Chris and Lori's California Vacation
June 16th Day 1 - Seattle, WA to Redding, CA.Distance: 600 miles
Time: 12 hours with stops.
We left Seattle promptly at 6:00am with a stop at the Northgate starbucks before getting on I-5. While the weather was nice in Seattle, it quickly changed to a dark overcast all the way down through Olympia. We finally broke though and enjoyed a nice drive through Portland with minimial traffic. For lunch we made a stop in Ashland, OR which was a town Lori and I have always wanted to visit but never have had the chance. Very Artsy, lots of hippies and organic food stores. Would have loved to seen this town in 1968. We sat outside and enjoyed a nice coffee.
One of the most scenic parts of the drive so far was a majestic view of Mt Shasta. The Subaru was registering about 92 degrees at this point, which seems about right since we got the same info from the internet. Arrived in Redding at approximately 5:35. We went down the road to a grill where we had some mediocre food before coming back to the Motel. Tomorrow we will be leaving early again for a 400 mile trip to Bishop as we make our way to Lone Pine on Wednesday. More to come tomorrow.June 17th - Day 2 (Redding, CA to Bishop, CA)
Distance: Just over 400 mi.
Time: 11.5 hrs.
We were on the road by 6:45am and made it to through Sacramento without falling asleep on the long, open highway. We made a quick detour to eat lunch on South Lake Tahoe; which was gorgeous. Chris drove the first three hours, then Lori took the wheel. 
From Tahoe down to Bishop, we drove up and over probably 6-8 mountains ranging from 6,000-8,000 feet. Awesome drive, but it took much longer than we had anticipated. We thought we'd never get off hwy 84 to the 395, but alas with 1/4 tank of gas we were safely in Markleeville paying almost $5/gallon! Town populations averaged 400 and elevations were around 4,000 ft; amazing scenery. Finally, we arrived in Bishop which is a metropolis of over 3,000 residents! It was 95 degrees when we arrived, so we took refuge in our room before having a great sushi dinner (go figure!). We're looking forward to minimal driving tomorrow and getting situated for our big climbing day on Thursday.
June 18th/19th- Day 3/4, Biship to Lone Pine
Since we'll be climbing Mt Whitney tomorrow, we decided to head up to Lone Pine, get our climbing permits, ditch our urban gear in a hotel, and go camp at the Whitney Portal Campground (7,500 ft or so). We had the BEST camp site! Right by a bustling stream and in the shade, perfect! We also had our pillows (yeah car camping!) so we had the best night's sleep before a climb ever. Asleep by 8 pm, up at 3 am....
We easily gathered our food from the bear bin, threw our packs in the car and drove up to the trail head (8,365 ft) for a starting time of 3:36 AM. It was a nice gradual climb all morning. We were able to take the headlamps off around 5 AM and watch the sun rise over the Death Valley mountains in the east. The route stayed steady with switchbacks and plenty of rocks to traverse for the majority of the day. We kept a good pace and drank plenty of water all day, but that did not prevent us from feeling the affects of the altitude or the unforgiving sun. Slow and steady got us to the summit at 12:11 PM. The last two miles were the worst as we went behind the Whitney range (rocks, rocks, rocks) to come up to the summit from the west. It was brutal. But the top was worth it! Gorgeous views as far as the eye could see. Our 40 friends at the top enjoyed it, too :)
Then we went down.... and down... and down. About six hours of walking. We left the summit at 12:40 and got back to the trailhead at 6:46 PM. A long 15 hour, 22 mile day of pure sun. There was virtually no shade all day. That is one big, amazing dessert. The rocks looked like sandstone, but were, in fact granite. We'd never seen anything like it. Gorgeous. Time for a beer, burger and rest....
June 20th- Day 5, Lone Pine to Monterey Bay
Distance: 400 mi
Time: 7 1/2 hrs
This desert doesn't end! We reached temps of 100, 105, even 109 degrees as we drove hwys 14, 58, 46 and the 101 to the coast. We watched the scenery change from dry hills and big rocks, to meadows and tress and rolling green hills. We reached vineyards, coffee shops and finally the ocean! Aaahhhh. It's like being home! We enjoyed a nice seafood dinner on the warf to welcome ourselves back to civilization and had a cocktail at a nice bar. That was enough to call it a night.
