Lessons Along the Way

Just a brief reflection on my travels. 

Things I learned:

Utah wants you to get plastic surgery

Nevada wants you to know the truth about Jesus/God

Arizona, I wasn't in long enough to grab a sense.

California wants you to report drunk drivers and get vaccinated.

Oregon doesn't want you to pump your own gas.

Washington, another state I was not in long enough, but it was definitely raining!?

Wyoming has a lot of truck stops, which worked out for sleeping the first night. 

Colorado...home

It was an amazing adventure to remind me that I can travel safely alone. There were only a couple of creepy moments, where I was very thankful to have Jasper with me. I didn't do any real hikes, but all the same I saw lots of amazing things and enjoyed my time away. 

Homeward Bound

Day 18: SLC to home (Lakewood, CO), the usual way... I-15 to I-70

I woke up early to have a little time with my friend before she headed off to work. After she left, we started to get ourselves together to head out when my goddaughter was headed off to school for the day. We said our goodbyes and thank you's and pointed the subaru towards home. Because we did not have any breakfast at my friend's house, we stopped for some just south of SLC. It just so happened to be at a McDonald's across from the mill where Ren in Footloose got a job and later the dance was held. Jasper and I took photos, while my husband grabbed some breakfast to calm his hangry. 

From that point, it was just a determined drive to get home and unpacked before it got too late. Once in Colorado, we stopped at a rest stop for my husband to expel the McDonald's breakfast and to stretch our legs a bit. There was a nice trail from the parking lot to the river, which Jasper and I explored while my husband used the facilities. Jasper was very happy to be back among the mountain water where he could gulp it and not worry about the saltiness. I am always amazed with the beauty of all parts of Colorado. Despite having seen the Sierras in California, I still love the Rocky Mountains and their variety of colors and beauty. Colorado really is colorful!

That's What Friends are for...

Day 17: Reno to Salt Lake City, UT 

We left my friend’s house early in the morning as she had to go to work and we had lots of plans for the day as we traversed from Reno, NV to Salt Lake City, UT. Despite the drive being a relatively flat with rolling hills adventure, we were able to find ways to get into trouble. As usual, I had ideas for stops using roadsideamerica.com. One of the big stops of the day was Bonneville Salt Flats. Both my husband and I wanted to stop there, so THAT was a definite. 

The first stop was Winnemucca to see the world’s largest piece of driftwood. 

My husband's father is a big fan of driftwood along Lake Michigan. So, we sent him a photo of this one, and he asked if we could fit it in the car. Ummm...that was NOT going to happen. While wandering town, we stumbled upon a couple of churches, and I love religious architecture. 

Once back in the car, we continued east with a random stop for roadside signs that spoke of a historic center regarding the California Trail. We both thought it funny as we were a long ways from California by then. Still, it was right off the road and we were ready for a break. So, we stopped. Unfortunately, it was closed. 

From there, we continued east until we reached the town that roadsideamerica.com said had the viewpoint for the curvature of the earth. The directions were a little sketchy, and we had some trouble trying to follow the hints of driving up there, but we eventually made it, and were less than impressed due to it being a cloudy day. The attempted drive up the loose gravel road to the ridge ended up causing a small problem when the subaru could not make it up any further, and we had to back our way down. That's a good couples exercise for you.

After that adventure, we finally made it to the Bonneville Salt Flats. 

As my husband kept asking me, it was indeed too wet to do too much exploring. Also, cars are not allowed off the roadway unless it is time for the racing, which it was not. As we drove the road to its end, my husband told me of a movie he watched in preparation for this visit; The Fastest Indian. So, as we drove through the area, he pointed out things he had seen in the movie and told little snippets of the movie. It was a really cool area, and I'd love to return and explore further. There was another roadsideamerica.com oddity along the way, which of course I had to photograph...Metaphor: The Tree of Utah. 

From the Salt flats, it was not very far into Salt Lake City and my friend's house, where I stayed on my way out. Jasper was reacquainted with his buddy, Ouray, and the newish cat, Mirabel. We went to their favorite restaurant and brewery near their house, The Bohemian Brewery, and then hung out for awhile before heading off to sleep for the night. It was a great day of traveling through areas we have never seen before. Of course, Jasper was happy to see his buddy, and be in a place with people he knew for the night. 

On the Road Again

Day 16: Mendocino to Reno, NV via Donner Pass

Off we headed, from the comfort of my cousin's hospitality to the comfort of my high school best friend's hospitality. The adventure changes with the addition of another person. Now, one has to think about the needs and desires of that other person. Sure, I thought of Jasper's needs during the first part of the trip, but that is different than a human with an understandable voice and different needs from a dog. 

