to Kennewick … the greatest thing about many of the American cities we’ve checked out is how quickly you can get out of downtown and back on the freeway. Within minutes! Back home, it’d be at least 20 minutes to drive from city center to the perimeter – start and stop, start and stop. I digress!
About 2 hours to Kennewick, the landscape changed once again – to very dry and hilly. Almost desert-like, I guess (I have yet to see a true desert, hopefully on the way home this trip …). I realized that there were actually no trees for a while – none, at all! Little shrub-like things, but no trees… Then the landscape became similar to eastern Montana for a while, then areas of ranches, and then a couple vineyards. Farmers in some of these areas were doing some serious irrigation.
The nuvi took us on a brief tour in Kennewick. I guess I had previously entered Kennewick as a way point, and so it proceeded to take us right to the heart of Kennewick, then “make a u-turn, when possible …” Of course this adventure, we just listened to every instruction from the nuvi and only clued into its little game minutes before it announced we had arrived in Kennewick. Oh well, some time wasted, but we found a neat bridge on the way out. We also came across the Jack in the Box, where we had eaten supper last year on the way through. Figured we better stop for supper here again this year too. So when Kennewick (now twice ever), we always eat at the Jack in the Box.
We crossed the Columbia River into Oregon and took I-84 heading west. There is some real beautiful scenery along this stretch; unfortunately after a while it was starting to get dark (only 9:00 even!) and we were still a couple hours away from Portland. So we started to think about the camping option. It didn’t look promising for a while – most searches on the nuvi seemed to be about RV campgrounds only. We quickly checked out one place in some small town to no avail, and then got lucky finding Maryhill State Park in Washington (just across the Columbia River from Biggs, Oregon). Although we had been targeting Portland for tonight, we both feel good about our decision to stop for tonight and be able to continue this stretch along the Columbia River in the daylight. Too beautiful to drive through in the dark!
We found a spot in the Peach Beach Campark in Maryhill State Park with no troubles and had the tent set up within 20 minutes. Sleeping outdoors, we anticipate getting a good sleep tonight and waking up with the sun tomorrow morning. So here’s to an early start tomorrow morning … we got some shopping to do in Oregon (no tax!) … and more ground to cover, as ideally we’ll should be in San Francisco by tomorrow (Tuesday) night.
Another bonus of camping is we save $$ - only $20 for tonight ;-)
Downside is no free wifi comes with the site … but will post this tomorrow whenever we can.
Good night!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Sunday July 6th - Minot, ND to Butte, Montana
Today we covered 1083 km's ... yes, over a 1000 kilometers, or 1 million meters. This is a lot more than the 466 kilometers we covered yesterday. I have to say the scenery along those million meters was pretty awesome. From rolling hills to full on mountains .. and the heat .. Montana is a very warm state. At one point we drove past a billboard that had a herd of cattle all bunched together in the shade .. one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
We were on the road by 10:30 and drove pretty much all day without any major stops. The Super 8 in Minot was alright, the bed was super comfy. The breakfast was something unique, the area with the grub was about 4 feet wide, so only 2 people at any given time could grab anything .. and there were no tables .. so we had to trek our food back to the room. What we had was pretty o.k, cereal, toast and coffee was a lot better than a kick in the nuts with a frozen moccasin, eh?
Our original plan was to stop in Bozeman for the night, but once we figured out we gained an hour by crossing a time zone we decided to push on to Butte .. and after a few quick stops to compare room rates we settled in at the Holiday Inn Express .. not really sure what the "Express" really means, but it must be fast.
With the wild fires in California (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/california-wildfires-spread-along-pacific-coast-861273.html) we are re-evaluating our route .. it appears highway 101 (better known as the Pacific Coast Highway) may be closed in certain spots due to the 100 foot fires that are burning out of control.
As it turns out #6 on my top 10 list is not going to be possible as the San Francisco Giants are out of town while we are in town .. murphys law sucks. Oh well, maybe we will have to catch a game in LA .. from what I recall there are a few teams in the area .. one of them must be playing this week.
Time to get some well deserved Z's .. over and out.
We were on the road by 10:30 and drove pretty much all day without any major stops. The Super 8 in Minot was alright, the bed was super comfy. The breakfast was something unique, the area with the grub was about 4 feet wide, so only 2 people at any given time could grab anything .. and there were no tables .. so we had to trek our food back to the room. What we had was pretty o.k, cereal, toast and coffee was a lot better than a kick in the nuts with a frozen moccasin, eh?
Our original plan was to stop in Bozeman for the night, but once we figured out we gained an hour by crossing a time zone we decided to push on to Butte .. and after a few quick stops to compare room rates we settled in at the Holiday Inn Express .. not really sure what the "Express" really means, but it must be fast.
With the wild fires in California (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/california-wildfires-spread-along-pacific-coast-861273.html) we are re-evaluating our route .. it appears highway 101 (better known as the Pacific Coast Highway) may be closed in certain spots due to the 100 foot fires that are burning out of control.
As it turns out #6 on my top 10 list is not going to be possible as the San Francisco Giants are out of town while we are in town .. murphys law sucks. Oh well, maybe we will have to catch a game in LA .. from what I recall there are a few teams in the area .. one of them must be playing this week.
Time to get some well deserved Z's .. over and out.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Saturday July 5th - Minot, North Dakota
Can you say time warp!? Yes, it has been just over a year and we are now officially on the road again to finish what we were unable to complete last year. Coles notes version of our trip last year had us drive from Winnipeg to Vancouver Island for Jiff & Candace's wedding, and then we drove south along the ocean as much as possible taking the Pacific Coast highway. We ran out of time just after entering California and getting to Crescent City so we had to turn around and come back home.
So today we packed up and left the city around 3 .. heading to the farm to drop off Oscar and pick up Nuvi. We also enjoyed our last home cooked meal for the next 2 weeks before getting back in the car and heading west. We crossed the border just south of Cartwright and drove through Hansboro. Once again we headed west .. driving through Bottineau and continuing to our first stop - Minot. We debated camping the first night, but by the time we found the nearest campground it was rather late so we backtracked to the Super 8. Providing a government employee card saved us 10$ american (or 10.20$ Canadian).
Anyhow, the plan is to get up in good time and get back on the road - heading to Crescent City California.
I am working on a top 10 list of things to do .. once completed I will be sure to post it. (sneak peak at number 7 - See Wayne Newton in Las Vegas).
Stay tuned, now that I know how to post pictures too, there will be more reasons to check us out on our adventure.
So today we packed up and left the city around 3 .. heading to the farm to drop off Oscar and pick up Nuvi. We also enjoyed our last home cooked meal for the next 2 weeks before getting back in the car and heading west. We crossed the border just south of Cartwright and drove through Hansboro. Once again we headed west .. driving through Bottineau and continuing to our first stop - Minot. We debated camping the first night, but by the time we found the nearest campground it was rather late so we backtracked to the Super 8. Providing a government employee card saved us 10$ american (or 10.20$ Canadian).
Anyhow, the plan is to get up in good time and get back on the road - heading to Crescent City California.
I am working on a top 10 list of things to do .. once completed I will be sure to post it. (sneak peak at number 7 - See Wayne Newton in Las Vegas).
Stay tuned, now that I know how to post pictures too, there will be more reasons to check us out on our adventure.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Getting ready for round two
Here is Felix .. our chariot for this round of the adventure .. say hello now.
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