June 21st- Day 6, Monterey, Carmel, Santa Cruz, Half Mooon Bay
Distance: who knows anymore
Time: leisurely
Well, Day 6 was our first not-perfect day. Monterey was awesome-- a nice breakfast on a patio by the trail overlooking the bay followed by a trip to one of the greatest aquariums in the nation-- however, Chris wasn't feeling real well. Then Carmel, a small town a few minutes south, was full of restaurants and art galleries, but we decided not to spend much time there and head up the coast to Santa Cruz. Originally, we thought we'd hit a few wineries along the way, but come to find out, it's just crop land and beaches up Hwy 1. So we went straight for Santa Cruz. Chris was so disappointed when he arrived. Santa Cruz was not what he had hoped. In fact, it's a crappy town with too much traffic. The boardwalk and everything around it looked so run down that we bailed. More driving further up the coast. We figured we'd just stay in a hotel anywhere along the way, so that we could get an early start to SF in the morning. Well, an hour or so past Santa Cruz, we hit a major road block. Seems there was a serious accident that wouldn't be cleared for hours. So, we turned around and headed back to a hotel that we saw 20 mins earlier. Hey, look at that the hotel and restaurant are closed for a wedding. Here? In the town with a population under 300??? Did I mention that I was really hungry, too? We found another little joint around the corner and got a couple bad sandwiches and a tried-and-true Red Hook and decided we were ready to head north again. The accident was cleared, but looked AWFUL. We drove about another 30 mins and came to the south end of Half Moon Bay-- a real town, with real hotels. However, the first two hotels we stopped at were booked. They said it gets like this in the summer. Ugh! Both hotels directed us up the street to the Oceano. We were so tired and so ready to be done, we just wanted a bed. The Oceano is AMAZING.
We walked in and I thought, "Oh no.... way too much." But what could we do? We checked in and found ourselves in a room the size of our condo. Flat screen TV above the fireplace, a kitchenette, a balcony overlooking the bay, electronic ac/heating system, gorgeous bathroom.... you get the idea! Needless to say, we unwound pretty quickly. So, now the blog is updated, we've had great showers, and we're ready to go into SF. Back on track :)
June 22/23-- Day 7/8, San Francisco
We arrived in SF late morning and checked into our ecclectic, little, historical hotel, Hotel Boheme in the North Beach district, right on the edge of Chinatown. We got a recommendation for Dim Sum that proved to be a good one. We were assured we'd 'stand out' and that we did! Of the hundreds of people in the restaurant, we were of a handful of white people. Then it was off to walk all the hills, including Lombard street, and through Fisherman's Warf. We came across an italian bakery where we couldn't pass up napoleans and lattes and decided that we sure like little Italy! Before dinner, we had drinks at an Italian place that was so authentic the wait staff and ourselves could barely communicate. Then it was off to another Italian restaurant for serious pasta and wine. We love SF! The next morning we were up for another good breakfast and walk around town. This time it was through the Haight/Ashbury area and Golden Gate Park. Lunch was in the Mission area followed by a tour of the oldest standing building in CA, Mission Dolores, a church built in 1791.
Today the max temp was about 59 degrees, overcast and cold all day, so it was a little tougher to be out and about. Overall, the architecture of the city is beautiful and unique, the people are exceptionally friendly, the culture is amazing; the only drawbacks are pedestians walk when they want to, drivers don't use blinkers and do as they please. And you get sick when you eat as much as we have for the last two days! We might move to SF.By early evening, we were on the road again, N on the 101 over the GG Bridge to Sonoma. Within an hour, we were back to warm temps and rolling hills. We found our way to the cottage we'll be staying in for the next two days, picked up some maps and vineyard information, and are looking forward to the upcoming days in wine country.
June 24-- Day 9, Sonoma
Lori and I arrived in Sonoma Monday evening and ended up having dinner at an irish pub tucked deep inside a cobblestone alley. Upon check in to our rental house we received a complimentary basket of wine, cheese, and coffee. Tuesday morning after breakfast, we prepared our map of the valley to see which wineries we would hit first.
We started the morning by visiting Beuna Vista. This winery is the OLDEST winery still operating in California. Orignially started in 1857, it holds one of the oldest legacies in California. We sampled a pretty wide range of their varietals including a Syrah, Pinot, as well as a Sangiovesse. Once done we moved onto Ravenswood, a winery that should be familiar to everyone reading. Most of what was offered here was less than exciting. The wines weren't very complex and didn't have much flavor. Thumbs down. By this time we were certainly well into our tasting. We drove a bit north on the 101 to JVB and Gundlach Bundschu. The recent wildfires that are ripping through California are taking there toll. Dense smoke and haze throughout all of the hills. Visibility is poor and the air is thick. Unfortunately this has made photo-ops a bit difficult.