It's always bittersweet leaving my cousin & her family including her mom. The saving grace was knowing my aunt would be in Colorado within a couple days of my return home. With goodbyes said, we headed the fastest way possible to Reno, NV

Another beautiful drive through Northern California brought us to Dinner Pass. We got out and explored as much as we could considering the snow. 

There were lots of signs to read, and adventures to have, but very limited by time and challenge of the snow. Unfortunately, we were not able to visit the tunnels for this reason. Guess I'll have to go back another time to explore. 

Reno, NV is not far from Donner Pass, so we made our way down to find someplace to stay. My friend said we could camp in her backyard, but I’m always worried about putting people out or making them feel weird. So, we tried a couple of nearby campgrounds before giving in and taking her up on her offer. 

We set up our tent in the backyard and hung out for a bit before deciding on a place for dinner. Wild River Grille was having a fundraiser night for a local shelter and it was a dog friendly place with an outside patio. So, we said lets go! The food was great. It was located next to the river in basically downtown Reno. It was nice sitting on the patio and catching up with my best friend from high school. I usually see her about 1-2 times each year depending on our schedules. 

Finally, we decided to head back to her place and settle in for the night. It was amazingly comfortable in the backyard snuggled in our tent. Jasper was extremely occupied with my friend’s dog, who kept barking at him through the sliding glass doors; until we retired to our tent. He was also very interested in the cat who would look at him through the glass as well. Jasper has not met very many cats. Moro, OR was probably his closest encounters with cats. On the whole, it was a good day.

Family Day

Day 15: Mendocino to Fort Bragg and back via Casper Beach State Park

Today, we woke up when we were ready, or more importantly when Jasper was ready. My cousin, being the wonderful human being that she is, made breakfast for us all. Then, we got ourselves together, and headed out for a hike/walk. 

We had decided on a hike they knew of along Casper Beach, so packed accordingly to be able to spend a little time on the beach. Once we got there, we headed out along the road up to the bluff over looking the ocean. It was a little sketchy walking the road, but I was reassured they had done it many times in the past. Also, my cousin’s 16yr old son and his friend were sent off before us. The views were gorgeous.

 At one point we took a small walk out onto a point where we could see, hear, and smell the pod of sea lions sunning on a medium sized rock outcropping in the ocean. Despite the smell, it was pretty amazing to see so many sea lions at once. 

After seeing the sea lions, we headed more inland and wandered through meadows and some forested areas. I was amazed how beautiful that was, and kept having to catch up to the rest of the family. The trail wound back and forth such that I was able to take photos of our group, and enjoyed trying some artistic shots as well.

Not sure those worked out that well, but still had fun trying.

After the hike/walk, we spent some time playing on the beach. My husband took Jasper for a jog to the water and back. Then Jasper tried to play keep away with my cousin’s dog’s ball. I think it was payback for her dog trying to dominate Jasper. While we all did our own things on the beach, I attempted to fly my various kites, with minimal success. The cove we were in was not to conducive to kite flying is my excuse, despite there being a couple other families there with small dollar store kites having no problem. I tried my dollar store kites, but they were broken before ever removing them from the package. Oh well. I know I’ve flown my kites along the Pacific coast before. Today, was a just not the day.

 Once we were all moving towards hunger pains, we packed up our stuff and headed to Fort Bragg for lunch, and more importantly ice cream. Lunch was at an all female fish place, where I had a wonderful cheesesteak sandwich, and bought Jasper more dog treats. They had a live band on the patio, which we enjoyed for a bit before heading into town and ice cream. 

 Most of us were stuffed from lunch, but I’m never one to give up 

 So, we got our ice cream and wandered around town as we finished it. I’m pretty sure my cousin and her family were sorry they took us walking. Although, they are the ones who took us to the Skunk Train Depot, and pointed out the brewery, and encouraged us to buy beer.

 

We checked out the maritime museum place, as the family sat outside waiting. 

Finally, we decided to head for home; however, we had been talking on the hike about cemeteries and the blowhole at one of them. This lead to a stop at the Little River Cemetery which is hiding a blowhole behind it.

We wandered the cemetery and eventually made it to the blowhole. My hubby and my cousin’s hubby decided to wander down into the blowhole, while my cousin and I hyperventilated on the edge watching them pick their way through downed trees and some pretty sketchy footing. Luckily, they made it safe and sound, and got some great photos. 

With all the adventuring out of the way for the day, we were able to return home, and have a small dinner, before turning in for the night. My hubby and I have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and my cousin and her family have to go back to their normal lives. So, we turned in, and got ready for an early departure in the morning.

Race Day

Day 14: Mendocino Coast 50k

What a long day. We got to the start line about 0630, I think? The race started at 0730, I think (Can you tell how involved in this race I was?) Anyway, we got there with plenty of time for my husband to warm up and be ready to run 50k through some of the most amazing scenery for the 5th time at this race that has been happening for 5 years (minus the covid years). In the past 4 years of the race, he has finished 3rd every time. We didn’t have very high hopes for this year considering he was coming off being injured and did not have near the amount of training of past years. I still held out hope that he would do well despite the decreased training. 

I wished him well and sent him on his way. From that point to the finish, it was on him to figure out what works. I setup camp at the finish line like someone who has done this many times prior...even Sid, the race director commented. 

The first 4 came in, & the 4th place guy commented he couldn’t slow down because the next guy was right on his heels. That’s when I knew my husband was that next guy. He has always been a competitive guy, and often on hikes together instructed me on focusing on people to pass as encouragement to keep going. That put him in 5th place overall. He joked that next year he would win so as to offset the balance and maintain an average of always finishing 3rd. I was happy to know all was well. From that point on, we simply remained to cheer on ALL the finishers. I love this local race.  😍

After the final runner was accounted for and most of the finish line was cleaned up, we headed to my cousin’s for dinner. Another great meal prepared by my cousin & her husband followed by relaxing and trying to figure out the plan for the next day.We always do something the whole family on the day after the race. That’s another favorite part of coming to the Mendocino Coast 50k. With plans in place, we all headed to bed for the night.

Pre-race Relaxation

Day 13: Mendocino; resting & prepping for race day

Since we had made it to our destination for the weekend, we were able to sleep in a little and get going at our leisure. I did wake up somewhat early to see my aunt and cousin off to work for the day; both claiming they would be done by about 1300, and we could possibly do something then. So, my hubby and I just had to entertain ourselves for the morning. 

We took the morning to allow my hubby to do a shake out run along the first few miles of the course. Jasper and I took advantage and walked that same length, only Jasper got to run with my hubby for about half his shake out run. That was different for Jasper, and I think he enjoyed it. It also tired him out after many hours and days spent in a car with brief but frequent jaunts outside. The inlet river known as Big River is lovely to walk, hike, run, bike, or even kayak/canoe/paddle. It is a service road and thus relatively easy until you get further away from the ocean. We did not make it that far, but still got to enjoy sea lions, geese, and other nature sounds along the walk. 

After the shake out run, we went back to my cousin’s house and lounged around after both of us taking showers. Her place really is wonderful for just relaxing. The cable/electric guy came to check their lines, and Jasper watched to make sure they did it right and didn’t come too close to the house. 

While we lounged, I made plans to meet up with my cousin and my aunt for lunch downtown Mendocino. We had wood fired pizza and salads while enjoying each others’ company on the patio of the restaurant. Finally, my cousin’s husband had to finish up some work and my cousin was going to grab some groceries for dinner while my hubby, my aunt, Jasper, and I returned to my cousin’s house. Little did we know that Jasper was going to get a special treat from my cousin. He was super happy and let us all know to leave him alone after that.

Dinner was amazing as it always is when we are there. We walked the dogs before dinner, and returned to find something had carried the dogs treat and his dental bone off the patio to various unknown locations. The dental bone was found by my cousin’s dog as we returned to the house, and we allowed her to have that one. We never did find the marrow bone which my cousin had gotten for Jasper. I hope those ravens are happy with their score; crazy strong for carrying that off. 

With my husband’s 50k race looming over us for the next day, we all headed to bed relatively early. 

Movie Scenes and Long Side Trips

Day 12: Bodega Bay to Mendocino via Avenue of the Giants

Woke up this morning and grabbed breakfast at The Tides restaurant, which prior to renovations was the cafe in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” We certainly understood why, when a bird perched just outside the window and stared at us while we ate. There were beautiful views of the bay and the mud where I can only assume they harvest crab. 

After Breakfast, We headed out to see some of the roadsideamerica.com sites as well as set jitters app movie sites. 

The first stop was Children’s Bell Tower. It was a very interesting site with great sadness and compassion. I do recommend visiting.

From there, we headed to Goat Rock Beach because somewhere in this trip I got wind of The Goonies movie sites and just HAD to go visit this beach where the final scene of The Goonies was filmed. I think I dressed appropriately…or at least felt like I did a decent homage to Chunk from the movie. 