Gundlach has an extensive German background and we ended up getting a few bottles here because we liked the family-run atmosphere.
By the end of the evening, we had hit 6 wineries. When we got back into downtown Sonoma there was a farmer's market in the middle of the plaza. Lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, as well as food vendors that were similar to a mini Bite of Seattle. Tomorrow we'll be spending another day in Sonoma and heading a little farther north to Santa Rosa to explore Healdsburg and other areas.
June 25- Day 10, Santa Rosa and Healdsburg
After a beautiful late-morning run and home-cooked breakfast in our little cottage, we were on the 101 again going north to Santa Rosa and Healdsburg. We had less of a plan today and just decided to visit whatever we stumbled upon. We started, though, with a recommendation to go to Willi's Wine Bar in Santa Rosa for fabulous wine and food pairing. It was awesome! We sat at the bar where the bartender could chat with us about wine varieties, cheeses, and food pairings. It was a classy little place where, once again, we ate until our hearts' content! Then it was off to a country road that runs through the Russian River area-- winding, narrow road with beautiful hillsides of grape vineyards, ranches and farms. We stopped at Gary Ferrells (great view, mediocre wine), Hop Kiln (used to be a brewery in the early 1900's until their crops were destroyed by a fungus), Armida (funky labels of 'Poizin' wine, but not so tasty), then finally, Francis Ford Coppola's winery (cool place, but it's under construction, so missed the museum and such; pretty good wine). 
After all this, we decided to call it a day and head back to Sonoma. We had a dinner reservation in town, but decided not even we could indulge in such gluttony, so it was back to the cottage for a mellow dinner in. We'll leave our cottage in the morning and head off to Napa. Life in wine country is very good!
June 26-- Day 11, Napa
oooohhhhhh, I just wrote two days' worth of blog and then my computer crashed. oh how I hate technology some days!!!! So, for now, you will see a list of all the wonderful places we went. Later, we will write more, or just tell you in person.....
June 27-- Day 12, Napa Valley
June 28-- Day 13, Calistoga to Arcata
Distance: about 400 miles
Friday night we checked into a little hotel on the north end of Napa Valley in Calistoga, enjoyed a nice Mexican dinner, followed by a swim in the pool, and lounging in the spring-water-filled hot tub before bed. It was a nice way to end our Napa journey! The next morning we headed north on the 101 yet again with intentions of stopping where we'd like along the way. I think we made two stops, but really, we were just done visiting wine country. It was time to be going home! We arrived in Eureka on the northern California coast by 5PM and were in Arcata to have dinner with Chris's cousin, Dorje, and his wife, Reagan, shortly thereafter. It was a great visit and nice to catch up with family we don't often see. It was an early night as we had a long day of driving ahead of us!
June 29-- Day 14, Eureka to Gig Harbor
We were up at 4:30 AM and on the road by 5. Chris took the first couple of hours of driving while I dozed. Driving the coast at that hour was dark and very foggy. He could barely see the road ahead of him. It was a slow, windy way to start the day. However, it was gorgeous. We were pretty deep in the Redwood forests by then and even in the dark, they were majestic! We also happened upon quite a few elk as well. Most were grazing in the meadow, but one was on the side of the road, so we stopped a minute to take him in. Then it was my turn to drive over Grant's Pass into Oregon while Chris dozed. We continued along like this for a solid 12 hour day on the road. The weather was nice and overall the drive was uneventful. We thought it would be fun to surprise his parents and stop in at their place unannounced. Lucky for us, the garage was open, so we snuck in the back door. Kay was confused thinking the cat was coming in, then Rick was startled awake from his nap when he heard us because he thought Kay cut her finger off and was screaming. Yeah, we got them good! We all enjoyed a nice dinner out, remeniscing about the trip.
June 30-- Day 15, Gig Harbor to Seattle.
We're home! The car is unpacked, the laundry is going, the mail has yet to be sorted! We drove a total of 3,000 miles on our California journey and enjoyed every bit of it. No flat tires, no tickets, no accidents-- a very successful road trip! Now we are looking forward to sharing bottles of wine over dinner with friends in the near future!
posted by Chris Kirsten @ 8:36 PM
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