With my final Goonies tribute under my belt, I was ready to return to one of the reasons I am deathly afraid of birds…Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” 

We visited Bodega, CA where the Potter School House and Saint Teresa of Avila Catholic Church are located. Both of these were part of “The Birds.” 

 

In the above photo of the church, you can even see how the shadow forms the shape of a bird. The place is scary! 

Once I got my fill of the movies of my youth, I took my hubby to see the Avenue of the Giants. He likes the big trees of Northern California, so I thought it would be an amazing adventure for us to do together. I wish I would have remembered how much he does NOT like to be in the car!!! Anyway, we traveled 3 hours to the start of the southern side of the avenue. Then we started the 3 hour drive up the avenue itself; sure, one could take less time than 3 hours driving along the avenue, but then why not stay on the 101? I stopped at all the places I wanted to stop on the way down the day before, but was worried I would be late picking up the hubby. The stops were nice for stretching legs and relieving the dog, but I think they may have been too short for the hubby. I took him through the tree again like I did the day before, and he got video/photo of me driving through; he was less than impressed. We got to the north end of the avenue and jumped on the 101 to head south and west towards Mendocino. Earlier in the day, we had unofficially decided to get to Mendocino for the night. As we got off the 101 to start the winding drive along highway 1 to the coast, we drove through another big tree. Again, the hubby was less than impressed and thinking the $10 per tree was excessive. I thought it all part of the crazy adventure.

 

When all was said and done, we headed for the coast, driving the crazy winding road making everyone in the car a little sick from dog to human even driver. As we passed through Fort Bragg, CA, we picked up dinner and continued to Mendocino and the relaxation of my cousin’s house. 

We got to my cousin’s before it started to rain for the umpteenth millionth time that day. She was busy at a meeting, but her husband was home, and allowed us to sneak the dog in a side door directly to the guest room; their cats rule the house. We brought in just what we had the energy to carry, and settled in for the night. I waited for my cousin to get home from her meeting, chatted with her briefly, and then crashed soundly to sleep. What a long day of adventuring. 

Hubby Pickup

Day 11: Fortuna to Bodega Bay via Sacramento International Airport

Lounged around the hotel in the morning. Since we had pushed past our original destination, I had time to play with before heading to Sacramento to pickup the hubby. Also, I wasn't sure there was anything to distract my drive. So, why scramble out so fast only to have to sit near the airport waiting!? Boy was I wrong!

Driving down the 101, I saw a sign for avenue of the Giants scenic alternative. It's an alternative, so it must parallel my current route, right? Off the 101 I went to check out these Giants! Of course, I did check the map to make sure it was going the same direction I needed to go versus back from whence I came. 

As I entered Humboldt Redwood State Park and began the Avenue of the Giants, I was taken away by the giant redwood trees. It was beautiful, especially with the rain and mist. There were multiple stopping points for tourist attractions to just exploring the various groves. 

About halfway through, we came to a spot where we could drive through a tree. Well...duh! Why wouldn't I do such a thing? Sure, it cost $10, and it was raining, and I didn't have anyone to catch video of me doing these things, but I still wanted to do it. So, through the tree I went.

It was cool because I was the only person there, and paying was simply putting my money in a pay tube. No human interaction. 

After that, we continued along the avenue despite the GPS continuing to tell us to get on the 101. A little bit further, we were able to find a gas station near the one log home and grandfather tree (photos in tomorrow's post). Further down the avenue, we came across the immortal tree, chimney tree, and lots more groves. Some spots said dogs were not allowed while others had no restrictions. So, Jasper didn't get a lot of exercise through the avenue. 

Just south of the avenue of the Giants, there were lots of little tourist stops. We stopped briefly to check out Legend of Bigfoot shop. It had so many yard art items that it was fun to wander around.

It was a little creepy when one of the employees engaged me in conversation, and then proceeded to follow me all over the place outside. As I exited the port-a-potty, he was approaching telling me how he checks them every 15min. I found myself some fun bigfoot items, and continued down the 101.

The next adventure stop was Confusion Hill.

Signs along the road reminded me of the mystery spot in St Ignace, MI. So, of course I had to check it out. The cost was $5, which I felt was manageable. I'm not sure if I was just sent on my own to explore because it was raining and I was the only person there, or if that is their normal process. At the mystery spot in Michigan, you are part of a group with a guide showing you all the mysteries of the spot, thus making it feel more possible to be a mystical place. Here, at Confusion Hill, I was on my own. Again, Jasper was not allowed to join, so he rested in the car while I went through quickly. 

I walked up hill a little to enter the "shack" built to demonstrate the mystery of the location. Signs on the walls explained the mysteries as well as instructing what to do. Things like standing on the wall, trying to get out of the chair without using your hands to push up, seeing water flow uphill, or the ball that you rolled downhill, and it rolled back up. 

After playing in the "shack," which had been decorated with graffiti, the option is available to enjoy the picnic area which had large redwoods in memory of the twin towers, stumps to show the age of a large redwood, fun signs talking about beer, and areas to stack rocks.

I think on a non-rainy day, it might have been more interesting as it would have been more populated and the food stand might have been open.

Confusion Hill and the avenue of the Giants definitely ate a bunch of my free time for the morning. With hubby pickup time growing ever closer, we settled in and headed towards Sacramento. We stopped at a couple vistas to try to get Jasper to poop with no success. Since I was heading to Mendocino, I felt the need to grab a photo of Mendocino Lake along the way. 

We made it to Sacramento with a little time to spare, and double checked to make sure the hubby's flight was on time. It was slightly early, so we headed to the airport and waited in the free waiting area for my hubby to say he was off the plane and headed for pickup. 

I'm pretty sure Jasper smiled when he realized the person getting in our car was his human daddy. They hugged and kissed and reconnected as we headed towards Bodega Bay from there. A quick stop for dinner at a fast food joint along the way, and we made it to Bodega Harbor Inn with daylight to spare. It was raining, so camping was definitely out for the night. That was okay. The little bungalow was adorable and the bed was comfortable. We took Jasper for a walk, where he finally pooped, and then headed to bed. I used the downtime with internet to look for things to do for tomorrow. We were in the filming area of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, but I also learned the final scene in the Goonies was filmed just up the road. Ideas were coming together well. Sleep first though.

Heading South Along the Pacific Coast

Day 10: South Beach State Park to Super 8 in Fortuna, CA

Woke up early at the State Park and headed out on my continued journey down the coast. It was still dark out, but 0430-0500 seems to be my wake up time. I'm a sunrise kinda gal, so Jasper & I set out to find a great Vista to see what sunrise is like on the west coast.

Our first stop ended up being the Hecetate lighthouse. The sign at the park said it opens at 0600. We were there at 0548, I figured we were pretty safe. Unfortunately, the bathrooms had NOT been unlocked yet. So, we grabbed some photos, didn't walk to the lighthouse due to heavy rain, and continued on our way.

We slowly made our way down the coast, stopping for lighthouses, a short hike around Marie Lake, Vista points and breaks every so often. The rain kept things short & quick and in motion. 

Part way through the day, we made it to Coos Bay, home of Pre Fontaine.

It wasn't raining too bad, so we got out, walked the boardwalk and a small portion of town. I was waiting for the visitor center to open in hopes of them having a collector spoon. When I walked by and looked in the windows, it looked like only information, no souvenirs. So, back in the car with hopes of hitting a truck stop along the coast before California.

Back in the car and on the road, we stopped at a lighthouse before finding Prehistoric Gardens. Now, anyone who knows me, knows I cannot avoid dinosaur attractions. So, of course, I paid $12 to walk quickly through the exhibit, while Jasper hung out in the car waiting for me. It was cheesy and yet interesting at the same time.

Showing the plants in relation to the dinosaurs in the area during various eras. Dinosaurs had signs telling how to say their name and a little bit about them. It was a wetter version of Moab Giants. 

It was not a far drive from there to California. We finally returned to a state where we could pump our own gas. The original plan was to stay in Crescent City area for the night, but got there relatively early, so we pushed on after visiting another lighthouse, getting a photo of the cool firehouse for my nephew,

letting Jasper figure out the ocean again; this time there were waves, and stopping at Woof Bakery to get Jasper treats. 

Around Eureka, CA, we happened across Trees of Mystery, and stopped briefly for a photo of Paul Bunyan and Babe, the blue ox. 

We did not get a chance to tour the trees due to not being dog friendly, but it looked beat. Maybe in the future I will make it back there without Jasper. It was very beautiful to drive through the trees to get to Fortuna, CA, where we got a hotel room for the night. 

Despite getting in to the hotel about 1700, Jasper and I were exhausted to the point of not moving from the bed until the morning. I was right next door to Eel River Brewing, looked at the menu multiple times with the thought of ordering takeout, but still could not get myself to go get dinner. Instead, I grabbed a couple macaroni & cheese microwave meals for dinner and continued watching Failure to Launch on HBO.